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Thrill
02-26-2011, 12:38 PM
What are the best brand of "dummy" rounds to use (in 9mm, .380, & 38sp) and
where is a good place to get them?

Thanks!

TAP
02-26-2011, 12:48 PM
I have a bunch of the ST action dummy rounds. Can't remember where I got them but I know you can find them on google. They work well.

derekb
02-26-2011, 12:48 PM
I'm a big fan of these. (http://www.azoomsnapcaps.com/)

jar
02-26-2011, 12:59 PM
Do you know someone who reloads? I used to use purchased dummies, but now that I reload, I just make my own. They match the weight of real ammo (minus the powder and primer which is miniscule) and are way cheaper than buying them.

Thrill
02-26-2011, 01:04 PM
Thanks, Jar! That's a great idea! I know someone who might be able to do that for me.

boyscoutg36
02-26-2011, 02:11 PM
I've used these:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=41783/Product/SAF_T_TRAINERS

I like them because they are cheap but the rims get chewed up if you use them alot. Has anyone tried the Magpul dummy rounds?

I have some of the A-zoom ones, but man they are expensive.

jdavis
02-26-2011, 03:38 PM
I have some of the A-zoom ones, but man they are expensive.

I Use A-zoom as well, they are a bit more expensive but my firing pin has been banging away at them for over a year. www.midwayusa.com (http://www.midwayusa.com)

45R
02-26-2011, 06:40 PM
I'm a big fan of these. (http://www.azoomsnapcaps.com/)



I just those all the time and they work great. Don't buy the plastic dummy rounds. They get tore up form the extracotor pulling them out of the gun. AZoom works great!

SecondsCount
02-26-2011, 07:13 PM
I reload and have been experimenting with making my own snap caps/dummy rounds.

Steps I took to make a 40 S&W snap cap:

1. Sized and deprimed a brass case, then flared it for the bullet.

2. Seated a RNFMJ bullet and gave it a good crimp.

3. A customer of mine had this really tough material in sheet form, it feels like hard rubber but very tough, about 1/8" thick. He said what it was but I can't remember. I punched a "primer" out of it for the primer pocket. After several hundred strikes it does not look like it has changed at all. If it does wear I can just pull it out replace it.

Concerns so far-
I need to figure out a better way to color the case so that I can easily tell the difference between a live round and a snap cap. So far a sharpie is doing the job but tends to wear off.

The bullet is going to seat itself a little deeper everytime I chamber it. My thought is to use some material like cornmeal to fill the airspace and prevent further seating. Still not bad for a 10 cent snap cap.

backtrail540
02-28-2011, 03:18 AM
I've been using Tiptons in my 229 in .40 and they work fine.

I have some for my Para but they seem to be too long and always cause a jam while trying to eject. They just don't clear the ejection port and get stuck. I am going to try and trim them down a little bit and see if I can get them to work.

Thrill
02-28-2011, 05:44 PM
You could try cutting a section of that rubber the size of the air-space, and rolling it up to fit in before loading the bullet. I was also thinking of trying to put some epoxy on the bullet before inserting & crimping to help it stay in place. I don't reload (yet) but I'm trying to find a local reloader that will make me some dummy rounds.


I reload and have been experimenting with making my own snap caps/dummy rounds.

Steps I took to make a 40 S&W snap cap:

1. Sized and deprimed a brass case, then flared it for the bullet.

2. Seated a RNFMJ bullet and gave it a good crimp.

3. A customer of mine had this really tough material in sheet form, it feels like hard rubber but very tough, about 1/8" thick. He said what it was but I can't remember. I punched a "primer" out of it for the primer pocket. After several hundred strikes it does not look like it has changed at all. If it does wear I can just pull it out replace it.

Concerns so far-
I need to figure out a better way to color the case so that I can easily tell the difference between a live round and a snap cap. So far a sharpie is doing the job but tends to wear off.

The bullet is going to seat itself a little deeper everytime I chamber it. My thought is to use some material like cornmeal to fill the airspace and prevent further seating. Still not bad for a 10 cent snap cap.

Argus
02-28-2011, 07:06 PM
To make your dummy rounds more easily distinguishable from live ammo, use a different type of case/bullet than you usually shoot. For instance, if you normally use brass cased ammo with an ogive bullet, use some nickel plated cases with conical bullets for your dummies.

Needless to say, you still need to double check before doing any dry fire with dummy rounds.

JohnN
03-02-2011, 12:08 PM
AZoom's and plastic training rounds after quite a bit of use.

Time for some new ones.
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/56/img0222ob.jpg

KentF
03-02-2011, 12:29 PM
Concerns so far-
I need to figure out a better way to color the case so that I can easily tell the difference between a live round and a snap cap. So far a sharpie is doing the job but tends to wear off.


In the ones I made several years ago, I drilled a hole through the case and filed the edges smooth. This makes it easy to both visually and tactility identify the rounds.

turbolag23
03-02-2011, 01:20 PM
ive used the plastic ones quite a bit, they are cheaper but like mentioned above after some use the rims get ripped off. I had someone reload some dummy rounds and just painted the cases black after that.

John Ralston
03-02-2011, 02:53 PM
A-Zoom - VERY well made

randypollock
03-17-2011, 10:19 PM
Just what I needed to know...thanks.