[TheXDmGuy]

So I've heard of people emphasizing how important it is to dry fire your handgun but am curious as to why it is so important to do this? Are there certain drills or techniques you can practice while dry firing?

Also what are, if any, the cons of dry firing? I've heard that the XDm has a brittle striker retainer pin that is prone to breaking? I believe that's the name of the part but I'm not sure.

Do you feel comfortable dry firing your XDm without snap caps or do you always have a snap cap in it when dry firing?

I also seen on one thread that a guy said when he bought his new handgun the dealer said to dry fire it a couple hundred times, what would be the purpose behind this?

 

[cbaldwin2112]

The theory is the more you dry fire, the more smooth your trigger pull will become for both the gun and yourself. The parts will wear down any machine marks and become smooth against each other, also you will learn your trigger (when and where it breaks and reset) I have read multiple threads where people dry fire 10k+ times and still haven't had the striker retaining pin problem. (I replaced mine just as a precaution). You can practice anything you want while dry firing except managing recoil/muzzle rise.

 

[NathanXD]

Dry firing on many guns will, albeit slowly, smooth the parts of the trigger resulting in a better pull. Shooting live rounds would do the same thing, but who can afford ammo these days. I can't.

Dry firing is a great way to check your trigger control. That is very important.

I think the striker retaining pin will be just fine. If it makes you feel better, buy an aftermarket one for under $10. I don't worry about it.

If you are going to be dry firing hundreds of times, I would invest in a couple packs of snap caps. A few dry fires here and there won't hurt anything. Snap caps can also be used for drills practicing clearing a malfunction.

Have a friend load your magazine, and add two snap caps in random order. When you are expecting a bang and get a click, you will reveal any flinching you actually do while anticipating live fire.

 

[TheXDmGuy]

Dry firing on many guns will, albeit slowly, smooth the parts of the trigger resulting in a better pull. Shooting live rounds would do the same thing, but who can afford ammo these days. I can't.

Dry firing is a great way to check your trigger control. That is very important.

I think the striker retaining pin will be just fine. If it makes you feel better, buy an aftermarket one for under $10. I don't worry about it.

If you are going to be dry firing hundreds of times, I would invest in a couple packs of snap caps. A few dry fires here and there won't hurt anything. Snap caps can also be used for drills practicing clearing a malfunction.

Have a friend load your magazine, and add two snap caps in random order. When you are expecting a bang and get a click, you will reveal any flinching you actually do while anticipating live fire.

That is a GREAT idea man. Any ideas on how to correct any flinching that i may discover?

 

[cbaldwin2112]

Double up on hearing protection. Plugs and muffs. And shoot as often as possible.

 

[TheXDmGuy]

Double up on hearing protection. Plugs and muffs. And shoot as often as possible.

I don't understand?

 

[cbaldwin2112]

Most flinching is from anticipation of the noise and recoil. Thus double up on hearing protection. That will cover the noise (at least a little more) and shooting more will help with recoil.

 

[cbaldwin2112]

Also shooting very slow deliberate shots will help a ton. Really focus your attention on not flinching.

 

[Minkman555]

snap caps .....

never purchased a set of them in my life , never had a problem. Dry firing wont harm a modern pistol , despite what some online hero's say !

 

[Knightslugger]

Pros: Better trigger practice

Cons: you end up breaking stuff if you don't use a snap cap

 

[g40]

Supposedly most of the competition shooters practice dry fire for hours just to improve their gun control for accuracy.
Snap caps is possibly a good idea also. I often wonder how many people actually use them though.
I have noticed when I use my S&W M&P air pistol in place of practicing dry firing my real guns that I do shoot better with the live guns then. Practicing trigger and sighting alignment control IMO makes anyone a better live shooter.

 

[R3dbull4dd1kt]

Muscle Memory is programmed through repetition of body movements...which is why I practice drawing, firing and reloading as part of a dry fire regime--it's free, and it works

The trigger and action smoothing is a side effect (not at all a bad one either) for proficiency...

All too often I interact with people who carry but do not train...it is foolish to do so and dangerous if you do have to use the weapon in a defensive role--you are liable for every round that exits the bore...are you positive it will go where you intend?

Snap Caps are an excellent tool for flinch detection; I don't use them, because I reload; I just took a couple of rounds and left the junk primers in them, drilled some holes through the brass and seated a slug...when we are at the range I slip them into my shooting buddies' magazines at random...instant flinch detection and a malfunction drill all in one!