dry firing a 1911

i have read and saw a video that says that it is better the dry fire a 1911 that release the hammer with your thumb cause it put stress on the sear is this true do you all dry fire your 1911 rather that ease the hammer down?? also is it true your not supposed to release the side ( slam foward) rather that easing it down on an empty chamber? i dont let it slam just wondering!? thanks just so you know iv never liked dry firing a gun iv never mad a habit out of it just for the fact your supposed to always treat a gun as it is loaded and i would never fire a gun in the house! the only time i would dry fire a gun is on a double action (glock or simular) where you have to dry fire it to dissasemble but i dont want to cause damage to my sear thanks guys

Pull the hammer back until it stops, then pull the trigger and slowly ease the hammer down.....how can that be bad for the sear? I don't recommend dry firing with out a snap cap.

Empty chamber...yeah, just guide the slide closed. But NEVER do this when chambering a round and never chamber a round (drop a cartridge in the chamber)and then release the slide, you will screw up or break the extractor in no time.

I was told not to lower the hammer but to dry fire, so that's what I do.

I dry fire my 1911 probably 100 times a week. No problems at all. The sear info is that they think you cannot lower the hammer without having some lateral force applied, thus warping/wearing. Just remember, you bought a 1911, it is a solid gun that was originally designed for soldiers and jarheads, it will take what you throw at it. Dry firing it won't hurt it.

I don't dry fire, never have

ok thanks guys also thanks hawcer i used to do that all the time in my ruger (put a round in then drop the slide) i hope it didnt hurt it i dont it for years and never had any trouble but i know not to do it now thanks again!

RichBirdHunter wrote:I don't dry fire, never have

Well I'm dry firing right now as I am typing this message. You can do it too. Go ahead, cross over to the dark side.

My Taurus owners manual suggests dry firing the PT1911 as practice. I have done it since the day I bought. Still to this day when sitting in my chair, making sure everything is safe and no one is around that might run out in front of me, I will aim on the deer mount and dry fire.

I have let the slide go on an empty chamber. Most of the time I don't but have and still do everyonce in a while. I am curious how that can mess it up.

While not being a 1911, the owners manual for the Ruger SR9C also recommends to dry fire the handgun as practice as well....

fletch_medic wrote:

RichBirdHunter wrote:I don't dry fire, never have

Well I'm dry firing right now as I am typing this message. You can do it too. Go ahead, cross over to the dark side.

NO!! Bad Fletch, no guns for you for week mister

i just cant do it i was watching a video on how to properly hold the 1911 and he keep dry firing it so i was in my bathroom practicing holding it and i just couldnt pull the trigger lol its just so implanted in my brain

Glock recommends dry firing before removing the slide assembly. It says nothing of the kind about it damaging anything. These pistols were also meant to take lots of abuse. Even though it's not a 1911 they were designed specifically for the FBI field use weapon so I'm sure they took every kind of abuse into consideration just like the 1911's for military use.
Actually there is no other way to release the firing pin in a Glock except to dry fire it, but again it's not a 1911 and it's built totally different.
I just didn't want to feel left out of the conversation.

yea i know what you mean dads sigma is the same way its a glock clone after all but you have to fry fire it to remove the slide!

To each their own

lol now here is a debate that has been going on as long as I have been alive or at least able to reason. The only thing that I have ever heard that it would damage is the firing pin. I have kept it to a minimum but I've done it all my adult life and have never damaged a gun doing it yet.

i was reading on kimbers site and it says it is ok to dry fire but the way its worded is it is ok to dry fire "OUR" guns like theres is the only one you can lol i know its just the way they have to word it but i think its funny!

now i have heard that dropping a slide on an empty chamber is a no no not sure about that one. Ive heard that Kimber says not to do it I haven't verified that.

I called Kimber they said " Yes dry fire, don't do it any other way" So with this new information I can say with out a doubt, all the people at Kimber are communist.

Or maybe just this once Bones and Fletch are right. So where did this argument come from? I've always been told it's bad don't do it.

I dry fire all my centerfire guns. I think the argument stems from dry firing rimfire guns which will damage the firing pin. However, some newer rimfire guns were designed so that they cannot be damaged by dry firing.

RichBirdHunter wrote:I called Kimber they said " Yes dry fire, don't do it any other way" So with this new information I can say with out a doubt, all the people at Kimber are communist.

Or maybe just this once Bones and Fletch are right. So where did this argument come from? I've always been told it's bad don't do it.

I'm cooler than Fletch because I own a Kimber that is made in NY.
He has the communist gun since his Tauris is made in Brazil

LOL j/k. a 1911 is a 1911, they are fine to dry fire. His shoots just as good as mine when we go to the range.

it just boggles my mind why dryfiring a centerfire would hurt the firing pin. The pin won't hit anything. There's nothing for it to hit- unlike a rimfire that hits the back of the receiver.

BigAgitator wrote:it just boggles my mind why dryfiring a centerfire would hurt the firing pin. The pin won't hit anything. There's nothing for it to hit- unlike a rimfire that hits the back of the receiver.

It is kind of a harmonics thing and an overtravel thing. Dry firing can cause the firing pin to fracture due to high frequency vibrations that would normally be dampened by the pin hitting the primer. Also the pin can over travel causing either premature wear to the firing pin retainer or firing pin pilot hole.

Glocks and other non hammered guns or ok to dry fire because they are striker fired not struck with a hammer. Stiker fired is much like what you find in a bolt action gun. The firing pin travels with a carrier of some sort...so the carrier takes all the abuse,not the firing pin.

But hey...if the manufacture says it's ok...go for it, as long as they will fix it for ya.

that what i thought to hawcer i wounder if dry firing with a spent brass would be the same a a snap cap?

we used to do that all the time a poor mans snap cap

something I thought of is to fill the primer pocket with either very hard rubber (a little circle of it) or fill the pocket with silicone.

pencil ereaser