Dry Firing a Revolver?

Question

Is it ok to dry fire a S&W model 65 revolver or will that damage it?

Answer 1

grandpa always said it was one of the worst things to do.

Answer 2

The problem with dry firing revolvers lies in the method in which they work.  The hammer, when released, arcs forward to fire the primer.  That arcing provides tangential force, force that doesn't hit straight on, and that tangential force is what breaks firing pins.  Revolvers, older shotguns, lever action rifles, military surplus automatics  etc are the most prone to breaking.

The bottom line on that is, if the firing pin is attached to the hammer, it's not a good idea to dry fire it.  If it's a blind hammer that strikes a separate firing pin, you can dry fire it all day long and you won't hurt it.

Addendum:  Wow, Vangion!  I love it when folks agree with me!  Same thing I've been saying on here for years.  Kinda gives me a feeling of having taught someone something.  Thank you.

Answer 3

Get some "snap caps" for that or use empty cases until you get some. Dry firing can injure the hammer and firing pin of a revolver. especially a rimfire.

Answer 4

Unless you use snap caps, you should not dry fire a revolver. It's not like it will just shear off if you do it once, but it will put unnecessary stress on the hammer and pin, and will more than likely reduce the life expectancy of those parts.

Answer 5

Nothing at all wrong with dry firing that revolver

hammer mounted firing pins can be damaged but double action revolvers haven't used that style firing pin in awhile

Using spent brass is an accident waiting to happen

part of safe handling while dry firing is an obsessive compulsive habit of checking the gun frequently to ensure that it is unloaded

Part of ensuring that the gun is unloaded is a visual inspection in some guns followed by a tactile inspection

When you get into the habit of seeing brass in the cylinder it is a simple slip of the brain away from dry firing a loaded gun

Answer 6

That held true back in the day's of single action revolvers with fixed firing pins. Dry firing them would damage the firing pin and sometimes damage the frame as well. Today's revolvers all have floating firing pins which you can dry fire all day long with no damage. Ts ee what I mean, just unload the revolver and pull the hammer back all the way, now use your finger to try to move the firing pin up and down. You will see that it moves freely. If it were a fixed pin, it would not move. In the academy, we dry fired thousands of times and never had a single problem. Since that time, I have probably dry fired revolvers over a million times while working on them, or working on my shooting technique.

good question.

Shoot safe