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Dryfire and the rifleman

Started by jmdavis, June 22, 2016, 01:26:52 PM

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jmdavis

Since none of the 124 recent posts available to non-instructors show Marksmanship topics, let's start one.

This will be a quick one to cover dryfire.

Dryfire can be done at or away from the range. It can also be done without a target. There are several types of dryfire that allow the shooter to learn specific skills.

The first type of dryfire may be done seated and its entire purpose is to learn the feel of the trigger. You don't need a target or even to point the rifle at a blank wall. Your objective is to learn the way that the trigger breaks. Some people will complain about this sort of dryfire and tell you that you want a surprise break. To the best of my knowledge none of those people has won a national championship or is a high master. You don't pick when you want the gun to go off, that leads to bad trigger control but if you plan to shoot with uninterrupted trigger control, you have to know when to stop the process (particularly in slowfire, correct any issues, and restart). You know when the trigger will break and you don't let it break if the shot isn't right. Learn your trigger.

The second type of dryfire is blank wall dryfire. With it we are continuing our process of learning the trigger, but also adding building a good position and learning the indicators that can help us abort a bad shot before it is a bad shot. Blank wall should be the majority of your dryfire time. Without a target, you will focus more on front sight focus and that will bring dividends when you have a target in front of you. You are learning the feel of your position and to integrate your shot process with your position process.

The third type of dryfire is dryfire with a target. You can use reduced targets for short range indoors or full size targets and full distances for outdoors at a range. If you have spent quality time on the first two types of dryfire, you will see really good results here as you integrate all of the trigger, position and shot process elements with an actual target. If you are shooting standing dryfire as many quality shots as you can. At first you may not be able to make 10 quality shots, but as you continue with blank wall and target dryfire you soon will. An added bonus is that your trigger dryfire and blank wall dryfire will have helped you to develop a slower and smaller hold than you would normally have if all you did was go out and shoot AQT's.

As an instructor, you can use the third type to improve the performance of your students. Have them dryfire stages of the AQT before live firing the stage. I learned this technique from one of the best instructors that Appleseed has ever had and it WORKS.

If you have questions or comments feel free to contact me on this topic or by PM.


Mike
"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

NightFisher

As always, I jumped right to step three when what I really needed was a lot of step two.  Front sight focus is a challenge with BiFocals not only do I have to worry about head position but I have to make sure my glasses are in the right position on my nose.

navybowhunter

Good stuff as always Mike!

Having taken up other shooting disciplines, I procured and installed a Giessele Hi-Speed National Match 2 stage trigger for my service rifle. 

Having installed several triggers before, I did not take the time to thoroughly read and adjust the trigger.  I have suffered because of that, but have also learned a lot as well.

Interestingly enough, several competitors have felt my trigger, what I thought was an acceptable trigger, and have mentioned in the past "you need to adjust your sear, or....you need to adjust that second stage because it is very gritty".

Well....finally got around to doing that, and it is a very noticeable difference.  I in fact emailed Mike this morning about this, as he has been helping me along the way.

I told Mike, and I am sure he echoes my sentiment, now I need to GET MARRIED to my trigger.  I need to become very intimately involved with exactly how it feels, in all of the shooting positions.

So....yes, dry fire is how to accomplish this. 

I will be doing the blank wall thing for sure.

R/
Chris

jmdavis

#3
While I would like to claim credit for this information. The truth is that the trigger exercises come to me from three Marines, all National Champions. Two of them largely specialized in Rifle, one in Pistol. But all three have said the same thing with regard to learning your trigger. Take the time to work with the trigger without any distractions. Learn its nuances and you will thank yourself as you advance.

Dryfire types two and three are both important and for some of the same reasons. You should dryfire AT LEAST 2x the amount that you live fire and 100x isn't unheard of. But they are different as well and allow you to focus on different aspects.

Type 3 is where you put it all together. Most people who read this will know about the third type, but will have little knowledge of Types 1 and 2.

Good luck.

"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

Kimber Custom

Quote from: jmdavis on June 22, 2016, 01:26:52 PMIf you are shooting standing dryfire as many quality shots as you can. At first you may not be able to make 10 quality shots, but as you continue with blank wall and target dryfire you soon will. An added bonus is that your trigger dryfire and blank wall dryfire will have helped you to develop a slower and smaller hold

Would you elaborate on this?  I'm not sure if follow what you mean.

