A note (literally) about dry firing pistols.

[raxar]

So, now we learn that we are supposed to sharpen the pencil?

If you want it to stick in a drop tile ceiling, yes.

[God's Country]

Only just slightly cryptic here is a response I got from FN America inquiring about dry firing my new FN semi auto....

Hi Mike,

Thank you for contacting FN America.

Generally, dry firing is safe as long as it is not done in excess. With that being said, we do not recommend you dry fire your Five-seveN regularly and use caution when you do.

Best regards,
Customer Service
FN America, LLC

My understanding of dry firing before this was that it would, no matter how much you did it, cause no harm to a modern handgun. I know FN's concern is, from their literature, that a trigger not actually be pulled except while shooting to prevent risk of AD.

Just thought I'd share it to expand our collective knowledge.
By the way, I find the quality of the FN gun to be top notch.

Blah, blah, blah, we're not responsible for ND's and damage as a result of dry firing, blah blah, blah.

[Bang]

No caution is necessary. If caution is needed, it is because the gun could be loaded. But if it is loaded, it cannot be dry fired. Geeezus....talk about stupid shit...

[Gunsnwater]

For a fun trick try dry firing a pistol with a pencil stuck down the barrel (don't point it at your eyes)

That's how you test how well the firing pin hits the primer. Don't use erasure. A bick pen or chop stick works, no soft ends. Should bounce off the celling.

Any gun eventually will show damage or even break from dry firing without snap caps. Steel on steel pounding away works that way. Some last way longer then others. Some can not take any. That is shitty design in my opinion, but I own some like the kel tec pistols.

[sota]

second thread surrounding FN and their pistols. and neither are shining a brilliant light.

[JAGGER81]

hickock45 does it

[Bang]

Banging metal parts together can be done for a while, as the H K rep said, but eventually something may give. Metal at all malleable may distort or peen. Metal really hard and surface brittle may eventually chip. It may take 10,000 dry fires, it may take 3000. How is a gun maker to know since they may not test for it. I think the H K rep felt the product would take it for some amount, but had no way of assuring a long-term situation.

That is why snap caps are a great idea. They can be a pita in a semi auto striker unless they will feed by racking the slide.