Dry fire, by all means!
As much as I have dry fired Marks, certainly many thousands. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
I agree with North country gal on that score. And, I do appreciate that many don't see any purpose for dry firing, that is, if it's for nothing more than simply snapping away aimlessly. However, having trained hundreds of officers over the better part of 30 years, and teaching countless others, I can assert that dry firing
with a gun made to withstand it, and with a
purpose is indeed not only a viable thing, but one which is well recommended. Dry firing at a bull with one short series of practice shots will most assuredly help any shooter to control trigger and sights better, and give the shooter a more distinct picture of what his muscle control is--or, more likely is
not--than any fortune spent on rounds that add the distraction of the gun's report and recoil.
Another aspect of dry firing is "ball and dummy" practice, where the shooter fires a series of shots that are a combination of live and dummy rounds. There is no finer way for a shooter to see the effects of flinch, which affect everyone more regularly than most folks think. This of course requires a revolver and a companion to load it to be done properly, but illustrates the value of dry firing. Anyone who has watched a shooter fire that last shot that went instead "
click" with the muzzle taking an accompanying nose-dive, has seen why "ball & dummy" practice is effective.
My very first Ruger was a MKI bull barrel purchased by my Dad for me in 1964, mail order direct from Gil Hebard for $57.50. It was the hours I spent dry firing with my mother's old purse hung over the barrel to build up my arm strength that got me into bullseye shooting and made the few shots I could make at the range on Thursday night count for the scores. When I sold it many years later, I was still dry firing and still getting better, without spending a dime on .22s between those times when I could get to the range. I had it apart countless times and all was well, and it never suffered a peened chamber, either. That dry firing quite literally made me the shooter I am and gave me a vocation.
If I were to recommend one thing for a shooter to practice, it would be indeed dry firing at a bull. If one must get a drawer full of replacement parts, it's far less costly than a box of ammo and works better, too. It's truly quality shooting time, and is the secret behind any competitor's advantage.
I've been doing the same thing regularly with my current MKII Government Model, and I still recommend it between shooting sessions. I sure keep an eye on that firing pin and cross pin and she looks pretty darn nice so far, still on its first set. Darn good Ruger steel. Will let you know when I need to replace it.