the cons of dry firing an air pistol?

bubba_zenetti · Post by **bubba_zenetti** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:55 am

i know how a real gun works but i never had the opportunity to detail strip an air pistol to see what makes it tick (nor do i really want to experiment with mine), so i ask...........

with a pre-charged air pistol, what can be damaged by dry firing the pistol? do all of them work the same way? it would appear that my pistol has a hammer inside the receiver (rohm twinmaster). i can only imagine that the hammer falls on some sort of release valve.

jrmcdaniel · Post by **jrmcdaniel** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:50 am

All(?) match guns have a dry-fire mechanism that allows one to cock the trigger and release the "shot" without releasing air. Sometimes this feature is crude as in the IZH-46 where you manually cock the loading lever without pumping the gun. Most other guns have a more sophisticated mechanism but the end result is identical.

That said, there is no problem with firing a PCP without a pellet. Some people worry about the possibility of condensation causing rust, etc., but the actuality is that unless you do a lot of shooting, not much can happen. (You could use an empty tank for dry firing if you are worried.)

Best,

Joe

James · Post by **James** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:59 am

In most modern pcp pistols, the dryfire switch stops the hammer short.

Firing the pistol without the dryfire switch engaged, with no air, may damage the gun, and bend the valvestem, regulator, spring etc.

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:57 pm

James wrote:In most modern pcp pistols, the dryfire switch stops the hammer short.

Firing the pistol without the dryfire switch engaged, with no air, may damage the gun, and bend the valvestem, regulator, spring etc.

How so?

James · Post by **James** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:27 pm

What do you mean how so?

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:37 pm

James wrote:What do you mean how so?

How do you figure you damage a PCP pistol by firing it without a pellet? What parts are damaged and what causes the damage?

aurorapolice02_11 · Post by **aurorapolice02_11** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:40 pm

But I dry fired my pistol a lot during training and never had a problem. Maybe I got lucky, but I do not think there is a problem with dry firing a pistol. Does adding a pellet to the chamber really make a mechanical difference?

Mike Douglass

bubba_zenetti · Post by **bubba_zenetti** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:47 am

jrmcdaniel wrote:All(?) match guns have a dry-fire mechanism that allows one to cock the trigger and release the "shot" without releasing air.

Joe

my pistol is a rohm twinmaster match model. i have not been able to find any information on the weapon that is usefull. the owners manual makes no mention of dry firing, however a pdf brochure in english that i have downloaded from rohm's website read"mock training is possible"(i assume that means dry firing is safe) the company that sold me the pistol has been no real help either as they just started stocking the line.

this pistol has no external levers or anything leading me to belive that you can dry fire it.

i been dry firing this thing without the tank attached and no pellet in chamber. i wish i had some solid information on this pistol so i can know if it is safe or not.

James · Post by **James** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:17 pm

Richard. The answer is one post up.

Mike, Pellet in the chamber has nothing to do with it. It's air in the valve.

Bubba, I dont know. But with the price of the pistols, and difficulty with getting parts I wouldnt risk it.

What use is dryfiring with no tank attatched?

Just to be safe, dryfire with no pellet, so it still releases air.
I dont know, ask someone knowledgable.
I know that sporter pcps are damaged from dryfiring without air. But they have substantially heavier hammers and hammer springs.

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the cons of dry firing an air pistol?

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