Thanks

Texas T

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."  Mark Twain


First Appleseed, September 26-27, 2015;   First Rifleman, September 27, 2015;   First Redcoat, September 27, 2015;   Second Rifleman, September 27, 2015

Thanks Corvette, great instruction!!!

MI IBC, February 2017

jmdavis

Quote from: Kimber Custom on June 23, 2016, 02:24:24 AM
Quote from: jmdavis on June 22, 2016, 01:26:52 PMIf you are shooting standing dryfire as many quality shots as you can. At first you may not be able to make 10 quality shots, but as you continue with blank wall and target dryfire you soon will. An added bonus is that your trigger dryfire and blank wall dryfire will have helped you to develop a slower and smaller hold

Would you elaborate on this?  I'm not sure if follow what you mean.

Thanks

Critically examine each of your shots. Concentrate on your trigger control. Make it SMOOOTH. Focus on the absolute best dryfire shots you can make. If you do that for 10 shots when you are starting the process your concentration will be shattered. Dryfire is not just bringing up the rifle (or pistol) and making it go click. Anyone can make the rifle fire. You are trying to make the rifle fire, while maintaining front sight focus and sight alignment, without the rifle moving. It is not easy and it will wear you out. The first person who told me this starts this process at the beginning of every season. He is a National Champion and National Standing Trophy winner and he spends many hours in the preseason working on this drill.

BUT, when you lose concentration you STOP. Don't do things wrong just to say that you did them. It doesn't help.  By the same token, if you can get to 10 good shots, keep going until you do lose concentration, then STOP. Try to build on that.

The better that you learn your trigger and practice the blank wall dryfire, the  more likely you are to develop a slow and small hold. Small is self explanatory it means that the movement of the rifle is minimal. Slow means that the movement is slow as well. Slow and small is GOOD.


"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

Monkey

Great advice as always, Mike.  Thanks.
"5 minutes for this stage - that's like a week in people years!"

"Responsibility is a unique concept... You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you... If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible."
― Hyman G. Rickover

"Scoring is a function of great execution, and winning Is the result, but thinking about winning can pull your focus off of proper execution in a competition. Thinking about process is the answer."- Lanny Bassham

Valongrifle

During attendance of the Virginia July 9-10,2016 Training Shoot the instructors emphasized dry firing.  They also said that for rim fire guns it would be a good idea to use something such as 22LR snap caps. I have found a very good, and inexpensive, alternate to snap caps.

Instead use Drywall anchors,  size: #4-6 x 7/8".  The following is a You Tube link showing the use:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85tUrBclL1E

I tried the use in my Savage Mark II.  They work for me.  I loaded the 10-rnd clip and they inserted and ejected as if a 22 LR.

Since I can cock the rifle by raising and lowering the bolt handle, but not moving the bolt back and forth, I can dry fire on the same dry wall anchor.  The limit of dry fires per anchor is recommended to be 10.

That is a cheap way to dry fire and protect the gun.

jmdavis

#9
Drywall anchors, fired cases, small pieces of magnetic business cards, foamy ear plugs, dry fire adapters, shortened firing pins, and in some cases nothing at all. I have used everyone in different rifles. For the centerfire rifles and pistols, I use nothing. For the euro pistols I use anchors cut so that they are not engaged by the extractor, pieces of mag business card cut in the same way and actual dry fire plugs from vendors like Larry's Guns.

For 10/22's I use nothing. For precision bolt 22's I use fired cases or shortened firing pins.

The important thing is that you stop thinking and TALKING and start thinking and DOING. You will never improve unless you set a goal to improve and dryfire is an important part of that goal.

Blank wall dryfire is perhaps the best practice that one can get, after one has taken the time to learn his trigger. Dryfire at least 10 times for every live fire shot and train to shoot matches twice as long as you expect to shoot.

Watch this video, then watch it again. Then DO IT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfARgCqWCvQ
"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

goodoldfriend

Mr. Davis,

Thank you for this information.

Because of my age and eyesight, I use a scope. During blank wall dry fire should I just focus on the reticle with the goal of little to no movement when I make the shot break?

