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Dummy rounds? Do you use them?

I bought some for my kids deer rifle so they can practice at home. I run a firing line on the living room floor, aiming into the back yard. It is a chance to practice on all aspects of the rifle like loading, unloading, quietly working the safety, etc. And they can practice different positions. Then when we are at the range the basics are much more natural and they can focus on shooting.
 
I use snap caps at the range mixed in with live ammo to assist me in correcting my flinch when it rears its ugly head. I also use them when I purchase new firearms to practice with the trigger pull
 
Detection of reaction to recoil and malfunction drills for training of new handgun shooters and myself occasionally. It works amazingly well. New shooters usually have an epiphany when the hammer falls, nothing happens, the shooters react as though recoil occurred, and I ask why did they react as though a round went off. Snap caps are useful to determine speed and correctness of clearing a malfunction and getting the handgun back into battery.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
When folks mention the snap caps relieve stress on the firing pin...what does that mean?
 

simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
It gives the firing pin a cushion to hit on. If the sides of the hammer, or striker, just hit the frame it can send shock waves through the metal. Kinda like if you hit a baseball a certain way and the bat stings the hell outa your hands.

I don't use them on my S&W revolver, it has the pivot at the base of the firing pin, or my 1911. I've been dry firing the .357 from time to time for about 30 years. I don't dry fire my first gen. Colt SAA very much, but if I do I'll put some once fired cases in it for the hammer to fall on. The SAA has a solid hammer mounted firing pin. A revolver with the rebounding firing pin should be okay also, but it's always good to err on the side of caution. Although the modern guns are pretty tough.

It probably wouldn't hurt for me to pick up some snap caps though and start using them.

If my description is incorrect someone please correct me.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
When folks mention the snap caps relieve stress on the firing pin...what does that mean?

Depending on the design of the gun, damage can occur to the firing pin if when struck by the hammer or striker, the forward motion is not cushioned by striking a primer or spring loaded mechanism of the snap cap. If the firing pin is free floating, like in a 1911, it will peen itself and the hole in the slide over time and cause damage. Firing pins attached to the hammer of earlier S&W revolvers, as one example, are less likely to be damaged by dry firing without a snap cap. YMMV
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
The way some of the stuff I read sounded was that it somehow relieves stress when the gun is just sitting around.
like it's a good idea to keep them in all the time.
 
I made some to train some friends to shoot properly. I seated a bullet in an empty case and filled the primer pocket with silicone. They work great, and are a lot cheaper than buying them.
 
The way some of the stuff I read sounded was that it somehow relieves stress when the gun is just sitting around.
like it's a good idea to keep them in all the time.
Not at all necessary to keep in your weapon all the time. I use mine for training, and function tests after I have disassembled something for cleaning or repair.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
Bored today so while at the sporting goods store I picked these up.

they won't even cycle in my Remington 597. Jam city. Cheap, lightweight plastic likely not sitting right in the magazine.

 
I don't use them much. I mainly use them to see if someone is reacting to recoil before they actually pull the trigger. I also use them to see how the trigger pull feels.
 
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