Townie Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 Admiring a fine 1930s English boxlock on Saturday. When resleeving, the owner pulled the triggers on empty barrels to ease the springs. Not the first time I've seen this done. I'd never do this because of the damage it may cause, but that set me wondering what harm it can do. Anyone come across anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyshooter Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 I only use snap caps. A gunsmith instilled this on me 45 years ago ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Townie Posted November 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 Me too! That's why the clang of a firing pin meeting nothing makes me shudder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy H Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 I have had firing pins snap on two different old sxs for not using snap caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 We were initially taught to shoot .22rf and .303 in the cadets by dry firing, and a visiting coach to our club told us dry firing our handguns was an invaluable aid to good technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diver One Posted November 14, 2022 Report Share Posted November 14, 2022 When I've cleaned my gun , and reassembled it, I put snap caps in. Fire it. Forend off. Remove caps. Close gun. Refit forend. . Put gun away two of my SxS. Can have the spring tension taken off By pulling both triggers and operating top lever whilst closing the gun. Baikal and Bayard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Townie Posted November 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 9 hours ago, Scully said: We were initially taught to shoot .22rf and .303 in the cadets by dry firing, and a visiting coach to our club told us dry firing our handguns was an invaluable aid to good technique. Yes, I was wondering whether the perpetrators were primarily rifle shooters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 9 hours ago, Scully said: We were initially taught to shoot .22rf and .303 in the cadets by dry firing, and a visiting coach to our club told us dry firing our handguns was an invaluable aid to good technique. Totally different type of firing pins and no harm done, except perhaps to the rim seat on a .22rf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pops_Hants Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 Being new to shotguns I understand it’s bad practice to pull the trigger on empty barrels, so have started with good practice of using snap caps. I can’t see the harm in using them so for the cheap cost I feel may as well right? However, a good point raised elsewhere was that now the ejectors are under tension instead of the firing pin spring. I don’t know which is easier / cheaper to replace but it does seem to just transfer tension from one spring to another, so is it worth it? Talking from a maintenance perspective only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 1 minute ago, Pops_Hants said: Being new to shotguns I understand it’s bad practice to pull the trigger on empty barrels, so have started with good practice of using snap caps. I can’t see the harm in using them so for the cheap cost I feel may as well right? However, a good point raised elsewhere was that now the ejectors are under tension instead of the firing pin spring. I don’t know which is easier / cheaper to replace but it does seem to just transfer tension from one spring to another, so is it worth it? Talking from a maintenance perspective only. I think you will find that the ejector springs are always under tension when the gun is closed. Pulling the triggers activates the trip mechanism ready for when the gun is opened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pops_Hants Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 12 minutes ago, London Best said: I think you will find that the ejector springs are always under tension when the gun is closed. Pulling the triggers activates the trip mechanism ready for when the gun is opened. Maybe it wasn’t such a good point raised afterall! is this true of all OU’s, or different? I see that the springs are always under tension in my ATA but not sure on my Brownings. glad I asked, I’m still very new and every day is a school day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 Just now, Pops_Hants said: Maybe it wasn’t such a good point raised afterall! is this true of all OU’s, or different? I see that the springs are always under tension in my ATA but not sure on my Brownings. glad I asked, I’m still very new and every day is a school day! Sorry, I am not qualified to answer as I have never had an OU gun. But I can say I have seen OU’s where the springs are tensioned when the barrels are closed, but cannot say which make? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remimax Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 yep if you want to end up with broken firing pins crack on with dry firing empty barrels on an OU shotgun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 I have and use, S x S's, O/U's and semi auto's. I use and leave in, snap caps in both S x S guns, only taking them out when the gun is getting an outing, when the snap caps remain in the gun cupboard. I have never even considered using snap caps in any of the other guns that have coil springs, in the 60 + years that I have been shooting I have only replaced 1 set of coil mainsprings. I used to remonstrate with people that brought snap caps to my shooting ground, IF, you must use the things, please leave them at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 @Westley, please can I ask you to clarify why you remonstrated with people bringing snap caps to a clay ground? Just curious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 2 hours ago, Townie said: Yes, I was wondering whether the perpetrators were primarily rifle shooters. I wouldn’t know, I’m predominantly a shotgun user. