Is there a safe way to dry fire a percussion revolver?

[Old-Duckman]

The title says it all.

 

[Colonial Boy]

A couple of ways,
1. Remove the nipples (not very practical).
2. Remove the cylinder (upsets the weight).
3. Cut a strip of leather (1/16 “ plus) to fit in the hammer channel, this will not only cushion the blow but will keep the hammer well clear of the nipples.

 

[hawkeye2]

"3. Cut a strip of leather (1/16 “ plus) to fit in the hammer channel, this will not only cushion the blow but will keep the hammer well clear of the nipples."

A very good way but the leather has to be thick enough to stop the hammer short of the nipples and thin enough to allow the action to reset which will lock the cylinder and you won't be able to cock the gun or remove the cylinder. This distance will vary from one gun to another. Try letting the hammer down close to the nipple and recocking it. That will give you a feel for how thick the spacer needs to be.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Dry fire all you want then be prepared to repair the pistol. These aren’t Rugers and weren’t designed to be played with. Removing the nipples so the revolver function is close to what it is built to do sounds best to me, or bust some caps with out loads.

 

[M. De Land]

"3. Cut a strip of leather (1/16 “ plus) to fit in the hammer channel, this will not only cushion the blow but will keep the hammer well clear of the nipples."

A very good way but the leather has to be thick enough to stop the hammer short of the nipples and thin enough to allow the action to reset which will lock the cylinder and you won't be able to cock the gun or remove the cylinder. This distance will vary from one gun to another. Try letting the hammer down close to the nipple and recocking it. That will give you a feel for how thick the spacer needs to be.

Yes, I discovered this as well but use 1/8 neoprene glass, setting blocks, cut a bit proud on the width so they stay put volunteer by there own spring tension. There much more springy than is leather and practically indestructible. They should be available at any glass shop that handles thermo pane glass. The blocks come 1 x 3 inches and 1/8th or 1/4 thick.

 

[cynthialee]

when I was a kid just learning this stuff my dad would put caps during fire arms training on the unloaded revolvers so as to not harm things from dry firing
he was training me and my brother to not have the flinch and practice our trigger pull (funny how I got the BP bug and my brother never did)

if you are willing to part with the caps.....

 

[TrapperDude]

bust some caps with out loads.

That's a solid idea. You could probably do well to punch out some blank caps with one of that punchers from Shooters22reloader so you don't have to blow precious live caps.

 

[45D]

Well actually, you CAN make a Colt open top platform a dry fire capable revolver. With a headspace of .0025" and a " no contact" nipple/ hammer setup, you'll have a tight enough setup overall to drop the hammer with the muzzle pointed up and not contact the nipple with the hammer, likewise the tolerance is close enough to allow the hammer to detonate a cap with the muzzle down . . . the nipple /hammer clearance will be maintained. I would suggest a fitted/ corrected arbor length to maintain proper endshake at all times.

I've set many up that way over the years. I never do that with competition revolvers . . . there's no tolerance for a possible ftf in competition!!
Mike

 

[No second place]

The title says it all.

I use .58 cal. RB, Fit leather strips or best shape and cut coil springs to fit each gun. Plyers, Vice and Vice-grips help to bend and shape. When you find the right shape and wire size they stay put, don`t wear out and no wear on your gun. Local Ace hardware sells small boxes of mixed springs...

 

[necchi]

, or bust some caps with out loads.

Can't do that anymore. Nobody has caps enough to expend for such use,,

 

[TFoley]

AFAIK the ONLY percussion revolver actually designed with this in mind - initially as a safety measure - is/was the Ruger Old Army. I've been dry-firing mine since 1986, when I feel like a bit of practice, that is.

 

[TrapperDude]

Can't do that anymore. Nobody has caps enough to expend for such use,,

Just puch out some blank ones with the Shooters22reloader cap puncher.

 

[Rifleman1776]

AFAIK the ONLY percussion revolver actually designed with this in mind - initially as a safety measure - is/was the Ruger Old Army. I've bee dry-firing mine since 1986, when I feel like a bit of practice, that is.

Yes. Most people do not realize the ROA is designed so the hammer does not actually hit the nipple. The hammer is stopped by the frame just a tiny fraction from the nipple but close enough to hit and ignite the cap. Dry fire away.

 

[DixieTexian]

Dry firing percussion revolvers is perfectly safe to the user, not so much to the revolver.

 

[ryoung14]

Trapperdude has it right. Otherwise, remove the nipples.

 

[Old-Duckman]

Trapperdude has it right. Otherwise, remove the nipples.

I don’t have that set-up. I do have a 3D printer on loan from the place I work (Covid home office). And after reading this thread I’m going to try printing some sort of protector that will cover the nipples and absorb the shock. I don’t know if the material that I have to print with will take the beating without shattering…

I’ll post my results once I have tried it out.

 

[SDSmlf]

funny how I got the BP bug and my brother never did

Seems the BP bug will unpredictably skip a generation or two in my family.

 

[new2bp]

I don’t have that set-up. I do have a 3D printer on loan from the place I work (Covid home office). And after reading this thread I’m going to try printing some sort of protector that will cover the nipples and absorb the shock. I don’t know if the material that I have to print with will take the beating without shattering…

I’ll post my results once I have tried it out.

Think 3d printed stuff will be too hard and shatter or similar.

I'd get a box of pencils and pull the erasers out, then core out enough of the middle for them to slip easily over the nipple.

 

[springfield art]

Here's an opportunity for some enterprising inventor to make Nipples that are solid so you could batter the heck out of them for dry-fire practice. You'd just have to screw out the 'real' ones and put in the 'testers'; pass this idea along, OR, buy the cheapest set of replacement nipples and use them for dry fire only! What say the Peanut Gallery??

 

[hawkeye2]

No! Striking a nipple, solid or regular, with the hammer repeatedly will deform the nose of the hammer.

Putting something like an aluminum or otherwise empty cap on the nipple will still have the same effect as above.

Removing the nipples may lead to other issues. It could let the breast of the hammer strike the frame and doing this repeatedly could work harden the hammer. Back in the 60s I used to hang out in a gun store where a friend who shot competitive pistol worked. He knew of 2 club members who had broken the hammers on their S&Ws from work hardening after dry firing countless times.

I have some rubber vacuum tubing from an auto parts store that is a snug fit on the nipples. I find a length that just clears the frame works for me as it compresses enough under the hammer blow to allow the action to reset. As mentioned earlier leather or rubber in the hammer channel works fine too.