Is It Safe To Dry Fire A Rifle 

Dry firing is especially important in training these days thanks to the ammo shortage.

I've been on the journey from bird hunting using shotguns to hunting with rifles and it's challenging to break shotgun habits. They look alike but the way we handle them is very different. Best of luck going forward you in great hands to learn from!

So fewer of you have to read thorugh all the comments to find my answers to the "don't dry fire a 22 rimfire" warning, know that many, if not most, modern rimfires are built with some sort of firing pint travel limiter to prevent the pin face from striking the breech rim. The limiter might be a cross bar or pin or a flange built around the pin itself. Some older 22s do not have this, so if you're concerned, consult with the manufacturer. Modern Ruger 10/22s can be safely dry fired.

In the Marines we had a snap in period at painted whit barrels, with black marks. We learned trigger control by dry firing against our flag safety, for hours and hours. It’s amazing what it does to your accuracy.

I appreciate the tutorial. I'm decent shooting off the bench, but weak in any other position. 1 question: Isn't dry firing a rimfire going to damage it?

Great video! The tip concerning eyes is often overlooked. Rhythmical, controlled breathing is also a must. An obvious point, maybe, but many folks instinctively hold their breath when aiming, which only serves to cause the body to wobble and the eyes to glaze. Accuracy needs oxygen.

This drives my wife nuts. Live ammo will be locked safely away, but she will still worry about me shooting holes in a wall.😂

Good video on starting basics. I know a lot of “experienced” shooters at my club who would improve if they did this. Have a great weekend Ron.

Was always a bird hunter, kept trying rifle and couldn't get the hang of it. I had then started archery which really slowed thing down for me, that it actually helped me understand shooting the rifle. I started dry firing my rifles mainly to help me relax and be more aware of anticipation. I started watching Biathlon as well and they are amazing after cross country skiing a loop shooting 50m prone at a target the size of a silver dollar, then do another loop and shoot standing 50m target the size of a CD no rest.

Wonderful video Ron! Excellent instruction. I learned something here and will try this myself. Thanks!

Excellent video. Ron has a gift for teaching!

Hmmmm, ok, interesting approach that Ron is utilizing here none the less I really like watching . listening to Ron's videos as he has some very good material.

I agree with everything you have mentioned in this video with one caveat: I would prefer using a centerfire rifle. I have an old Remington .22 LR single shot bolt action (Circa 1952) with the original Iron sights and it shoots far better than I can hold. It's only downside is that, because we dry-fired it so many times, the firing pin striking the edge of the chamber housing, (the part that acts like an anvil helping the firing crush the hollow rim of the cartridge, setting off the primer) without rim to protect things means the chamber, firing pin and the inside of the chamber housing all get distorted and create problems. This sweet shooting little rifle now refuses to eject about 1 out of every 10 cartridges, then you get to pry that empty out with a multi-tool. No fun! I bought the gun used for $10 to teach my 8 year old how to shoot. The stock was worn and heavily scratched and the blueing kind of looked like a pinto pony from rust spots, but the inside of the barrel, action and trigger looked like new. I thought i' would do a quickie stock refinish using sandpaper and lin-speed finish but when I removed the finish from the Remington "Hardwood" stock, I discovered it was a nicely figured walnut stock and so my "overnight " stock refinishing and spot blueing job took 3 months to complete. Every time I take it to the range and take it out of the velvet lined wooden case (A good friend and expert cabinet maker made it after seeing the gun) folks just come running over. Then when the first 5 shot group out of the gun drops into a ragged hole at 25 yards, their eyes really open. I have already mentioned the sour part of all this. I have already discussed repairing the gun with 4 different master gunsmiths and they all agree that dry-firing was the culprit in all of this and they tell me that to repair it properly involves removing the barrel, re-chambering it and taking off about 1 thread of but all said they couldn't guarantee that it would shoot as well as it does now. Somehow, spending $5-600 to get a normal shooter just doesn't light my fire or float my boat. ONLY dry fire rimfirres if you have snap caps. If you must (and I absolutely recommend it) dry fire centerfire firearms! Usually it will not harm the gun, but if it does it means a fireing pin breakage and that is a LOT easier to deal with. You don't usually need a lot of talent to take a bolt apart except on some older Mausers, but that is another story.

