Dry firing rimfire with empty brass cases okay?

I tried this for awhile but found the rim didn't hold up very well after just a few uses. I think the small drywall anchors work much better and last longer than rimfire brass.

I would think that as long as you rotate the brass and not continuously impact the same part of the casing rim it should be just fine.

Bannockburn, that’s a neat idea using drywall anchors. Thanks.

Ammo is about 4 cents each. Shoot it.

From S&W

Q: Can I dry fire my Smith & Wesson?

A: Yes, except for the .22 caliber pistols which includes models 22A, 22S, 422, 2206, 2214, 2213 and 41.

.22 caliber revolvers such as models 17, 43, 63, 317 and 617 also should not be dry fired.

Q: Why can't I dry fire my .22 pistol or revolver?

A: Dry firing a S&W .22 pistol or revolver will cause damage to the firing pin.

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243winxb said:

Ammo is about 4 cents each. Shoot it.

From S&W

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That works great...unless you want to work on trigger technique in your living room....

I have several rimfires...both revolvers and rifles. In the manual the manufacturer recommends dry firing. I've dry fired mine for years with no ill effects. If the company that makes the firearm says it's OKAY ... that's good enough for me.

I use drywall anchors in my revolvers and semi autos. 10s of thousands of dry fires with no damage. Just change them frequently.
My LGS and local gunsmith do the same thing.

To answer the OPs question - empty brass works. I don't do it as the gun then appears loaded and I don't want to confuse practice with actual firing.

I think it depends to a great extent on the gun. Some can be dry fired indefinitely without harm, other models are notorious for broken firing pins....the Walther TPH comes to mind......

No way im dry firing an M17!

TTv2 said:

Got a lot of .22's, but I know not to dry fire them or else the barrels will get damaged

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The "barrels" will get damaged from dry firing? How come? I'm curious.

The face of the chamber can get damaged if the firing pin hits it. With most guns it is not a problem with, though. You gotta know your gun.

.308 Norma said:

The "barrels" will get damaged from dry firing? How come? I'm curious.

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The flat firing pin pings against the barrel metal at the chamber. It can cause damage to semi auto guns not designed for dry firing. The same can happen with cylinders on revolvers.

I inherited a gun that had cylinder and firing pin damage from dry firing. It took me a while to get the parts to fix it but it was repairable.

.308 Norma said:

The "barrels" will get damaged from dry firing? How come? I'm curious.

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Only really sorta accurate when talking about rifles or semi autos

More to the point, it can beat up the face of the chamber that supports the rim, which on a rifle or auto pistol would in fact be part of the barrel.

Pat Riot said:

The flat firing pin pings against the barrel metal at the chamber. It can cause damage to semi auto guns not designed for dry firing. The same can happen with cylinders on revolvers.

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Oh, okay. Thanks!
I was thinking only of revolvers because revolvers are all I have when it comes to rimfire handguns. I'm rather shortsighted at times.

On the other side of the coin, you have to dry fire a Ruger MK pistol to disassemble it.....Many semi rifles don't lock back on empty and get dry fired when the mag runs dry and experience no I'll effects.

I will have to edit some pictures of an Anschutz that was damaged when the firing pin broke during dry firing. I regularly dry fire my Ruger MKII"s.



Dry firing will damage the weapon if the firing pin contacts the end of the chamber. It happens enough that Brownell's sells a tool to swage out the dent, which may or may not work, but it is worth a try as that is cheaper than a new barrel. As long as the firing pin does not touch the breech end, nothing bad will happen. But, there is risk, something could break, something could move. I think using old cases is better than not using anything at all. Always monitor the breech end with a magnifying glass to see if there is damage to the metal. If there is, stop.

Slamfire said:

I regularly dry fire my Ruger MKII"s.

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Should have the same firing pin stop as my MKI. Pin cant contact the barrel face.

In addition to denting the face of the chamber, dry-firing some models can peen (flatten) the tip of the pin itself. This can result in less-reliable ignition, especially when a deformed chamber edge is also a factor.

I have no idea which, if any, of my rimfires could be dry fired without ill effects. For years I've been doing the plastic drywall anchor method. I don't dry fire them very much unless it's something like checking pull weight on a trigger or something like that. I feel much better with that plastic anchor in the chamber. They eventually wear out but they're so cheap it's better than risking gun damage. Got this package years ago, still plenty in there, forgot the cost but it was cheap. That size ; ( # 4 - 6 x 7/8" ) seems about right for 22 LR usage. Small price for a good amount of peace of mind.

243winxb said:

Should have the same firing pin stop as my MKI. Pin cant contact the barrel face.

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I really don't know any rim fire design that intentionally allowed contact between the firing pin and breech face. In some way, they all have firing pin stops. The fact that contact does occur is due to tolerance stack up, wear, misassembly. This is a very good reason to monitor the breech face, with a magnifying glass, and see if there is incidental contact between the firing pin and breech.

I am going to claim that if the material in my stainless steel Ruger MKII was soft enough to upset on the tang, causing misfires





then that firing pin was also soft enough that the oval firing pin stop could have been similarly deformed, given time. Luckily it was not, the tang failed first. But, it could have, either it or the pin, and the result would have been denting of the breech face.

Luckily the replacement Volquartsen firing pin is made of an alloy steel that through hardens. The typical stainless steels are shallow hardening and in this application, I don't need rust resistance, I need impact resistance, that is toughness and the appropriate through hardness. I have not had any misfires since I replaced the firing pin.

Chamber irons do work at re-swagging a damaged chamber face. I would still recommend the drywall anchor as a safety device.

Ideally, a .22 rimfire striker will NOT be positioned to crush the edge of the rim, but will impact just inside of the rim. This provides a few advantages, including less force required to ignite the primer, fewer failures to fire, and even a reduction in muzzle velocity variation and reduced flyers. That may sound like a stretch, but it's been documented numerous times with careful chronograph and target testing.

Below is a photo of a proper strike on the right, and a typical factory setup on the left. High end target guns are set up to strike inside the rim, and more serious shooters (target shooters chasing accuracy) who have re-shaped their firing pins to deliver this type of strike have seen measurable accuracy improvements in the form of tighter groups and fewer flyers.


Photo credit: djdillidon, target rifle builder on RFC, but you can find these on a lot of forums.

Another shot of good firing pin strikes.

Also from RFC (IsaacCarlson)

Now i have to take some measurements. What if there is no barrel face where the pin strikes, no support behind rim?

I6turbo said:

Ideally, a .22 rimfire striker will NOT be positioned to crush the edge of the rim, but will impact just inside of the rim. This provides a few advantages, including less force required to ignite the primer, fewer failures to fire, and even a reduction in muzzle velocity variation and reduced flyers. That may sound like a stretch, but it's been documented numerous times with careful chronograph and target testing.

Below is a photo of a proper strike on the right, and a typical factory setup on the left. High end target guns are set up to strike inside the rim, and more serious shooters (target shooters chasing accuracy) who have re-shaped their firing pins to deliver this type of strike have seen measurable accuracy improvements in the form of tighter groups and fewer flyers.

View attachment 856140
Photo credit: djdillidon, target rifle builder on RFC, but you can find these on a lot of forums.

Another shot of good firing pin strikes.
View attachment 856141
Also from RFC (IsaacCarlson)

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You know, I have had a discussion with a Smallbore National Champ on this. He advocates your position, but I want a big, hard, hit and I am not a believer in the inside the rim theory. I have never seen any data to show the superiority of one over the other.