From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Subject: Re: Cleaning/Dry Firing Questions
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

Brian Rueger (brueger@infi.net) wrote:

: I am not an expert on this but I'll try to give you my opinion anyway.  The
: hoopla over dry firing a hand gun probably started concerning rim fire
: cartridges.  The firing pin would strike the edge of the chamber if the
: round was not in the chamber.

Not in properly designed/manufactured rimfires.  There's no need for the
firing pin to strike the breech face.  It can stop short by at least .015-in.
and the rimfire cartridge will still fire very reliably.

: This still might hold true for modem rim fire
: weapons, although I am not sure.

Only in ones not made correctly.

: With modern center fire weapons there is
: no harm done from dry firing.

Shotguns, especially doubles and singles; their firing pin/hammer design
coupled with their softer receiver metal can be easily damaged by dry
firing.  Shotshell snap caps are virtually mandated for break action
shotguns; pumps and semiautos may be different.

BB

From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbit)
Subject: Re: Dry Firing
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

Mahlon G. Kelly (mgk@darwin.clas.virginia.edu) wrote about dry firing:

: On bolt actions it will lead to metal fatigue.

I and thousands of others have been dry firing a given rifle hundreds
of times a year.  This is the same action and firing pin that's been
used for 20 to 30 years.  No metal fatigue has set in at all.  And
many of these firing pins are driven by springs having more force
than standard factory springs.  These are centerfire rifles, such as
Win. M70s and Rem. M700s.

BB