Snap caps for Rimfire

[Puncha]

I have been advised not to dryfire an .22 autoloading rifle as the firing pin would strike the chamber causing burring on the chamber face. However, this is frequently unaviodable as my rifle does not have a bolt hold back feature after the last round has been fired. As I concentrate on every round fired, I frequently lose track of the number of rounds left in the magazine and end up dry firing at least once with each magazine of bullets.

Are there .22lr rimfire snap caps available to solve my problem?

If snapcaps are not available, can I simply load an spent .22 cartridge as my last round so that it will act as a jury rigged snap cap?

 

[Detritus]

The type/frequency of dryfiring you are describing, (ie bolt closes on empty chamber, "click", you stop to reload) is unlikely to cause enough damage over the life of a rifle to matter. it is constant dryfiring such as has been and continues to be used in teaching and practicing proper trigger sqeeze (this is where the term "Snapping in" comes from) that can be very detrimental to the life of a rimfire firearm.

in other words it's not really worth worrying over to the point of putting a snapcap on the bottom of your magazine.

btw .22 rimfire snapcaps have an increased tendency to cause jams instead of feeding properly, they are not meant to be fed from a magazine, put placed in the chamber and as a way to allow actions such as dryfire practice, testing of trigger pull, etc.

 

[rangerruck]

i have seen 22 snapcaps at gander mountain, i do not remember who the mfgr was, though.

 

[nipprdog]

I have been advised not to dryfire an .22 autoloading rifle as the firing pin would strike the chamber causing burring on the chamber face.

if its a 10/22, don't worry about it. there isn't any contact between the pin and chamber.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Any time I want to dry fire a rimfire, I'll use a spent casing from that gun as a snap cap. Due to variations in chamber dimensions, if you put a spent case from one gun into another gun, it may stick, and you'll need to use a cleaning rod to poke it out. Been there, done that, learned my lesson.

 

[Manedwolf]

The flimsy plastic Pachmyar (sp) snapcaps will not feed properly in many firearms, period.

But the A-zoom snapcaps, which are solid red-tinted aluminum, generally will, and can be used to test the feeding of, as far as I've found, just about anything.

 

[XLMiguel]

I got some .22 snapcaps from Dillon Precision. They're plastic, I use them mostly for teaching my neices, wife, others, how to load the P-22 or S&W 317. For all intents, though, spent casings seem to work fine for dry firing. hth, YMMV

 

[geekWithA.45]

I used a spent case for a snap cap in my TPH on one occassion. Repeated pin strikes beat the case to a nasty pulp, I needed a cleaning rod to remove it.

YMMV.

 

[hksw]

As noted by another poster, wether You need a snap cap or other device is somewhat dependent on the gun you have. The 10/22 does have a firing pin stop that prevents the firing pin from hitting the edge of the chamber. Others, however, may not.

I do know the Marlin bolt guns have a stepped firing pin where the farthers forward protion of the firing pin face would actually strike the barrel away from the chamber but the step is shallow enough to allow the cartridge striking portion of the firing pin to hit the cartridge rim without any failures. Not sure if this hold true for their semi-autos.

Browning guns do not have anything to stop the firing pin from hitting the chamber edge. These need snap caps.

The plastic ones are fine for dry firing devices. They will usually need manual loading but so what? You do have to pay for them.

I do use spent casings most of the time. I've never had a problem loading them in by hand or extraction. Plus, they are essentially free and numerous.

The A-Zooms are STRICTLY for function testing. They are not meant to be used as snap caps.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

First of all, get the operator's manual for your gun. If you don't have it, contact the company and they'll send you one for free.

If the manual says no dryfiring, then don't do it. But I don't know any modern rimfires (other than some foreign olympic guns) that say that. So with very few exceptions, all modern rimfires can be safely dry fired.

Next, using a snapcap or fired case for the last round probably won't work, because it probably won't feed (of course, if it jams your rifle, then you won't dryfire! )

Finally, as pointed out earlier, dryfiring one time each time you empty the magazine is inconsequential, no matter what.

 

[whitebear]

Check out Brownell's item 367-022-002 - Action Proving Dummies. The item number is for a box of 50 .22LR dummy rounds - $6.77.

Black casing, actual lead projectile, no primer, no powder. They will cycle cleanly from your magazine, and take lots and lots of strikes to the rim before they won't load or eject.

We've used them for 1000's of dryfire cycles in Anschutz 3-position rifles, and been very satisfied.

I am not an employee or investor in Brownell's - just a happy customer.

 

[hksw]

So with very few exceptions, all modern rimfires can be safely dry fired.

Finally, as pointed out earlier, dryfiring one time each time you empty the magazine is inconsequential, no matter what.

Do not follow this advice for Browning Buckmarks. Use a snap cap.

 

[Detritus]

Do not follow this advice for Browning Buckmarks. Use a snap cap.

but Buckmarks have a last shot hold open feature don't they? (if they don't i'll have to very reluctantly remove them from my "to buy" list)

and as such they are not included in the group of guns the advice was meant for. seeing as how after the last round the bolt stop would engage and prevent possibility of a dryfire as described.

 

[hksw]

but Buckmarks have a last shot hold open feature don't they?

Yes it does, but I don't know of anyone who stores thier Buckmark with the slide locked back and/or the internal hammer cocked.

 

[Diomed]

How about Nylon 66es? I inherited one, don't know a thing about it other than it has a tendency to jam.