I am training with the goal of getting my rifleman's patch. Since I have heard it said that most of the points on the Q&D AQT are in the prone slow fire stage, should I concentrate my practice there?

You mention working until concentration is broken. If I am working on dry fire practice, should I just work until the concentration wall is hit then break for a while? Or would it be advisable to switch positions and work until the next wall is hit?

Thanks again for sharing the information.
Best wishes.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

Kennebago

Not JMDavis, but I can take a stab at it (I am a scope shooter).

The important thing (IMO) is to learn to "look off the shot", and to drive the sights with your mind while placing ever-increasing pressure on the trigger. Ideally you drive the gun on target with your mind exactly as you drive your car (intuitively), and observe the sight(s) as they lift at the shot. I personally want an aiming point with a scope because I can lose movement against a blank wall.

Dryfiring a DA/SA or DAO handgun trigger is the best teacher I've found for trigger work, and it carries over naturally into rifle shooting (because honestly rifle triggers are much easier to operate). Glock triggers work as well, as they are less precocked than most other striker-fired guns, which lengthens the trigger stroke. Any trigger that punishes snatching at the break, or jerking the trigger, seems to give me the best dryfire results. Glocks have the added "benefit" of significant overtravel, so even a "good" break can expose faults in form.

Handgun triggers in general are better than rifle triggers for ROI in my experience so far. Dryfiring my CZ or AR is not nearly as much mental work as dryfiring any of my pistols (SAO included), so unless I am working on other gunhandling items I don't really do it a lot.

This is for general shooting, mind you. If I was a highpower shooter, or had a very specific rifle job in mind, I'd dryfire my rifle. But I find it much harder as an Average Guy doing a little of everything to switch from a rifle trigger to my Glock 26 than the other way around for nightly dryfire. And since I carry my G26, it gets priority anyway.

If you have a CCW, I'd go ahead and dryfire that. 10-15 minutes of focused practice every night is better than one solid hour of decreasingly focused practice once a week, so don't feel like you need to press yourself.
Wodan bood Mimir zijn oog
doch zou hij beter zien

goodoldfriend

Mr. Kennebago,

I like what you have said. It will be interesting to get Mr. Davis' take on it.

Tonight's session when I get home will be dryfire in the dark (after making the rifle safe).

I only have two handguns from which to choose for any kind of dry fire practice. I will have to check then to see if the manufacturer says they will be harmed by doing so.

One is a little Taurus 380. That trigger has so much travel before a break.
The other is a Beretta Neos .22. I have not really gotten to know that trigger. That is my better half's pistol. (How I got her into shooting. That and the splatter targets.)

My best piece has the KIDD 2 stage. I am getting quickly spoiled. I have a couple other rifles that I can use too.

I would think that one should practice most on the rifle that one is going to use most though.

Anyway, getting to know the trigger a little better tonight.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

goodoldfriend

Also, is there any possibility of having threads of this nature moved to the Skill Sets of Shooting forum?

I only stumbled on it when Mr. Davis linked to his dry fire post.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

Kennebago

Any centerfire handgun should be just fine to dryfire, so your Taurus should be A-OK. There are sone oddities (Berettas can eat trigger return springs and dryfire accelerates it) but in general any defensive handgun is good to go. Check your Neos manual, rimfire depends on the individual design.

Personally I prefer not to use snap caps, etc if possible because it removes the possibility of loading a live round by mistake. Check chamber, verify empty, begin.

I would dryfire a handgun in a well-lit room using a lightswitch or closet door hinge or something (not in a spot anyone will walk past!!!) as your dryfire target. You want to see what your sight is doing, because it is telling you what YOU are doing. With handguns, front sights tell you 100% of what you need to know.

Good luck!
Wodan bood Mimir zijn oog
doch zou hij beter zien

jmdavis

You have to prioritize what you want to master. I do think that pistol shooting helps rifle shooting, but only if you do it correctly. I would start with the rifle.

When you reach the point of loss of concentration in your dryfire, stop. This is a process and as you continue the process you will be able to go longer. But I will tell you a secret. You don't have to concentrate all of the time you are working with the rifle. You need to be focused and concentrate for the 6 or so seconds of each shot.

