What's the best way to protect the firing pin for dry fire?

[Questor]

What is the best way to protect the firing pin for dry firing a .22 semi auto? I really hate fumbling with the empty brass between "shots" and I don't like the orange dummy rounds either.

[Tacoma]

http://www.champchoice.com/detail.php?item=2677962


It's just a plastic plug with a tab off the side. Stick it in the chamber and let the flag stick out the ejection port when you close the bolt. It allows the bolt to close enough to  dry fire correctly but does not catch on the extractor.  ie. you pull the trigger, the pin hits the plastic, you rack the slide and repeat.  Nothing to chase or reload. They also serve to show that the gun is unloaded when practicing and /or on the line. You can shoot one about 1000 times bbefore it starts to get chewed up.

p.s. I preffer the orange dummies for revolvers but use this type in my  semi's.  

hth

[Questor]

Thanks, Tacoma! They work like a champ. Now I can just cycle the action and dry fire. They work in my Buckmark, but I have to hang the tab out of the left side instead of the right.

[Trickyasafox]

i've dry fired all my 22's HUNDREDS of times. never used a dummy round. never had a problem with my firing pin breaking. i dont think its terribly relevant to the 22's.

[Questor]

It's relevant to me because I may dry fire hundreds of times in a day, and firing pins for my guns cost a fortune.

[Chris]

Seems like I have read somewhere that some .22 firing pins can damage or peen-over the edge of the chamber on some firearms too.  In fact, most match pistols will come with a plastic plug to dry fire the gun.  

Dry firing a gun when I grew-up usually got your hair messed-up or worse.  Makes me cringe when I see someone do it today...maybe I'm just "old school".  Besides, why risk damage to the gun for the cost of a 10 cent plug?

...Chris  

[Questor]

I've called the manufacturers of my rimfires and they all say not to dry fire without a plug.  I have seen the peening and damaged firing pins, and I don't want to go there.

If you're just letting the hammer drop on an empty rim after going out hunting or shooting, I don't think it will hurt most guns in a typical lifetime of use.

[J.Solo]

I use plastic wall anchors in all my .22's even magnum Revolver. You will have to find the right size. I use both blue and yellow, one size for the .22LR and the other for the .22 Mag. You may have to trim a little off the head Dia. to fit in recessed cylinders and cut a notch for an extractor in semi.'s but they work fine and cheap. They are also of a softer plastic and last a lot longer than the hard plastic store bought .22 snap caps. - J.Solo

[SingleFan]

Traditions makes them and you can pick up 10 for about $3.  I use them in my Clements/Ruger all the time.  Never had any damage as a result.