Springfield XD Forum banner

Snap Caps?

4K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  CraigC 
#1 ·
I tired a search on the two words but got a bunch of listings about drinking and gunbroker so thought I'd risk the derision and post a new thread. Sorry if this is covered somewhere!

I've read that we should really be using "snap caps" when practicing dry firing. OK, I'm in. But when I go to Midway USA, for instance, they have some from different mfrs in different quantity counts. So I'm wondering a number of things.

First off, I'm assuming a single snap cap can work for multiple dry fires. That begs the question, how many dry fires can is a snap cap supposed to be able to handle?

My safe has 9mm, .40cal, and 7.62x51(.308) firearms. I'm figuring I need some for all three calibers. Recommendations?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Kazz,

I don't think that snap caps are "needed" in most modern firearms.
But having said that, I use snap caps regularly.

They serve many purposes. Dry fire, drills, etc.

I buy them in packs of 5, and don't think that I've ever worn one out.

After one gets beat up enough, I'll replace it, but not until then.

(after several thousand uses)

Duane
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJ119
#4 · (Edited)
I have A-Zoom and Tipton in 9mm. Also Tipton in 10mm and 45 ACP. I really don't have a preference of one over the other. None last forever. The rims get torn up by the extractor after a while on both, although they are still usable. The A-Zoom are solid aluminum. The Tiptons have a brass rim with a brass spring loaded "primer". The A-Zoom primers are like a silicone rubber material and will probably hold up better, as the primer dent seems to grow on the Tiptons with every strike of the firing pin. Find both of these at Amazon.com

An alternative choice are the ST Action Pro dummy rounds. They are cheaper, but you have to fill the primer holes with RTV silicone to make an actual snap cap.They are actual ammo cases, full brass case with a plastic "bullet". 9 mm Action Trainer Dummy Rounds Dummy Rounds Training Ammo Tactical Gear ST Action Pro
 
#8 ·
Another vote for A zoom

BTW, you won't need to cycle and eject rounds for dry fire practice. Just rack slide enough to reset striker (not much).
 
  • Like
Reactions: CraigC
#9 ·
You know, I SWEAR I posted to this thread earlier... oh well, most of what I had to say has been said at this point. I'll put in another vote for A-Zoom, and add one more thing to the list of good uses for them (cause let's face it, they're not as important during dry firing as they once were). Whenever I'm teaching someone how to shoot, I teach trigger pull using snap caps as a teaching aid. People swear up and down that they're not jerking the trigger, and can't understand why they aren't hitting the target. Load them up with snap caps, get them in firing position, and balance one at the end of the barrel. If it falls off, they're jerking the trigger pull... most of them figure it out once they've dropped a snap cap or two...
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJ119
#10 ·
/\ good advise and here's another use for snap caps with new shooters: mix one in mag randomly with live rounds (at range of course). Have them shoot. They will see muzzle drop when pull trigger on that dummy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJ119
#12 ·
I still do that to myself on occasion, though not for the same reason. I do it to practice clearing misfires.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CdnInAz
#13 ·
LOL - thanks, all! They're a multi-shot wear item and some are better than others. The benefits are huge, however. I'll get some ordered immediately. Thanks!
 
#14 ·
i dont really like my a zoom ones. the paint peels constantly and chips into the gun. i dont use them anymore.
 
#15 ·
Personally, I got them, tried them, and stopped using them.

It made me so nervous that there was something in the chamber, I never felt safe and comfortable. I practice with a totally unloaded firearm, and if something breaks from too much dry-firing, i'll fix it.
 
#17 ·
In my experience the brass of the Tipton holds up better that the aluminum of the Azoom. I use the Laserlyte cartridge which doubles as a snap cap so it gets most of the usage. I always wonder if the indentation on the Tipton primer area means that the firing pin is being protected, that's not the case with the Azoom but the since the Azooms get chewed up more easily, they have feed problems. I use the Azooms in my .357, the color of the product and the silicon primer make them easier to see that it is not a live cartridge. There is no perfect snap cap.
 