If you are serious about it and ruthless in your critique you will start only being able to do less than 10 good shots in offhand. You have to define good. But my definition is 9 ring or better or a 4 or better for Appleseed. Most often unless I am teaching to make a specific point I will shoot a 49 or 50 in offhand for Appleseed and a 90-95 for highpower. Sometimes the wind gets you in highpower and that is very difficult.

For sitting you need to work on your position and once you have a good one, practice mounting the rifle and dryfiring individual shots. Remember you are on a blank wall and your goal is to master the position, the grip, and the trigger control.

Prone will need to be later. I have to get ready for 3 matches tomorrow.
"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

goodoldfriend

Mr. Davis,

Again, thank you for your time. I was going to say good luck tomorrow but we know luck has little to do with it. So I will wish you well and to have a good focus.

I am serious about this. Learning to shoot well is something I have wanted for a long time. Health got in the way, but it is improving, woot.

Now that I have written that I guess I have to define well...LOL. At this moment it is to get the Rifleman's patch with my .22, Then I want to do it with my AR, then my Savage bolt .22, maybe vice versa.

I read something that you wrote some time ago, that if one wants to be able to shoot 4 moa when they are winded and heart is pounding, they better be able to shoot 2 moa when things are easy (paraphrasing).

As I have said, tonight when the house is quiet, is time to get to know that trigger. Then it will be sleep time...

Do well in your matches tomorrow.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

jmdavis

Luck does play a role, but less in the shot than the environment, weather, light, squadding, etc.

But you train to shoot more and better than you think you will need to, because you won't always have luck and you will have to succeed anyway. I'm lucky to be able to go shoot against good teammates who will challenge me to do well.
"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

goodoldfriend

More trigger intimacy tonight when I get home late.

Tomorrow I am scheduled to go to the range. Who knows, might do some dry fire there too...LOL
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

jmdavis

#19
I do dryfire at the range on standard targets sometimes. If I am dryfiring with a target, why not make it the real thing at the real distance. But I do more blank wall than target dryfire.

Good luck.
"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

Rev.357

#20
Just a note on dryfire practice.  We had a lot of new shooters on the line this weekend and many of them were very young shooters.  Clearly, there were those who would benefit from dryfire blank wall practice as well as practice dropping into position, making sling adjustments, manipulating magazines and bolts.  I thought about making the little speech that begins with the mandatory phrase, "In a room with no live ammunition."  However, because there were at least nine young patriots, I made the point to the 3 adult shooters as individual instruction. 
He that beliveth on the Son hath everlasting life: John 3:36
Life: Endowed by our Creator, made possible by Christ the Lord.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
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Repent yet therefore, and be converted, Acts 3:19
Pursuit of Happiness: Endowed by our Creator, coined by John Locke, made possible by Christ our Lord.

Author of: "Ad  Hoc,  Post Hoc; Educational Programs In Camping." Christian Education Journal, Winter 1993.
Author of: Interpersonal Physics: Authority Statics and Effectivity Dynamics as Factors of Influence. Wheaton,  IL: UMI 1991.

M1bzrk

Excellent article.  Never used a blank wall, but will now.  Need more like this to improve marksmanship.  Also appreciate the civil comments from others.
Thank you!

Valongrifle

Mr. Davis,

Thank you for your comments regarding the use of drywall anchors.  Being a new person to all of this I would appreciate it much if you would expand your comments so I can understand and put them into practice.  Thus the following question:

1 - How would I "cut" (shape) anchors, fired cases, or pieces of mag business card to avoid expelling them in a semi-auto rifle such as a Ruger 1022 or Marlin 795?  (My understanding is that unlike my bolt-action rifle I can not simply cock the trigger of a semi-automatic without moving the action.)

Thank you,


"Drywall anchors, fired cases, small pieces of magnetic business cards, foamy ear plugs, dry fire adapters, shortened firing pins, and in some cases nothing at all. I have used everyone in different rifles. For the centerfire rifles and pistols, I use nothing. For the euro pistols I use anchors cut so that they are not engaged by the extractor, pieces of mag business card cut in the same way and actual dry fire plugs from vendors like Larry's Guns. "


jmdavis

There's nothing you can really do with a fired case, but with business cards and wall anchors you can trim the right side so that it is not engaged by the extractor (the part in the bolt that grips the rim of the rimfire case). In this way it will not be removed when you cycle the bold on a semi-auto. I trim them so that the right side of the piece is flat and just covers the edge of the chamber without coming into contact with the extractor.

