Getting my head around dry firing my rifle

[mad_angler]

To start off... I have 2 Tikka T3X (.223 and 7mm RM). Will dry firing hurt those rifles?

Now for the real questions... I'm having a hard time thinking about dry firing. It seems crazy to me to sit in my house or back yard dry firing my rifle.

First, how do I make 1,000% sure that the rifle is unloaded?

Second, Even if I'm sure the rifle is loaded, what about my neighbors or anyone else who sees me? I would think that it would freak them out to see me prone in the backyard with my rifle...

Third, I'm uncomfortable having my rifle sitting around with other people walking through my house. They are not toddlers but I'm still uncomfortable.


It seems that everyone else on Rokslide has their rifle next to their Lazyboy and is dry firing all day...

 

[fisherman983]

Well not to sound like an ass, but if you cant make sure your guns not loaded you shouldn't own them. Period.
2nd. No, dry firing wont hurt.
3rd. Who cares what your neighbors think.
4th. If your guns are unloaded in your house they pose zero risk or danger to anyone. Its your house. Leave them where you want and educate others about firearms safety and that guns are safe unless handles in an unsafe manner

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

 

[MagnumHntr]

To start off... I have 2 Tikka T3X (.223 and 7mm RM). Will dry firing hurt those rifles?

No

First, how do I make 1,000% sure that the rifle is unloaded?

You use your eyes to make sure there is no ammunition in the chamber or in a magazine

Second, Even if I'm sure the rifle is loaded, what about my neighbors or anyone else who sees me?

Make sure the rifle is UNLOADED.

what about my neighbors or anyone else who sees me? I would think that it would freak them out to see me prone in the backyard with my rifle...

Third, I'm uncomfortable having my rifle sitting around with other people walking through my house. They are not toddlers but I'm still uncomfortable.

I DONT THINK DRY FIRING IS FOR YOU. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE YOUR RIFLE LOCKED UP AWAY FROM EVEN YOURSELF!!

 

[MuleyFever]

How do you make sure your rifle is unloaded?

 

[Live_weighT34]

Was this post intended to be rage bait? It seems like it’s rage bait…

 

[West2East]

So many questions...
I can't tell if this is trolling...
But Step 1. Pull the magazine. Step 2 pull the bolt. Step 3. Look down the raceway. If you see daylight, it's unloaded. If you can't, somethings wrong.
If you're still unsure if its loaded or unloaded. Put the rifle back in the safe and never touch it... in fact you probably shouldn't touch any gun if you can't clear and make safe on your own.

 

[Chris in TN]

This could be trolling or could be just a guy who didn't grow up with firearms.

I used to dry fire until my mom made me stop because the click bothered her after the thousandth time. Then I'd shut my bedroom door and keep doing it, usually at the streetlight about 50(?) yards from my bedroom window.

I still do it, but less often, and usually outside or when the wife/kids aren't home now.

 

[whoop]

drop off all your ammunition at a friend's house, then go fishing.

 

[Jethro]

Rest easy. You only have to be 100% sure your rifle is unloaded. Not 1,000%.

If living in town with lots of neighbors, I would not lay in yard dry firing. Thats just me. I wouldn’t be comfortable.

 

[wind gypsy]

You can dry fire inside with something like DFAT so you dont need to go outside.

I dont leave my guns out either as I have toddlers and even though they haven't the slightest clue how to find ammo and load it i dont need them touching rifles or anyone to question what my kids have access to. Take a gun out to dry fire is no different than taking a gun out to clean it or work on it.

I feel the rest has been adequately answered.

 

[5MilesBack]

When I was young I had pictures of game animals covering the far wall in my bedroom. I'd lay in bed settling the crosshairs on every single animal and dry firing several times over, just about every day.

 

[Geewhiz]

My brother shot a hole in the wall when practicing dry firing. I was on the other side of the wall a couple feet off to the side. Just be careful. I'm glad OP is taking it serious, it should be taken seriously.

 

[Maverick1]

To start off... I have 2 Tikka T3X (.223 and 7mm RM). Will dry firing hurt those rifles?

