.22 snap caps or spent case?
My nephew said someone in a gun shop told him that snap caps do not protect .22 firing pins as well as using a spent case.
I can't help but think it was just something they said to excuse why they don't carry them.
I can't help but think it was just something they said to excuse why they don't carry them.
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There is a plastic item that is available at LOWES Home DEPOT ETC that are made to be used to hang pictures ETC on DRY WALL They come in many sizes that one of will just fit in a 22 chamber and last for many rounds of dry fire. They are very cheap in bulk I think a #10 size but buy just a small amount the first time to make sure 0 -
I've never used rimfire snap caps, I heard they wear out fairly fast. I just use spent shells, they're free and can last for several strikes. The only thing you need to worry about with the cases is that if the firing pin hit the same spot more than 3 or 4 time, then the case can get hard to extract. 0 -
Drywall Anchors. They will even feed through a .22 magazine, with no problem. When you manually operate the slide. 
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quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
Drywall Anchors. They will even feed through a .22 magazine, with no problem. When you manually operate the slide.
Great idea. Thanks.0 -
These are a bit more $$$$ but work as designed.
http://www.larrysguns.com/Products/Chamber-Plugs__LGI.aspx0 -
The amount of money one spent on A-Zoom aluminum dummies the spent shell would last longer. The aluminum will squish much more than the used brass of the 22.
I pack the 22 shell with a wad of paper (toilet or tissue) so the crap don't get knocked out of the empties. I also rotate the empty so the firing pin has a nice fresh spot to squish.
I like the dry wall anchor but empty 22 shells are free [:D]. Yeah I know I'm cheap.0 -
Drywall anchors do not provide adequate cushioning for the firing pin. The pin just penetrates the plastic.
Use spent cases-they're free and work. Anchors don't.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Bill DeShivs
Drywall anchors do not provide adequate cushioning for the firing pin. The pin just penetrates the plastic.
Use spent cases-they're free and work. Anchors don't.
Don't agree. Used these anchors many times. Very resilient plastic. Firing pin won't penetrate the plastic, with just one hit. I usually rotate them, any way.
It depends alot on the physical characteristics, of the firing pin point though. Some have almost a sharpened point. Others are wide and flat. Even with the sharpened point, the plastic will stand up to at least one hit.0 -
On the actual question:
quote:My nephew said someone in a gun shop told him that snap caps do not protect .22 firing pins as well as using a spent case.
I can't help but think it was just something they said to excuse why they don't carry them.
In my opinion, having tried both, I think the converse is true.
One hit on a spent shell, and the rim is crushed, and you probably need to rotate it. On the other hand, you can fire the plastic snap caps more than once without having to rotate it. How many times is going to depend on the shape and force of the firing in pin, in question, but you usually get a "few" hits (maybe 3. . .) before having to rotate the gun.
So from that perspective, spent shells are less safe, because your more likely to dry fire one twice in the same spot and hurt the firing pin of your gun.
In practice, I think the plastic snap caps are just fine. . .they act as a good cushion for the firing pin, and I've never heard of a case where someone damaged a gun by using them appropriately.
One other big advantage (IMO) of the snap caps is that once in the gun, they're obviously dummies. . .IE being brightly colored they don't look like live ammunition the way spent shells do. That has obvious safety implications, for example in being able to ascertain that guns are truly safe easier, and also to prevent what might be termed "overfamiliarization" with dry firing onto real brass. IE, if you get too used to doing that, one day you might make a "bad" mistake.
Disadvantage of snap caps, other than cost, is that the rims get chewed up and can, in certain cases, make them harder to remove, or even have small pieces of plastic flake off inside the gun. (Though usually even the "chewed" ones stay together.0 -
Think about this- the little tiny firing pin just pokes a hole in the plastic. There is no resistance. But- you guys do whatever you want. 0
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