How much is too much?
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4,410 Posts
Who knows? The reason is that the back of the slot in the firing pin, that the stop goes through, can wear and make the slot longer. The stop would wear at the contact point, too.
This would allow the firing pin to go farther forward. It could, eventually, let the firing pin hit the edge of the chamber and damage it. I would guess it would take several thousand dry fires to make this happen.
This would allow the firing pin to go farther forward. It could, eventually, let the firing pin hit the edge of the chamber and damage it. I would guess it would take several thousand dry fires to make this happen.
You're forced to dry fire to strip the gun.
Otherwise I can't really see any reason to dry fire it. This isn't like a DA revolver where you need to work on trigger control a LOT to master it & doing so only in live fire would cost a fortune.
It has a very short & light (in relative terms) trigger that doesn't take huge amounts of practice. And given how MKs love to eat economically priced Federal bulk packs you can feel free to master that gun in live fire without going broke.
Otherwise I can't really see any reason to dry fire it. This isn't like a DA revolver where you need to work on trigger control a LOT to master it & doing so only in live fire would cost a fortune.
It has a very short & light (in relative terms) trigger that doesn't take huge amounts of practice. And given how MKs love to eat economically priced Federal bulk packs you can feel free to master that gun in live fire without going broke.
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717 Posts
I never dry fire any gun. Ever. The purpose of dry firing eludes me.
If I am going to die if I don't pull a trigger and soon I will stick in a snap cap.
I know some people say it is ok to dry fire and do it frequently and with great joy just to hear the "click" but then I hear others complaining about having to send it back to get it fixed.
I have never seen instructions on any of my guns that has stated "Please dry fire this weapon as much as you want."
If I am going to die if I don't pull a trigger and soon I will stick in a snap cap.
I know some people say it is ok to dry fire and do it frequently and with great joy just to hear the "click" but then I hear others complaining about having to send it back to get it fixed.
I have never seen instructions on any of my guns that has stated "Please dry fire this weapon as much as you want."
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4,978 Posts
As much as I have dry fired Marks, certainly many thousands. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
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5,504 Posts
I'm sure you could dry fire in order to field strip the gun for a lifetime and do no damage.
What is excessive (especially on a rimfire) is the person who sits in front of the TV each night dry firing the gun endlessly "for practice".
The one gun I dry fire is my double-action only S&W 442 38 snub nose revolver. I use snap caps to practice trigger control as this is not a gun you want to fire a lot at the range.
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4,978 Posts
If you want to get it for $0 simply call Ruger customer service which will send out such cheap parts as a goodwill gesture. They probably want to kiss up to folks who shoot so much they can manage to wear out such parts as they're likely to buy even more guns.
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947 Posts
It doesn't have to take too many dry firing sessions to start to see damage to the stop pin especially with the newer Mark III's. The only way to know for sure if you've gone too far is to periodically remove it from the bolt and inspect for signs of damage. Here is one example from a customer's Mark III that didn't have much time on it dry-firing, let alone time out since it left the factory. This was from early 2005 and the gun was manufactured in July of 2004.
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From all appearances this pin was intact and in place, but remove and inspect and the damage is obvious. A 1/8" dia. piece of drill rod is a good substitute until a new replacement stop pin can be obtained.
R,
Bullseye
From all appearances this pin was intact and in place, but remove and inspect and the damage is obvious. A 1/8" dia. piece of drill rod is a good substitute until a new replacement stop pin can be obtained.
R,
Bullseye
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169 Posts
Dry fire, by all means!
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.
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.
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169 Posts
How did the pin get bent when it's supported on each side? I can understand fatigue and possible elongation of the firing pin slot, but I am not seeing how the pin got bent in the middle and came out of a straight hole, still crooked.It doesn't have to take too many dry firing sessions to start to see damage to the stop pin especially with the newer Mark III's. The only way to know for sure if you've gone too far is to periodically remove it from the bolt and inspect for signs of damage. Here is one example from a customer's Mark III that didn't have much time on it dry-firing, let alone time out since it left the factory. This was from early 2005 and the gun was manufactured in July of 2004.
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