Ron, it’s a bad idea to dry fire .22 lr rifles because they are rim fire. It will mess up the firing pin.

i was taught not to dry fire, especially with rim fire or antique guns. with that said you can get snap caps, which i think is the way to go, some old timers use a case that has already been fired, this cushions the firing pin, preventing breakage or mushrooming. read your owners manual and see if the makers of this gun recommends dry firing.

Shooting off a rest...Focus on the reticle, steady pressure on the trigger, follow thru. With center-fire rifles, at the range I focus on 5 perfect dry fires before taking each live round shoot. Focus on the reticle, did the cross hair move slightly left or right on follow through after dry fire trigger break? Continue dry fire until you can get 5 perfect dry fires in a row, then take a live fire shot. Dry fire can damage rimfires such as .22 lr ...

What make and model rifle is the young lady shooting? Good looking rifle

Unfortunately, it isn't. Many rifles have firing pins that simply won't endure extensive dry firing, and I know from replacing a few. Even bolt guns, like the Savage 110, are susceptible to damage. Others are the Remington 760, the Marlin 336, and Savage 1899. Even revolvers with stout, fixed pins, like the first generation Colt SAA, will crystallize and break the pin with repeated drops on empty cylinders. The only rifles I feel comfortable dropping the pin on an empty chamber are my Remington 700s. Everything else, I use snap caps.

Thank Ron for a very instructive video!

I’ve always been told not to dry fire 22 rifles and pistols. Old wives’ tale? Perry Pappous

Also breathing control

I bought a new Ruger SR22 .22lr. The manual says that it is safe to dry fire. However, after a couple of weeks of dry fire practice, the firing pin broke. Ruger paid shipping both ways and fixed it. But, now I do not dry fire it. Or, if I do want to dry fire, I put a #4-6 X7/8 drywall anchor into the breach.

Great advice and technique. But, dry firing a .22? I always heard that is a no-no.

Ron, you should have taught Jess to use the sling for better support.

This video is amazing. Ty.

5:00 Maybe Ron is doing the same sound to the Deer 🦌 before he shoots.

Good video Ron, Merry Christmas!

God video Ron! Jess is a classy lady!

yup

great training, Thank you.

Thank you

Great podcast. Keep up the good work. God bless you Ron.

I have often heard that dry-firing a centerfire can "throw the firing pin" or even break it. Also, for rifles with little to no recoil, I find it steadier offhand to not grip the forend at all. Brace your upper arm and elbow against your torso and allow the forend to lay on top of your open hand. The hand on which the forend rests should be open, fingers together, and in line with the forearm - as if you were showing a person in front of you a tiny object and didn't want to obstruct it with your fingers. You are right, though; learning to use improvised rests in the field beats great offhand technique in pretty much all situations - with the exception of jump-hunting (scaring animals in heavy cover and shooting at them while they run off).

Great content!

I started shooting when I was about 6.....I’m 43 now.....my dad always said don’t dry fire. I never questioned it because he was in the military and has killed as many deer as anyone and has been hunting his whole life..... It never made sense to me why you couldn’t so this is an interesting rebuttal to what I have always known. Interesting 🤨

Some great advice on your vids Ron! Thanks very much. One thing though, how much bourbon do you have to drink to get that voice? Love it ;-)

Jess needs to lean head forward on stock. She has head straight up maybe slightly back. Probably has only partial view through scope. ( She should probably use shorter lighter 10/22, she wants to lean back to help offset weight of rifle)

Good job

I'm sorry but you should always shoot using your dominant eye. I learned that when my vision changed due to m.s. my right eye was dominant but optic neuritis caused My left eye dominant I could not adjust my sights far enough to compensate. I had to learn to shoot left handed. Also helped a friend with the same sorta thing. Thanks for all the great videos. Keep shooting straight.

RON? About THAT DRY FIRING the .22 LR RIMFIRE;: A lot of us have heard “the firing pin/bolt design isn’t supposed to be able to handle dry firing”? Not a ‘floating pin” design maybe, as in a center fire-type rifle? Good info/instruction as always Ron (ha, .22 cal USED TO BE inexpensive AND available..HOW times have changes).

awesome video Ron! Showing my buddies how a pro does it. Talk soon I Hope... :)

Dry fire a center fire rifle ? Yes. Rim fire rifle. No!

