Is Dry Firing Your Gun Bad?
Dry firing a firearm, the good, the bad, the ugly
It has been long perceived that pulling the trigger of your firearm and hearing that “click” meaning that you have no ammo in there is bad, and for a long time that was the truth. The firing pins in guns used to be made of far less durable material. That being said, when you would fire without ammo it would not take much for these firing pins to fail when pulling the trigger of an old, empty pistol or rifle.
However, nowadays, dry fire training is a very common thing, especially for close quarters training. One issue you may run into, especially when you are running an AR platform, is having to run the charging handle between shots. This can be a hassle, and is something that no one wants to deal with when trying to get in some firearms training. Luckily there are products, like the MantisX Blackbeard and MantisX BlackbeardX that can help prevent that issue from arising.
Let’s break down dry firing and how to overcome the issues.
Three Main Dry Fire Categories
Whether or not dry fire damages your gun largely depends on the type of gun that you are using. With that said, we can break them down into three separate categories:
Rimfire guns
Centerfire guns
Modern firearms
Rimfire Guns
Dry firing a rimfire gun is not something that you want to do, as the firing pin is positioned to strike the brass rim of the cartridge. Brass is softer than steel, by a lot, so when you end up dry firing a rimfire gun, instead of hitting the rim of the brass, the firing pin will strike the much harder steel of the breech face, transferring a tremendous amount of force.
While accidentally firing an ammoless rimfire gun is fine here and there, it has been proven that excessive dry firing of rimfire weapons will "peen" the firing pin. What does that mean? Aside from being a funny word, peening is the formation of a dent, or a micro-space, where the firing pin strikes the chamber mouth. This can lead to malfunctions and misfires, and that is the last thing you want if you are in a life and death situation.
Centerfire Guns
When it comes to centerfire guns, most of the time dry firing them is generally safe. However, there are a few exceptions where it may not be as safe, such as older pistols, with the key being the durability of the firing pin.
The firing pin on centerfire rifles and some semiautomatic weapons will travel until it hits the end of the channel. The over-traveling can cause the pin to hit the frame with tremendous force, causing damage to the striker. If you have a brittle firing pin, it is only a matter of time before it breaks. On some older centerfire pistols, the firing pins can be softer than their modern counterparts and prone to break or “peen” after only a few dozen dry firing instances.
While centerfire guns are generally safer to dry fire than rimfire guns, it is still worth taking a look at what type of gun you have and if it is safe to fire without any ammo or not.
Modern Guns
With most modern firearms, dry firing is not typically an issue, and most people can agree with that. With all of the technological advances that have come about, modern guns are made of better materials. There have been improvements in metallurgy, design and technology meaning that components have become more robust and longer-lasting. This means that you do not have to worry about firing without ammo as much as you would with other guns. Realistically, a modern firearm can withstand thousands of dry fire rounds and still be okay.
You have to ask yourself though, why take that chance? Guns were made to be fired with live rounds, so with every time you dry fire you are taking a risk. Thought it may be a small risk, you are still taking a risk, and you spend the money on these guns, why would you want to risk that?
Dry Fire Training
Now, there are certainly instances where dry firing a weapon can be useful, such as close quarters combat training. This is when you are running through an enclosed environment to train with your own rifle and familiarize yourself with how it works and how you perform, without using live rounds.
The one issue with this, especially with an AR styled platform, is that after every dry fire shot you would have to run the charging handle to continue. This can hinder your training, as in the real environment you would not be going through this. That being said, products like the MantisX Blackbeard and MantisX BlackbeardX are designed to allow you to do your dry fire training flawlessly.
The Best Tools for Dry Fire Training
Now, let’s take a look at the best tools for dry fire training, specifically for your AR platforms.
MantisX Blackbeard
When doing your dry fire practice with your AR-15, you are going to want to go through it without having to run the charging handle between shots, so an auto-resetting trigger sounds like the perfect thing. The MantisX Blackbeard has you covered.
Now, this is not a drop-in trigger kit that you can swap with your trigger, not is it a modification to your existing trigger. What the MantisX Blackbeard is is a drop-in bolt carrier group and magazine that works with your existing trigger in your AR platform. It has the same weight, break, and reset, making it the perfect tool to condition yourself for sight height over bore holdover, failure drill, traversing multiple targets, and much much more. By using the MantisX Blackbeard, your dry fire practice just became 100x more effective and engaging.
MantisX Blackbeard allows you to take up to 10 dry fire shots per second, quickly resetting the hammer between each shot. Installation takes less than a minute, as all you have to do is break open your AR, remove the bolt carrier group, drop in Blackbeard, close everything up, and put the magazine in place to provide the power. It's a 20 second change-out, and then you are free to dry fire away, counting how much money you're saving with every sweet trigger break and reset that you hear.
MantisX BlackbeardX
Now, the MantisX BlackbeardX for AR-15 platforms takes the capability of the Blackbeard into an entirely new dimension. The BlackbeardX contains the MantisX technology that has changed the way shooters improve. It helps to provide real-time feedback on shooting technique, with smart coaching and actionable analytics via the MantisX Pistol/Rifle app, you'll never improve faster than with this powerful combination.
However there is much more than that. In addition to static shooting analysis, the MantisX BlackbeardX unlocks unprecedented capability to analyze and improve dynamic shooting: high-speed movement with multi-target engagements. It sounds powerful because it is. Nothing has ever analyzed your capabilities like this before.
Just like with the regular Blackbeard, the BlackbeardX installation takes less than a minute. All you have to do is pop the rear pin, remove the bolt carrier group, drop in BlackbeardX, put the magazine in place to provide the power, and you are clear to dry fire!
If you already own a Blackbeard, you only need the BlackbeardX magazine/power bank, as it works with your existing Blackbeard BCG replacement.
Check out the full review for the Mantis here!
WHERE TO FIND TACTICAL TRAINING
Purchasing a Mantis is one thing, but actually making sure you have the skills to use it properly is a whole different world. You can go to the gun range, get in the gym, and think you are prepared, but you can also check out some tactical training courses at Core Vision Training, to see how you really react in different scenarios. When it comes to finding good tactical training, Core Vision Training offers a wide variety of tactical courses that will help you get used to your gear and maneuvering through different situations.
The best part is, they offer training in many different areas of the country. Core Vision offers some awesome LPVO training, as well as medical training to get you used to utilizing a first aid kit if you were to ever need one. Core Vision Training also offers some great close quarters courses.
There also are multiple states that Core Vision Training is in, offering tactical training courses in:
Dry Firing Wrap Up
While dry firing a gun has long been thought of as detrimental to the gun, it may not be as bad as you think. However, there are still risks with dry firing, even with modern guns, but this type of training can be very beneficial for familiarizing yourself with your guns.
When it comes to dry fire training with your AR platform, the MantisX Blackbeard and BlackbeardX are your best options to do some dry runs. Will you be giving them a try?
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