Getting my head around dry firing my rifle

[mtnbound]

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...

You can make the odds of an AD be at 0%, by checking the magazine and chamber before you start each and every time. The rifle is not going to load itself; you are in control of that. You can also make sure that there are no live rounds anywhere unsecured if you are worried about someone else in your house loading the rifle, but again, you are in control of clearing that rifle. AD's occur because of operator error and violating firearm safety rules.

 

[Chris in TN]

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...

The four rules still apply. Find a safe backstop, even for dry fire practice. A one-cubic-yard pile of dirt in the yard would be a good start.

 

[mad_angler]

The four rules still apply. Find a safe backstop, even for dry fire practice. A one-cubic-yard pile of dirt in the yard would be a good start.

Some folks have talked about dry firing at walls in their bedrooms.
Some folks on other threads have advocated dry firing at animals on your TV during hunting shows.

If I have an accidental discharge for either of those, the bullet is probably going to leave my house. Consequence seems too high to me for the dry fire benefits.

But dry firing while maintaining a safe backstop seems much more reasonable...

 

[West2East]

When you make your rifle safe and clear, there is no chance that you shoot a bullet out of it. I always have my rifles unloaded in the house. Stored with no mag in it. When I dry fire, I pull the gun, verify the mag is out, Pull the bolt open and check.
A cartridge is not going to "jump" into the chamber between that moment and when I start practicing dry-fire.

 

[adamm88]

When i first got a pistol i dry fired it to help get comfortable drawing and shooting. I checked like 20 times before i started to pratice.

Snap caps are great but to reset the firing pin it will need ejected, Depending on what your test fireing it can be a pain if they launch.

Always make sure its emptly, Unless running snap caps i leave mags outs
Never point in a direction were you could possibly destroy something ie point at someone, If you have close neighbors you have to play that by ear how you handle it.

I don't think dry firing you ever get "comfortable" but you go through the steps you will be safe every time

 

[Steve300xcw]

I still do not understand how a gun can load itself. Nothing in the mag, Nothing in the chamber...nothing can happen. You are very much over thinking this

 

[mad_angler]

When you make your rifle safe and clear, there is no chance that you shoot a bullet out of it. I always have my rifles unloaded in the house. Stored with no mag in it. When I dry fire, I pull the gun, verify the mag is out, Pull the bolt open and check.
A cartridge is not going to "jump" into the chamber between that moment and when I start practicing dry-fire.

I thought the 4 rules were:
- Treat every firearm as if it was loaded
- Always point in a safe direction
- Be sure of your target and beyond
- keep finger outside until ready to shoot

It seems that the new rules are:
- Verify firearm is unloaded
- Do whatever you want


Let me ask this.... would you dry fire towards a family member? If not, then you have the same concern as me just to a different degree...

 

[journeyman713]

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.

It’s always awkward when your mom knocks on your bedroom door and tells you to stop playing with your trigger.

 

[WoodlandCritter]

I thought the 4 rules were:
- Treat every firearm as if it was loaded
- Always point in a safe direction
- Be sure of your target and beyond
- keep finger outside until ready to shoot

It seems that the new rules are:
- Verify firearm is unloaded
- Do whatever you want


Let me ask this.... would you dry fire towards a family member? If not, then you have the same concern as me just to a different degree...

A family member would beat my ass if I dry fired at them. The wall is usually pretty chill about it.

 

[bnewt3]

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.

IMO they are one and the same, same rules apply.
Heres another idea for you. Buy a second firing pin or bolt. Cut/grind the tip off the firing pin, paint the whole cocking indicator orange or yellow or whatever, install that one for dry fire

 

[West2East]

I thought the 4 rules were:
- Treat every firearm as if it was loaded
- Always point in a safe direction
- Be sure of your target and beyond
- keep finger outside until ready to shoot

It seems that the new rules are:
- Verify firearm is unloaded
- Do whatever you want


Let me ask this.... would you dry fire towards a family member? If not, then you have the same concern as me just to a different degree...

Generally, I have made it a habit of not pointing toward my daughters, I could take or leave the family dog.... I'M KIDDING!
Yes, I point it in a "safe" direction. Meaning I don't point it toward my family inside the house. I live in a community but also in a very hilly town, so I have about 270deg around my house that points into a hill so I am generally pointing it in a safe direction. I normally go upstairs and dry fire it across the hall.
If you have 30 people in your house and you cannot dry fire it without actually pointing it at one of them, that sucks.
As for the four rules, I read a line years ago along the lines of "Any gun you have not just unloaded and verified clear, is loaded". So yeah, I still follow "safety rules". I just have gotten used to the idea of dry firing inside the house and I have developed my process to be safe doing so.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I thought the 4 rules were:
- Treat every firearm as if it was loaded
- Always point in a safe direction
- Be sure of your target and beyond
- keep finger outside until ready to shoot

It seems that the new rules are:
- Verify firearm is unloaded
- Do whatever you want


Let me ask this.... would you dry fire towards a family member? If not, then you have the same concern as me just to a different degree...

You aren’t violating any of the safety rules if you dry fire in a known safe direction. I agree that a few folks in this thread seem a bit casual.

Part of firearms safety is becoming adept at handling firearms. You don’t become adept by keeping your rifle in the safe all the time. You have to cultivate and maintain an attitude of familiar respect for your firearms and honest confidence in your abilities. The only way to do that is to practice handling them safely.

Done properly, dry firing is a way to reinforce the weapons safety rules.

Treat every weapon as if it was loaded.
Never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
Keep your weapon on safe until you are ready to fire.
Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you intend to fire.

Know your target and what lies beyond it.

I do everything above, every time I touch a firearm. I don’t use the shared wall in my townhouse or my front wall as my target. I usually dry fire offhand from my second story window down at squirrels, rabbits, rocks, etc. in the ravine behind my house. I stand back from the window. No one can see me from the outside, so no one can be alarmed. I verify the weapon condition before doing it. I can see if any people are in my target area.

 

[West2East]

One of these days, someone is going to get a knock at the door with SWAT standing there haha