Snap Caps

[LLDJR]

Being new to hand guns I figure I would pose this ?? to the INGO crowd.

Are snap caps necessary for the Glock 19?

I assume they are for the Ruger LCP, Ruger says they are not for other Ruger hand guns but not specifically the LCP.

 

[redneckmedic]

My understanding is they are good for bolt actions, single actions, single double true actions (no transfer bar) and I have hear that dry firing the AR-15 style sear is bad for it too. I'm sure out of all those something is a mis and hopefully INGO can show the truth.

 

[wally05]

Glock has stated that dry firing their weapon will not hurt it. For other guns, I'd get a set for each caliber. It doesn't hurt. I use them in my beretta.

NEVER dry fire a rimfire gun (.22lr)

 

[pudly]

Dry firing is not a problem in general for center-fire guns. Still, it is always best to check the manual or support site. The LCP is fine to dry fire.

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

That said, I have snap-caps in all of my caliber sizes. I use them for loading drills, failure drills, etc.

 

[SC_Shooter]

You will not need them for the G19, but having a set of dummunition is great for practice. It's nice to have a training partner slip one (or more) into a mag so you can get some FTF reps in.

Dry fire away!

 

[Jack Ryan]

I would NOT own them in any calibre for any gun.

I don't play with guns. When I pull the trigger on one, I expect it to shoot.

 

[bwframe]

...having a set of dummunition is great for practice. It's nice to have a training partner slip one (or more) into a mag so you can get some FTF reps in.

Dry fire away!

True. The snap caps also do very well in protecting your mags lips from the mag well and concrete floor when dry fire practicing mag changes.

NEVER dry fire a rimfire gun (.22lr)

Ruger 10/22s and MK II/III pistols can be dry fired without worry as per the owners manual.

 

[groovatron]

Practice doesn't always equal playing. Practice makes perfect and hittin' up the range isn't always an option.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Practice doesn't always equal playing. Practice makes perfect and hittin' up the range isn't always an option.

Yeah yeah yeah SWAT teams do this or that, what ever. Seen this goat roped a hundred times before.

If you are not shooting, you are not practicing. You are playing. Guns are not toys.

 

[wally05]

Yeah yeah yeah SWAT teams do this or that, what ever. Seen this goat roped a hundred times before.

If you are not shooting, you are not practicing. You are playing. Guns are not toys.

Dry firing is practicing... I don't see what your point is. If you're just sitting there jerking the trigger, you are playing. If you are working on trigger control so the front sight doesn't move, it's practice. Dry-firing has been a way to practice trigger control for new shooters for awhile.

 

[Roadie]

Dry firing is practicing... I don't see what your point is. If you're just sitting there jerking the trigger, you are playing. If you are working on trigger control so the front sight doesn't move, it's practice. Dry-firing has been a way to practice trigger control for new shooters for awhile.

Agreed. A lot of ranges will not let you practice holster drills. Snap caps allow you that option. I have read many experts suggest snap caps and dry firing drills at home to maintain(or build) "muscle memory" in between range trips, trigger control, and as pointed out, tap/rack drills.

If you are not shooting, you are not practicing. You are playing.

Would you tell someone in martial arts not to practice their katas without fighting someone, because if they aren't fighting, they are just playing? same concept.

 

[Indecision]

Yeah yeah yeah SWAT teams do this or that, what ever. Seen this goat roped a hundred times before.

If you are not shooting, you are not practicing. You are playing. Guns are not toys.

They are great for FTF drills randomly loaded in a mag by a friend. That is inarguable. They are good for penny drills as well.

 

[LLDJR]

Thanks guys, I figured there would be a 50-50 split on this

I will pick some up for the Ruger LCP for sure, that trigger will take a lot of pulls to get used to and the snap caps should be a good safety precaution

 

[pudly]

If you haven't been there yet, the Elsiepea Forum is a great place for LCP-specific info and they have an online store with snap-caps among other things.

No, not advertising. Just a happy member/customer.