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Townie Posted November 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 41 minutes ago, London Best said: @Westley, please can I ask you to clarify why you remonstrated with people bringing snap caps to a clay ground? Just curious? Westley of course perfectly capable of responding himself, but I think it's because of the danger associated with mixing up live cartridges and snap caps. A variation on the 12 and 20 bore cartridges in the same pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 1 hour ago, London Best said: @Westley, please can I ask you to clarify why you remonstrated with people bringing snap caps to a clay ground? Just curious? Because I have personally witnessed too many 'incidents' where the snap caps have 'gone off'. The old A6 shooting ground had 2 rather large mouse holes at different points in the skirting board, another ground had an incident, thankfully outside the rather small clubhouse, when someone discharged their gun through the gunslip, and probably the worst, at the ground I used to run, (thankfully after I had left) where 2 people suffered slight gunshot wounds INSIDE the clubhouse after yet another 'snap cap' went off ! These clowns that took them to shooting grounds somehow got them mixed with live rounds. WHY do you need to put them into a gun in order to take the gun home, then strip it to clean it ? Do you believe you are going to wear the springs out on the journey home ? I do believe that ALL snap caps should be of fluorescent colouring, but please LEAVE THEM AT HOME ! The worst offenders are those that use fired empty cases as snap caps, they are the biggest risk, both to their gun and any other people they are with ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 59 minutes ago, Westley said: Because I have personally witnessed too many 'incidents' where the snap caps have 'gone off'. The old A6 shooting ground had 2 rather large mouse holes at different points in the skirting board, another ground had an incident, thankfully outside the rather small clubhouse, when someone discharged their gun through the gunslip, and probably the worst, at the ground I used to run, (thankfully after I had left) where 2 people suffered slight gunshot wounds INSIDE the clubhouse after yet another 'snap cap' went off ! These clowns that took them to shooting grounds somehow got them mixed with live rounds. WHY do you need to put them into a gun in order to take the gun home, then strip it to clean it ? Do you believe you are going to wear the springs out on the journey home ? I do believe that ALL snap caps should be of fluorescent colouring, but please LEAVE THEM AT HOME ! The worst offenders are those that use fired empty cases as snap caps, they are the biggest risk, both to their gun and any other people they are with ! Thanks for clarifying. As you said, you were dealing with clowns. Idiots may be a better word. But that said, it COULD happen to anyone. All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration, perhaps distraction whilst talking, and boom! Be careful out there! (Hill Street Blues) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, London Best said: Thanks for clarifying. As you said, you were dealing with clowns. Idiots may be a better word. But that said, it COULD happen to anyone. All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration, perhaps distraction whilst talking, and boom! Be careful out there! (Hill Street Blues) I totally agree, BUT, those chances are greatly reduced or the damage limited, if they occur down range. I have NEVER seen anyone put snap caps in and point the gun down range. I have even seen people in the game shooting field, open their gun on the first drive and out pop two snap caps. This makes me extremely wary of that gun, for the remainder of the day. When my guns come out of the cabinet, they are broken prior to my slipping the weapon. They ALWAYS without exception, go in and out of the slip broken. It's not exactly rocket science ! Edited November 15, 2022 by Westley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 My guns are broken and checked when they leave the cabinet. That is when the snaps are removed. Then the gun is broken down and travels in a motor case. At the venue it is reassembled and slipped. Slips are for carrying guns around a shoot, not for travelling in. If everyone transported a gun broken down accidents such as you describe would be much more rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 I never pull the trigger on an empty chamber after I did it with a Lanber O/U and half a firing pin was ejected out the muzzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downforce Posted November 15, 2022 Report Share Posted November 15, 2022 Hill Street Blues! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjimlad Posted November 16, 2022 Report Share Posted November 16, 2022 The only use I have for snap caps is testing ejectors & trigger pulls. Pulling shotgun triggers on an empty chamber is inadvisable, as others have said above. I heard of one case where the end of the firing pin flew off and broke the light bulb which the gun was aimed at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmo9 Posted November 16, 2022 Report Share Posted November 16, 2022 On 14/11/2022 at 21:41, Townie said: Admiring a fine 1930s English boxlock on Saturday. When resleeving, the owner pulled the triggers on empty barrels to ease the springs. Not the first time I've seen this done. I'd never do this because of the damage it may cause, but that set me wondering what harm it can do. Anyone come across anything? Was shooting with a guest last week and he did exactly the same.. end of drive he broke and emptied his gun then closed it and pulled both triggers before slipping it.. he was both a good shot and ex military.. I don’t ‘dry fire’ unless snap caps are installed. I’m also now using ‘Turkish Delights’ (O/U’s with aluminium alloy actions) and would think unopposed steel firing pins meeting alloy breeches might not be too healthy in the long term.. Correct me if I’m wrong but using snap caps for guns in storage would not only relieve the main spring but also the sear spring plus the sears grip on the hammer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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