Now for the real questions... I'm having a hard time thinking about dry firing. It seems crazy to me to sit in my house or back yard dry firing my rifle.

First, how do I make 1,000% sure that the rifle is unloaded?

Second, Even if I'm sure the rifle is loaded, what about my neighbors or anyone else who sees me? I would think that it would freak them out to see me prone in the backyard with my rifle...

Third, I'm uncomfortable having my rifle sitting around with other people walking through my house. They are not toddlers but I'm still uncomfortable.


It seems that everyone else on Rokslide has their rifle next to their Lazyboy and is dry firing all day...

Get a bunch of snap cap practice rounds. They are bright red and intended for such purposes.

 

[mad_angler]

Thanks for all the replies...

It is not rage bait...

I have been around firearms a fair bit. But I'm still a bit uncomfortable with my rifle sitting around my house. I have always kept firearms properly stored while at home or travelling. I have also been taught to never point firearms at anything I wasn't going to shoot. I have never pulled the trigger without expecting a shot to go off. It may take me a while to start to think differently...

Based on the responses, most folks here do not think like that.

I think I'll start dry firing in my garage or basement. Maybe that will get me more comfortable

 

[North of 60]

You probably didn't grow up in the country where it is very common in rural areas to have accessible firearms for snakes/predators, and are way over thinking this - ensure it is unloaded and dry fire away unless it bothers the wife or there are little ones around.

And also recommend to always check it twice to make sure it is unloaded before dry firing.

 

[bnewt3]

Im going to take you at your word that this isnt trolling.

This is a legit option that you could start with since you are hesitant:

get a BB gun and a bb catcher for inside work and start with it. Almost anything rifle-like will work for fundamentals, and the worse a trigger is and the slower the projectile, the greater the effect your fundamentals have on accuracy.

 

[6mm Remington]

A-ZOOM Snap Caps are the way to go for your dry firing. They help protect the firing pin and spring and make it less likely to do damage. Plus you can see immediately that you DO NOT have a live round in the firearm. .223 pictured

A-ZOOM Orange Value Pack Snap Caps .223 6PK

A-ZOOM Orange Value Pack Snap Caps are for safety training, function testing or safely decocking without damaging the firing pin. A-Zoom training rounds...

www.midwayusa.com

7mm Remington SNAP CAP.

Carlson's Snap Cap 7mm Remington Mag Aluminum 2PK

Carlson's Snap Caps allow for safe release of firing pin springs. A spring loaded striking area cushions and protects firing pins (centerfire calibers...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[mad_angler]

Im going to take you at your word that this isnt trolling.

This is a legit option that you could start with since you are hesitant:

get a BB gun and a bb catcher for inside work and start with it. Almost anything rifle-like will work for fundamentals, and the worse a trigger is and the slower the projectile, the greater the effect your fundamentals have on accuracy.

It is not the shooting that has me concerned. I have no problem shooting my pellet gun in and around my house.

I have a problem pointing and pulling the trigger on my high powered hunting rifle at a wall in my house.

I know that I can make the odds VERY VERY low that it will go off. I can establish a routine to always check and double check to make sure that it is unloaded. But if somethign throws me out of my routine, accidents can and do happen.

I think I'll start in the garage, basement, or back yard with a safe background...

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

I don't know why everyone is giving the OP such a hard time. Plenty of people on this board have ND'd. I have a friend who was killed when his roommate was cleaning his rifle. The odds of a screw up are low but the consequences can be catastrophic.

To the OP. Drop the mag, look in the chamber, even watch the bolt close if you want. Most importantly, follow the first rule of gun safety and keep it pointed at something safe when you pull the trigger - sandbag, bucket of water, solid wall (not drywall). Also I, personally, would not dry fire in view of my neighbors. I wouldn't want to see my neighbor mucking around with a rifle in their backyard. The world is full of jackasses and it makes me nervous when my safety depends on someone else not being one.

 

[id_jon]

Ammunition cannot will itself into your chamber.