 

[gus1989]

I know the OP asked about Glocks, but I was just on a CZ site and read the same question there. The "expert" opinion there for CZ's was to use snap caps and keep the trigger spring oiled. My thoughts are - it may hurt something if you don't use them, but it definitely won't hurt anything if you do use them.

 

[g00n24]

Yeah yeah yeah SWAT teams do this or that, what ever. Seen this goat roped a hundred times before.

If you are not shooting, you are not practicing. You are playing. Guns are not toys.

So watching your front sight while you are dry firing to see if you're jerking the trigger and gain trigger control isn't practicing then right?

 

[Jack Ryan]

Would you tell someone in martial arts not to practice their katas without fighting someone, because if they aren't fighting, they are just playing? same concept.

No it's not. It's not even close.

Make what ever excuse you want, play all the games you want, you are cocking the hammer, pulling the trigger, and hoping it doesn't go off.

Every excuse for playing around with guns in this thread involves "you can't get to the range" or some other reason YOU ARE NOT SHOOTING but you still want to pull the trigger.

That's called playing. Go to the range and point it at something you don't mind killing, destroying, putting a hole in, and you are not playing, you are practicing.

Sit around at home, in your apartment, where ever you wouldn't put a live round in a gun and you are playing. Guns are not toys to be played with when you can't get to the range or some place safe to shoot them. Children play with things where they are not suppose to really be using them.

There's no such thing as an unloaded gun. Period. It's either true or it's not true. It's not just true after some goof ball kills some one and you want to put on the sack cloth and wail about how it would never happen to you and he is an idiot or all about how "if only" he had the good sense to read Cooper's 4 rules that are a sticky on this forum.

It's true or it's not. It's not one way one day and the other when it's inconvenient for you because you want to play around with your guns someplace where you couldn't or wouldn't shoot them but your childish urges too much for you to control and you must get out your toys like snap caps, guns and other things you are not mature enough to really be trusted with.

Toys, pretending and playing are for children. Guns are not toys.

 

[Jack Ryan]

So watching your front sight while you are dry firing to see if you're jerking the trigger and gain trigger control isn't practicing then right?

It's practicing playing around.

It's practicing poor and dangerous gun handling.

It's not practicing shooting.

You want to ask the same question two or three other ways to see if the answer changes? That's what my kids did until they were about 6-7 and I figured that was about enough of playing dumb to try to get their way on something they didn't like the answer.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Jeff Cooper's 4 rules of gun safety.
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ate_col_jeff_cooper_shooter_trainer_hero.html

Second post in the threa, "Funny thing about the four rules, four rules is enough."

You guys are all probably a lot smarter than Jeff Cooper though. Every one who ever negligently killed some one was or at least thought he was and every single one of them broke one of those 4 simple rules. The problem is there's no end to the supply of people who are so much smarter who keep on killing people with unloaded guns, in apartments, in homes, all kinds of places where they never intended to fire their unloaded gun. I bet they were all "practicing" some kind of stupid drill they read about on the internet involving pennies, coins, TV, mirrors, watching something.

 

[Roadie]

Well Jack, that is because you are WRONG. Must firearms instructors encourage dry fire practice. For example:

[FONT=COMIC SANS MS,ARIAL]
How to shoot a handgun accurately by Massad Ayoob Issue #85

How to shoot a handgun accurately[/FONT]

[FONT=COMIC SANS MS,ARIAL]By Massad Ayoob

Quote:
[/FONT]Experts agree that the best way to get the trigger pull down, once you know what it’s supposed to be, is to practice it. Dry-fire, or “clicking” the empty gun, is the best practice. The position of the sights when the gun goes “click” will tell you whether the shot would have been on target or not. The more thousands of these repetitions you perform, the more the proper trigger pull will be hard-wired into your mind and body to the point where you can do it perfectly in an emergency without consciously thinking about the details.

So let's see, we can follow "most experts" like Massad Ayoob, or, and anonymous internet poster, Jack Ryan.

Who would you trust?