I like the business cards ALOT because you don't have to pick them out of the chamber with a screwdriver or use a rod to remove them from the muzzle. But anchors work fine and its usually not too hard to get them out with moderate use.

"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

goodoldfriend

Drywall anchors...

Or you can just eject them assuming your rifle will feed and eject them.

I got some dummy rounds recently from https://www.mfgservs.com/dummy-rounds (no affiliation). They were $10 per 100 plus nominal shipping. They cycled fine in my 10/22 clone. They did "suffer" a firing pin mark on the ones I dry fired. I don't know how many times I can use them but at 10 cents each, they are the best price I have found.

There is a vendor in our Support our Volunteers - Small Business Listings forum http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?board=274.0 named Prescott who sells some dummy rounds. He states the only rifle that dented the snap cap was a pump action Savage.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

Prescott

Before I developed my Snap Cap, I had tried most of the common commercial snap caps and also the dry wall anchors.

I found dry wall anchors to be effective in protecting the chamber and firing pin, but they were a pain to use as you had to individually load them.

All of the commercial snap caps I tried performed very poorly, as they either deformed when struck or actually broke during use.   Other manufacturers actually recommend that you do not use their snap caps for actual dry firing practice. 

My snap cap will also deform during use, but it can be used almost indefinitely and will not break.   I tested a lot of different thermoplastic resin to find the right combination of rigidity, malleability and impact resistance.  I tried more rubbery materials to see if I could find one that would not deform during firing.   I found some materials that worked great from that performance standard but overall the snap caps were too soft to load and feed out of a magazine.  I tested other "high impact" thermoplastic resin but the high shear forces of the firing pin either fractured or ripped the lip of the snap cap.   The material I settled on provided the best combination of properties for a fully functional snap cap.  The Savage rifle we used during the development of my snap cap had the strongest firing pin of the all the rifles we tested.   It's firing pin would blow apart other materials I was sure would work, so it became our dedicated QC gauge. 

The Mfg Servs snap caps looks to be made from polypropylene resin.   At $0.10 a piece, he is using a much cheaper material than what goes into my snap cap.  I would guess that the number of strikes will be much lower
"America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln

jmdavis

For dryfire practice you don't need them to cycle. First learn to fire one precise shot, next repeat. I use the same anchor, piece of magnetic business card or dryfire device MANY times. Snap caps have their place as well, but to practice your dryfire I have never needed so ething that feeds through the magazine. You could, of course, use them for ball and dummy.
"If a man does his best, what else is there?"  - General George S. Patton Jr

  ...We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
  For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
  Shall be my brother...-Shakespeare, Henry V
 

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Your body can't go where your mind hasn't been."
- Alex Arrieta 1995 NTI Winner

goodoldfriend

Mr. Davis,

I understand they dont need to cycle, but the action on my 10/22 clone needs to cycle in order to reset the hammer. If there is a dummy round in the chamber it will eject. The advantage with the two dummy rounds I mention are that they will cycle. That's the only point I was making.

As I am here getting ready for sleep I realize I let the day get by me without and training. Darn. Maybe I subconciously needed a rest day. I'm sore all over from my day at the range yesterday.

Looks like another range day tomorrow.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016

The Wolfhound

I think a few folks are missing JMDavis point on the anchors and card pieces.  By intention, they do not extract when you cycle the bolt.  They stay in the chamber.  The trimming is done so the extractor does NOT engage the device.  Cycle and fire away. The same device will last quite awhile without replacement and as they are very cheap  (or free) you really get your money's worth.

goodoldfriend

I am going to have to try the magnetic card trick. I wonder if they will stick on my stainless steel barrel? Guess there is only one way to find out.
1st Appleseed 11/23/2012, Crittenden, KY
2nd Appleseed 7/16/2016, Wilmington, OH
3rd Appleseed 10/2/2016, Newark, OH
Rifleman (213) 10/2/2016