#19 ·
You will probably invest in snap caps and / or action proving dummies as well as the Laserlyte.
The Laserlyte will not help you in malfunction drills.

Action proving dummies may have better weight approximation to the real thing but the ones I've seen don't have anything in the primer area to act as a buffer for dry firing.
Snap caps are lighter than live ammo so a magazine full of them won't give you a feel of what a fully loaded gun feels like.
There is no perfect answer.

The Laserlyte is a pretty good product but they do have lemons. I've got them in .45, 9mm and .380. The current .380 is the second one I've had, the first was returned because it wouldn't chamber without being driven in by a sledge hammer. The second one I have chambers but the laser is not properly centered and I haven't been able to find any hex/torx wrench that fits it so I can adjust it.

The back end of the laserlyte that has the primer/switch is replaceable and you can order them from laserlyte.

The TLB-1 Target is useful for tattle tale. If you are looking at where the laser is striking you are probably not concentrating on the sights. By having a target that remembers your hits you can concentrate on the sights and then retrieve the hits later. This box also works well in fast first shot training in that it remembers where you hit versus where you thought it hit. Good tool for drawing from the holster and firing the first shot.

I also have paper targets I've made where I put a 1/2 inch circle of reflective tape at the center. When you hit that it really jumps out to you and you know you've gotten the shot dead center. This latter setup is useful for adjusting sights, provided the cartridge is aligned accurately.

And yes, it will show barrel movement when the trigger is pressed. That alone is worth the price of admission.
 
#21 ·
I run AZoom also and if I could have found something cheaper, I would have gone with those. From everything I have learned, the snap-caps really aren't needed, but I use them for the ability to practice mag changes, and put in "engineered failures" when I load a mag while on the range. It really helps when you are running a drill and you know there are rounds in the mag, and your next shot goes click instead of bang..... keeps you up to speed.

Also for training new shooters, nice to be able to run the tap-rack-bang drill with something actually in the mag to allow it to rack and reset.
 
#22 ·
The statement about snap caps really aren't needed on the XD forum may draw some chuckles. The XD striker retaining pin seems to have a much shorter life if dry firing without a snap cap is performed to a great degree. Purportedly Springfield finally came out and admitted as such. This is a subject of derision by the Glock contingent pointing out the unworthiness of the XD platform.

I know that my Beretta 92FS manual states that one should put in an previously fired cartridge to do dry firing. I question how much a primer that has already be beaten in by previous firings will protect the firing pin, but Beretta must have felt something must be documented to keep the masses from revolting.

I just replaced mainspring, firing pin block and firing pin from Cajun Gun Works on a couple of my CZ's. In the packaging it states that if you are going to do 1000 or more dry fires per year they tell you to put a rubber O ring behind the firing pin so it won't be hit by the hammer.

Finally if one has practice martial arts or boxing you know that throwing a punch where your arm becomes fully extended and not hitting anything tends to provide havoc to your elbow. And thus the weight bag is a version of a snap cap.

Finding out you broke your firing pin or a retaining pin at the range is frustrating. Finding the same thing at zero dark thirty with an very unfriendly person is a bit more concerning. Snap Caps are cheap insurance. I will spend more in time and money in replacing a firing pin than what I spend on snap caps.
 
#23 ·
And my final (I promise) thoughts about snap caps. I wrote this on Calguns a few years back when someone asked if there are differences in snap cap brands:

"
Yep, there are differences.

The Pachmayer/Tipton style are plastic bodies with a metal rim (soft brass?) with the primer area absorbing the impact with a metal disk backed by a spring.

AZOOM - All metal (aluminum) with a silicon rubber primer to absorb the impact.

Carlson - A cross between the two above, All metal construction like the AZOOM with the primer area being a disk backed by a spring ala the Tipton.

What's better? Well the have their own good and bad points.

Some people feel that the plastic/spring style of the Tipton is more prone to breakage, especially when dropped on the ground. I haven't found that to be the case with mine.

