Dry fire your carry gun- how can I avoid setback or chewing through ammo?

[Notso]

This may be a totally stupid question with a very simple answer but I'm looking for some input and feedback. I dry fire a lot- no close ranges and too little time so I try to dry fire at least three times a week. Clearly every time I dry fire I'm unloading and then reloading for carry when I'm complete. To keep from having setback issues, I try not to load the same round more than twice (the initial loading and then the next time when I actually fire it). With 500 rds of carry ammo I see that as 500 times to to load that lot of ammo for carry conditions. I guess if I was actually downloading and then reloading 3 times a week a 500 round lot would last 3 years if I do the math right at which point its probably time for some fresh ammo. Maybe I just answered my own question. What do you guys think?

[Chuck Haggard]

With handguns I'm OK with the round being loaded four times, as long as visual inspection shows it's not mess up earlier.

[Chuck Whitlock]

With handguns I'm OK with the round being loaded four times, as long as visual inspection shows it's not mess up earlier.

I believe it was Claude Warner who said to hit the rim of the case with a Sharpie when it comes out of the chamber. Four tick marks and it goes into the training pile.

[Luke]

I place the bullet into the chamber and then close the slide with just enough force to go into battery. I dry fire my carry gun every day sometimes multiple times a day, I have NEVER seen a case show any signs of set back. I never ever ever normally rack a round out of the mag unless I plan to fire that round. I also gently unchamber it as well.

[SLG]

Can't tell if serious...

I know, right?

[HCM]

I place the bullet into the chamber and then close the slide with just enough force to go into battery. I dry fire my carry gun every day sometimes multiple times a day, I have NEVER seen a case show any signs of set back. I never ever ever normally rack a round out of the mag unless I plan to fire that round. I also gently unchamber it as well.

Most factory armorer programs recommend that you feed rounds from the magazine and not drop them in the chamber and close the slide. I would worry about reliability issues following this practice on a carry gun.

Bullet setback is not the only concern with chambering rounds over and over again. Depending on the gun it can also chew up the rim of the cartridge case and repeatedly chambering the same round also produces small impacts on the primer. It's not enough to set the round off but if repeated enough times it can damage the primer and caused around to fail to fire. A few years ago there was a documented case of this occurring. Gwinnett County Georgia.had an officer who unloaded and reloaded his duty weapon every day for a period of approximately nine months. The officer was then involved in a deadly force situation where his first round failed to fire. Subsequent investigation revealed no defects in the weapon. Chaimbering the same round every day for nine months had knocked the anvil inside the primer cup loose, causing it not to fire.

We teach our officers/agents to lock their handguns up loaded in there issued lockbox and not to trust a round for Carry after two chamberings. A handgun round can probably go for or five but we stick to two for consistency between the handgun the M4 and the shotgun.

As Tom stated above, if you are dry firing three times or more per week you really need a dedicated training gun or a substitute like a SIRT or a Glock red handle. Springs wear based on the number of cycles so dry fire will induce premature wear in a carry gun and Murphy's Law says you will find out about this at the worst possible moment.

Having two or three copies of your carry gun is obviously easier with a Glock then a Wilson 1911 but if you are serious enough to be dry firing multiple times per week it's a worthwhile investment.

[Luke]

Can't tell if serious...

Heck yea. You can even put a little lube on the case to make it go in easier.

[SLG]

You must buy in bulk.

Enough derailment (by me anyhow).

I think he just puts the tip in. Less rim damage that way.

[pangloss]

To get back to the original question, I lock the slide back, insert loaded magazine, then with my support hand, pull back on the slide and slowly ride it forward. The bullet feeds out of the magazine, but it doesn't get slammed into the chamber as would be the case when the weapon cycles after firing. I probably never do this to a single round more than half a dozen times, as I have a dedicated G19 practice gun now. If an extra gun is out of the question, I'd probably just move the top round out of the mag to the practice pile every week. That way one box of carry ammo will last you about a year.

[dbateman]

I place the bullet into the chamber and then close the slide with just enough force to go into battery. I dry fire my carry gun every day sometimes multiple times a day, I have NEVER seen a case show any signs of set back. I never ever ever normally rack a round out of the mag unless I plan to fire that round. I also gently unchamber it as well.

What pistol are you shooting ?