Should You Dry Fire a Glock?

[The_Shadow]

Here is an article to explain more about the problems dryfiring can cause...

http://www.glockforum.com/entries/Should-You-Dry-Fire-a-Glock.html

[sqlbullet]

Well....

That stinks.  Never have been a fan of snap caps.

[Rick1987]

Same here, slows things down.

I notice that you don't have to eject the snap cap to reset the trigger tho, just pull the slide back a little.

[Yondering]

Did anyone else notice the cracked breech face area almost exactly matches the rim of the case? The striker diameter is much smaller than that. I'm not discounting it completely, but it seems a little odd.

[sqlbullet]

It is not the ejection that bothers me about snap caps.  It is the dropping of the hammer/striker on a chamber that is not empty.  Just seems to beg the day that one clears the gun improperly, then gets distracted and thinks the snap cap is loaded when in fact it is a live round.

I will have to stew on this a little.

[Vice]

I thought the Almighty Glock was unbreakable? 

[REDLINE]

I don't understand that anyone feels the need to dry fire there gun, any gun, to the extent required to self destruct a Glock from doing it.  Not if you shoot the gun any amount worth noting anyway.  I can understand after getting a new gun that one is unfamiliar with, dry firing to get the overall "feel" of it/them in general, yeah fine, dry fire it, maybe even a few hundred on up to around a thousand (for those that are truely lost) times.  But after that, IMO, you're just dry firing to dry fire.  And if not, shooting is probably not your forte to begin with, where one should just quit while they're behind, and get a scatter gun.  I suppose some folks are simply dry-firing-freaks.  To each their own I guess.  That will certainly never be an issue either of my Glocks will have to worry about.

[EdMc]

I thought the Almighty Glock was unbreakable? 

Watch it there buddy, it's 'Glock Perfection'. 

[Vice]

I don't understand that anyone feels the need to dry fire there gun, any gun, to the extent required to self destruct a Glock from doing it.  Not if you shoot the gun any amount worth noting anyway.  I can understand after getting a new gun that one is unfamiliar with, dry firing to get the overall "feel" of it/them in general, yeah fine, dry fire it, maybe even a few hundred on up to around a thousand (for those that are truely lost) times.  But after that, IMO, you're just dry firing to dry fire.  And if not, shooting is probably not your forte to begin with, where one should just quit while they're behind, and get a scatter gun.  I suppose some folks are simply dry-firing-freaks.  To each their own I guess.  That will certainly never be an issue either of my Glocks will have to worry about.

Hardcore competition shooters dryfire practice very regular.  Many do so daily, dryfiring hundreds of times per day to maintain or better their proficientcy.

[Patriot]

I refuse to dry fire any gun. If my trigger gets pulled there is a bullet in it. Period. To me, it just isn't safe. I treat all guns as loaded, that was beat into me by my grandfather. I don't ever want to be that guy that has a BOOM go off in the garage.

[Bro KV]

Not a Glock owner?

[sqlbullet]

I dry fire an enormous amount, and think if you don't you are really missing the boat.  Like Vice says, those who shoot professionally report that they pull the trigger about 100 times on empty for every live round they fire.

Dry fire combats flinch, it creates muscle memory, and in general improves your all important trigger skills.  Jeff Cooper advocated a minimum of 5 dry fires each night when the gun was being stowed for your sleep cycle.

Additionally, I only get to the range at most twice a month for a few hours.  Dry fire allows me to practice every day.

As  far as safety, I still don't violate any of the rules.  The gun is treated as if it were loaded.  It is only pointed at things I would be willing to destroy.  I don't place my finger on the trigger until my sights are on target, and I am sure of my target and backstop.

I don't care for snap caps because I like to be in habit of verifying an empty chamber.  I will probably continue to dry fire my G29 empty.  If the slide fails I will have it replaced.

[DM1906]

If dry firing your Glock was damaging, they'd be falling down across the globe.  While I suppose it is possible, it appears to be very limited, isolated cases.  I seriously doubt dry firing is the cause in most, if not all, cases it's been associated.  I've only heard of it happening (on the internet forums, once including this one, which has been repeated in a lot of different places).  I've handled, shot, owned and seen Glock pistols for more than 20 years.  No, I don't believe the little (tiny) bit of hammering behind the breach is more punishing than the beating going on in front of it.  Some firearms shouldn't be dry fired ever, for similar and different reasons (I repair a bunch of them, mostly shotguns, and .22 rimfire).  Snap-Caps are a matter of choice or convenience for Glock owners/users, I think.  If this were a real issue, you can bet every issuing LEO department would also be issuing Snap-Caps.  Every Glock gets dry fired at one time or another, most of them a LOT.  Not always for the purpose of practice, or anything specific.  Try to disassemble your Glock pistol without dry firing it.  You can do it (I've had to a few times), but it's hardly convenient, and wasn't designed as a regular practice.

[REDLINE]

I dry fire an enormous amount, and think if you don't you are really missing the boat.

And I wouldn't tell anyone not to, I just don't feel the need myself.

[REDLINE]

If dry firing your Glock was damaging, they'd be falling down across the globe.  While I suppose it is possible, it appears to be very limited, isolated cases.  I seriously doubt dry firing is the cause in most, if not all, cases it's been associated.

Well said.