I see a pit on the spring loaded plates for the Tipton/Pachmayr/Carlson and wonder if the firing pin is still making contact or is it falling into the pit created by earlier impacts and is no longer absorbing the impact as it did when it was new.

The primer area of the AZOOM seems to me a longer lasting for the punishment, but the aluminum body, especially the rim for extraction, seems to be chewed up easier than the brass like area of the Tipton style.

I prefer the AZOOM in a revolver, When I look a the back of the cylinder and see a bunch of AZOOM titles and a primer that doesn't look like anything like a real primer, I can easily discern that their are snap caps loaded up in the revolver.

The color of the Tipton/Pachmayr bodies in a pistol make it easier to see that they are not live ammo when doing a press check.

What I'd like to see is a Tipton/Pachmayr body with a AZOOM primer, or have the AZOOM rim of a slightly tougher metal so the rim doesn't get chewed up so easily. This is not to say the Tipton style does not get chewed up, it does, and it leaves very small metal flakes in the gun but, the chips in the gun are easily blown out and the rims of the Tipton style seem to be smoother wear and give me less feed problems.

They aren't all that expensive, buy different models and try it out for yourself. "
 
#25 ·
What I'd like to see is a Tipton/Pachmayr body with a AZOOM primer, or have the AZOOM rim of a slightly tougher metal so the rim doesn't get chewed up so easily. This is not to say the Tipton style does not get chewed up, it does, and it leaves very small metal flakes in the gun but, the chips in the gun are easily blown out and the rims of the Tipton style seem to be smoother wear and give me less feed problems.
This makes me wonder if there's enough interest to start a new company making better-quality snap caps. I'm thinking something that's more durable, using a silicon rubber primer, hell maybe even setting it up so that on firing it triggers a laser. Crossing a snap cap with a LaserLyte bore laser could be interesting...
 
#26 ·
I like snap caps for the drills. I'll mix them in with live rounds at the range and practice clearing. It also helps to see if you are jerking or pulling. I'm running a zooms as well. When I'm at home I prefer just putting a dime or penny on my front sight and keeping it balanced while dry firing.
 
#27 ·
The laserlyte can perform the protection that the snap cap performs but it does not, and should not be used for malfunction drills. Think about slinging a $80 piece of laser out of the chamber and having it bounce around on a hardwood floor. Not a good idea. The laserlyte doesn't have a rim. At first blush you think they've made a big error in design. But think about installing the cartridge in a striker fired pistol and that you need to pull the slide back to some degree to arm the striker. A rim on the laserlyte is going to be beat to death and then you'll complain (not so mildly) about chewing up a $80 laser by the need of pulling the slide back. And if you pull that slide back to much, whee, there goes the laser out the gun.
I've already listed what my choice of the "perfect" snap cap would entail.

Another choice would be to take one of those durable action proving dummies and putting a silicon plug into the primer area. Some people have proposed putting hot glue in there, I wonder how well it would last and considering that it's fairly rigid I wonder if would just indent the stuff and not return to a "home" position. RTV Silicon is another thought for the roll your own crowd.

What I enjoy is people complaining about the cost of snap caps. Midway lists a pack of 5 9mm for $14.49. So for ease of calculation let's round it up and say each snap cap costs 3 bucks. If each one is good for a 1000 strikes (and I believe the claim is 2k-3k) the you get 5000 shots for 15 dollars. And how much does it cost you for 5000 rounds of live ammo? How much does a firing pin cost? How long does it take to replace the roll pin (don't forget the cost of buying a roll pin specific punch)?

And I lied, I did talk more about snap caps. I'll grieve over long winter evenings thinking about it.
 
#29 ·
I use A-Zoom snap caps for dry firing and function testing before any live fire and I have a set for every handgun, shotgun and rifle caliber I own. Below is my first set in 45acp. These have been through 25+ 45acp handguns and still going strong. No way plastic would of held up the way these things have.

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top