“Dry firing” or “dry fire practice” consists of practicing firearms manipulations without the presence of any live ammunition.
A dummy round is a round that is completely inert, i.e., contains no primer, propellant, or explosive charge.
It is used to check weapon function, and for crew training.[1] Dummy ammunition is distinct from "practice" ammunition, which may contain smaller than normal amounts of propellant and/or explosive.[2] For example, the M69 practice hand grenade[3] emits a loud pop and a puff of white smoke.
A dummy is not to be confused with a blank, a cartridge for a firearm that contains propellant but no bullet or shot: a dummy does not produce an explosive sound like a blank does.
A snap cap is a device which appears similar to a standard firearm cartridge but contains no primer, propellant, or projectile.
is used to ensure that dry firing firearms of certain designs does not cause damage. Some snap caps can contain a spring-damped false primer or one made of plastic or none at all, the springs and plastic filled ones help absorb the force from the firing pin, allowing the user to safely test the function of the firearm without damaging the components of the firearm.
A small number of rimfire and centerfire firearms of older design should not be test-fired with the chamber empty, as this can lead to weakening and possible breakage of the firing pin and increased wear to other components in those firearms. In the instance of a rimfire weapon of primitive design, "dry firing" can also cause deformation of the chamber edge. For this reason some shooters use a snap cap in an attempt to cushion the weapon's firing pin as it moves forward.
It is used to check weapon function, and for crew training.[1] Dummy ammunition is distinct from "practice" ammunition, which may contain smaller than normal amounts of propellant and/or explosive.[2] For example, the M69 practice hand grenade[3] emits a loud pop and a puff of white smoke.
A dummy is not to be confused with a blank, a cartridge for a firearm that contains propellant but no bullet or shot: a dummy does not produce an explosive sound like a blank does.
A snap cap is a device which appears similar to a standard firearm cartridge but contains no primer, propellant, or projectile.
is used to ensure that dry firing firearms of certain designs does not cause damage. Some snap caps can contain a spring-damped false primer or one made of plastic or none at all, the springs and plastic filled ones help absorb the force from the firing pin, allowing the user to safely test the function of the firearm without damaging the components of the firearm.
A small number of rimfire and centerfire firearms of older design should not be test-fired with the chamber empty, as this can lead to weakening and possible breakage of the firing pin and increased wear to other components in those firearms. In the instance of a rimfire weapon of primitive design, "dry firing" can also cause deformation of the chamber edge. For this reason some shooters use a snap cap in an attempt to cushion the weapon's firing pin as it moves forward.
Dummy Rounds And Snap Caps Can Be Very Helpful In Dry Fire and Live Range Practice Drills.
There are a couple of excellent reasons for engaging in this practice. For one thing, the rising cost of ammunition and the time burden of traveling to and from a live fire range often limits the amount of practice we can get. More practice equals more skill. Dry fire work can be accomplished in your own home and with no expenditure of ammunition, so there is zero cost. Second, dry work is actually a better way to ingrain many skills. Without live fire, the shooter does not have the noise of a weapon’s discharge, the noise of other shooters’ guns firing, flying brass, reciprocating slides, and the myriad other distractions on a typical firing range. Quiet, mentally focused dry work is an excellent way to learn the feel of your trigger, for instance, or to perfect your presentation from the holster. Remember, perfect practice makes perfect!
Dry fire practice should must be conducted in one designated, established area, and nowhere else in your home.
When you enter the dry fire area, clear the gun and remove all live ammunition from the area. This includes loaded magazines or speedloaders, rounds in your pocket, or rounds in the desk drawer. Take all live ammunition to another room, or place it in your safe or lock box, then come back and clear your gun again.
Don't forget at the very beginning of every session you must, clear the gun, move all ammunition out of the room, and then clear the gun again.
There are certain skills that lend themselves well to dry practice. Here are some that we suggest you practice frequently.
You will need a target, which is simply an object to aim at while you dry fire. You can use an actual commercial target, a hand drawn target, or a paper plate. Just about anything similar. Don’t use an expensive or important item or the dog/cat! Place the target on the wall works best.
Work on trigger control. In dry practice you can more easily feel the slack take up, the trigger break, and reset. If you press the trigger and the gun goes “click” with the sights still sitting on your point of aim, then that would be a hit in live fire. If the sights move off the point of aim as the gun goes “click,” that would be a miss. Keep practicing. Try placing a penny on the end of the barrel and manipulate the trigger as to not disturb the coin.
Empty gun reloads. Can be easily practiced with a couple of dummy rounds (again, no live ammunition). Start with the gun in hand, with the slide locked open, and an empty magazine in the gun. Have a spare magazine with one or two dummy rounds in it. Punch out the empty magazine, insert the magazine with dummies, and close the slide. Get your hands back on the gun and get a sight picture. The dummy rounds allow the slide to go forward, simulating an actual reloading sequence.
Work on your presentation from the holster. In the real world, whether you wind up drawing to ready to challenge someone, or draw to shoot, you will have to produce your pistol before you can do anything else with it. Both options should be practiced until they are second nature.
Your session of mentally focused practice should probably not last more than ten to fifteen minutes. If you try to stretch the session out, you will tend to get bored and sloppy. Sloppy practice is worse than no practice. Remember, your goal is to rack up a huge number of correct repetitions over time, to build reflexive skills. Muscle memory, kinesthetic programming, conditioned reflexive responses, and habit all actually mean the same thing and all are born out of consistent repetition.
When the session is over, say out loud to yourself, “practice session is over." Then leave the dry fire area, load the gun, and say out loud to yourself, “now loaded.” At that point, it can be safely put back in the holster or wherever you keep it.
You will need a target, which is simply an object to aim at while you dry fire. You can use an actual commercial target, a hand drawn target, or a paper plate. Just about anything similar. Don’t use an expensive or important item or the dog/cat! Place the target on the wall works best.
Work on trigger control. In dry practice you can more easily feel the slack take up, the trigger break, and reset. If you press the trigger and the gun goes “click” with the sights still sitting on your point of aim, then that would be a hit in live fire. If the sights move off the point of aim as the gun goes “click,” that would be a miss. Keep practicing. Try placing a penny on the end of the barrel and manipulate the trigger as to not disturb the coin.
Empty gun reloads. Can be easily practiced with a couple of dummy rounds (again, no live ammunition). Start with the gun in hand, with the slide locked open, and an empty magazine in the gun. Have a spare magazine with one or two dummy rounds in it. Punch out the empty magazine, insert the magazine with dummies, and close the slide. Get your hands back on the gun and get a sight picture. The dummy rounds allow the slide to go forward, simulating an actual reloading sequence.
Work on your presentation from the holster. In the real world, whether you wind up drawing to ready to challenge someone, or draw to shoot, you will have to produce your pistol before you can do anything else with it. Both options should be practiced until they are second nature.
Your session of mentally focused practice should probably not last more than ten to fifteen minutes. If you try to stretch the session out, you will tend to get bored and sloppy. Sloppy practice is worse than no practice. Remember, your goal is to rack up a huge number of correct repetitions over time, to build reflexive skills. Muscle memory, kinesthetic programming, conditioned reflexive responses, and habit all actually mean the same thing and all are born out of consistent repetition.
When the session is over, say out loud to yourself, “practice session is over." Then leave the dry fire area, load the gun, and say out loud to yourself, “now loaded.” At that point, it can be safely put back in the holster or wherever you keep it.
