Here are two questions that ive wanted to ask when I was at an Appleseed event.
1. On the AQT target, there is a "sighter" target at the top right of the paper. Under the sighter it reads that you should adjust your sights down 3 clicks for stage 2 and then 1 click for stage 3. I dont remember anyone advising people to be adjusting their sights inbetween stages. Should I be doing this when doing an AQT? Keep in mind that my Point of aim is at the six o clock of the silhouettes, where I put the target on the tip of the front sight post. (as opposed to point of aim point of impact).
2. Dry firing between stages. I think its pretty common knowledge that rimfire rifles are NOT safe to dry fire. Doing so damages the firing pins and reduces the life of the firing pin. I have heard that Ruger 10/22's (one of which I now own) are safe to dry fire because they have some kind of stop bar preventing it from hitting the edge of the chamber. I have also heard from other people on forums that its not a good idea on 10/22's. Do you think there should be any warning given to participants about dry firing? Thoughts?
As for the AQT, if you are sighted in using the six o'clock hold, your bullet impact should be two MOA above the top of the front sight or about 1/2". If you look at the AQT silhouettes, a point of impact 1/2" about the very bottom of the stage one silhouette will put you at the bottom edge of the 5 ring or even into the 4 ring so I advise students to hold slightly into the black on stage one. On the rest of the stages holding right at the bottom of the black should put you into the 5 rings. I do not tell students to adjust their sights for each stage but rather to adjust their sight picture slightly as mentioned above.
Most modern rimfire rifles are safe to dry fire. That is certainly true for the 10/22. The owner's manual is the best source for whether it is OK to dry fire or not. If the manual says it is OK, then I would go with that. If a rifle manufacturer says not to dry fire, then you can still press the trigger (with the safety on) to simulate dry firing. The object is to learn to press the trigger straight back and not jiggle the rifle while doing so. Whether it goes click or not as a result of the trigger press doesn't really matter. Some rifles have magazine "safeties" and dry firing without a magazine in place is not possible.
I agree with 9 mm on both Questions.
I emailed Ruger about the 77/22,
and they said it was safe to dry fire. Their website list
the guns that are safe to dry fire Also parts are
inexpensive and available for these rifles.
Dutch
Thanks guys, I just thought I would ask because it had crossed my mind and I figured others might have the same question in the future.
The "common wisdom" that .22s are not safe to dry fire...isn't. It is one of those "old husband's tales" left over from many moons ago when it WASNT safe to dry fire a 22. The problem then was less about the firing pin and more about the fact that it would peen the breech face on the chamber due to the fact that the firing pin is offset to contact the cartridge rim. Firing pin breakage was a secondary issue.
Most (all?) modern .22 firearm designs have a firing pin that DOES reach the rim but DOESNT reach the breech.
As for comeups on the AQT, the "proper" way to do it is to adjust your sights to keep a 6 o'clock hold. The vast majority of people who are shooting irons (myself included) adjust the sight picture. The down side of this is that you haven't ingrained the mentality of come ups and when you go to shoot actual distance, this is a new skill to learn.
Kris
Do NOT dry fire a Remington 597 nor a Mossberg 801/802.Ask EZ3 about the 597 (ruined rifle ) and I called Mossberg.