No Snap Caps? Rim fire firing pins can touch the back end of the chamber of the rifle leaving a mark that will grow and become a pinch into the chamber eventually. The rifle the girl is using has a butt stock that is too long for her, she needs a shorter length of pull. Great Skills being taught, Shotgun trigger control is a lot different then rifle trigger control.

I was always told that dry firing a rimfire was a no-no.

Hey Ron I enjoyed the video, thanks... Had a question about a used Remington model seven in 308 Winchester I purchased. The rifle is a 1993, with a walnut stock 13.25" LOP, 18.5" barrel. I scoped it with a older Redfield frontier 4x which feels and looks will balanced and appropriate. My question is at 6'2" with proportionate arm length, should I be concerned with the short LOP? I love the feel, and idea of toting a light weight gun in the mountains. I have not shot at the range or in field, but don't want to have issues, or delvelop poor habits. Should I think about extending the stock? I know you are a compact rifle enthusiast, and I value your input, so what do you think? Ken

Ron thank for this video and all videos! all your videos on hunt ar great! (for whose see this video: almost all new 22 rifles allows dry fire! old ones might not, why not? relpy and Ron sure ill asnwer you... well him or me)

I learned how to shoot rifles from the booklet I got with my BB gun.

Need to say something about finding your natural point. After finding your natural point of aim - then adjust for it.

Another great video !

Darned good video.

Good stuff

Hi Ron my uncle as he was a roo shoot all ways told me not too dry fire a gun at all as it not good for your bolt

Like others have already mentioned, I was always told 'you never dry fire a rimfire because the firing pin will take a beating from the receiver'. Period. End of story. Why not just give them an empty, fired case or two to give the pin something to impact besides the steel of the receiver?

What about stance and using the slang as a brace

You can purchase dry fire rounds for virtually any caliber for practice. I would never dry fire a rim fire as the firing pin will hit the side of the chamber causing deformation. 22 ammo is cheap . Why not use the real live stuff and have fun.

How about wild hog hunting in South Arkansas

I learnt to shoot living on a farm in S Africa ..Bare foot and with a .303 open sights ..We can shoot and dont like these 6-40 x 56 illuminating scopes mounted on a Weathery 340 Hiroshima magnum ...Makes us laugh

Ron, you stress having both eyes open. I am blind in my right eye - shot left handed - any suggestions or observations for me. I have been blind since birth and have no sensation in my eye my depth perception is quite good. I did a lot of shooting when I was younger but now I am older and retaking up the sport. Love your videos - you make it easy to follow. Thank you. Mike

They should swap rifles. Ditch sling, as you said.

Jess went into a better stance of balance at her second shot. Muscle memory will develop with repetative CORRECT practice.

Always told not to dry fire a rimfire, can damage firing pin. Is this fact or myth.

Like they say experience comes from equipment screwed up.

You don’t want to dry fire a rim fire center fire is fine. Don’t do it with your rim fire it can damage your chamber

it’s a bad idea to dry fire bye bye to the firing pin.

Call your shots.

I thought dry firing a rimfire was bad for the firing pin?

Air rifle. Cheap ammo and no shortage and you can literally carry thousands of shots in your pockets if you chose to.

How do I know if a shotgun fits me ?

I like youre movies,, but in general they take too long to describe something obvious

You should not dry fire a rimfire gun. Most of them the firing pin is long enough to hit the edge of the chamber and you will damage either the chamber or the firing pin over time. Unless you know the pin does not hit the chamber on your particular rifle use a snap cap or even just a spend case. I learned that the hard way as the gunsmith that repaired my gun told me about this. Even some centerfire guns can be sensitive to dryfiring, the pin can be glass hard and dont cope well with the sudden stop at the end of the free travel. A primer is relatively soft compared to the hard stop at the end of travel on an empty chamber.

What about dry firing ruining a rifle .... any truth to that ?

With my hunting rifles dry firing in never OK! Dry fire a Tikka T3 multiple times and the firing pin will bend! I've seen 2 bent by a buddy who loves to dry Fire! Use snap caps or dummy rounds!

That chick is making me uncomfortable and I'm not even standing next to her. She looks like she's ready to hurt somebody

Did you say leave both eyes open with a scope?? And i thought if the pin hit nothing the kinetic energy would finally break the pin