TargetTalk

I am new to airguns, but have read that pneumatics can be dry-fired, but then read something about a gun that had a special feature which allowed dry-firing (it was a pneumatic as I recall).

I just purchased a used Hammerli AR20, and want to adjust the trigger to my liking, and would like to be able to dry-fire. Could not find anything specific to this gun relating to dry-firing.

Can anyone help?

Thank you.

The user manual should be able to tell you whether it can be dry fire or not. Usually if it does not say you can dry fire, you can assume you cannot. To my best of knowledge only electronic trigger pneumatic can dry fire. Anyway, this is Rover's area.

The only manual I have been able to find is very sparse, just not a lot of info in it. I tells to cock the gun, and put a pellet in it. No mention of firing without a pellet.

Thanks for the help.

You could just take off the air cylinder. No compressed air to worry about then, and you should be able to adjust your trigger as you please without noise or air rushing out. I suspect that such a rifle can be safely dry fired with the cylinder full and in place but I don't know the gun, so can't suggest how to go about this. Is there not a switch to go between fire and safe modes? This is quite common on PCP rifles and pistols. The dry fired trigger setting might not be identical to the pressurized firing trigger. Some guns behave slightly differently between the two, probably owing to variation in trigger mechanisms which in some cases change due to back-pressure from the air behind the valve... but in a high quality match gun this should not be a factor.

Read the manual, and the exploded diagram. Very odd...a PCP that has neither safety nor dry fire capability. I thought it would be wise to have at least one of them since they are marketing to kids...

It's simple: unscrew the cylinder a little and dry fire to your hearts content.

I personally will dry fire anything except a .22 that peens the chamber edge . If it breaks I fix it (and I can fix a peened chamber, too).

I just added to this, realizing I hadn't really answered your question well.

A match gun that compresses air in advance of shot is called a single stroke pneumatic (SSP). Dry fire at will, although it may make noise depending on whether it has a dry fire provision (no need to compress the air, just cock the action).

The FWB series of 65, 80, and 90 are spring powered. The 65 (maybe 80, too) has a device that allows it to recoil when shooting. This is not dry firing, but according to the manufacturer all three of these may be shot without a pellet, but the 90 doesn't need to be cocked to do it (electronic trigger).

Rover wrote:It's simple: unscrew the cylinder a little and dry fire to your hearts content.

You just ruined numerous marketing people's career, including those that insist and sell the hardest electronic trigger is the way to go for dry fire.

Conradin wrote:

Rover wrote:Rover wrote:
It's simple: unscrew the cylinder a little and dry fire to your hearts content.

You just ruined numerous marketing people's career, including those that insist and sell the hardest electronic trigger is the way to go for dry fire.

Maybe.

I have an old SAM pistol that I do that with. But in the case of Morini, unscrewing the cylinder trips a latch which is intended to keep the shooter from shooting when the cylinder pressure is too low. If you have a mechanical trigger, you can't cock it. If you have an electronic trigger, it doesn't matter.

Roger

RandomShotz wrote: I have an old SAM pistol that I do that with.

Roger

Wow, you have a collector's item! Is that the M10 or M5 (the shorty)?

conradin wrote:Wow, you have a collector's item! Is that the M10 or M5 (the shorty)?

Um, no, it's just a K10. I got it from someone who (I believe) was dumping something on GunBroker that he acquired at an estate sale. It's a nice enough gun, but it has some minor mechanical weak points which I won't hijack this thread to elaborate on. But I don't think it will be a collectible any time soon.

Roger

I took the air cylinder off, and found out that the regulator holds at least one shot in it, as the gun fired! Did not try again after that.

RandomShotz wrote: Um, no, it's just a K10.
Roger

I heard of Pardini K10 or SAM K11...but never a SAM K10...I guess I learn something new everyday.

Oops. I meant SAM K11. I guess a SAM K10 really would be a collector's item.

Roger

How SAM still survives as a company I have no idea. Anyway, this is way off topic.

mgh wrote:I am new to airguns, but have read that pneumatics can be dry-fired, but then read something about a gun that had a special feature which allowed dry-firing (it was a pneumatic as I recall).

I just purchased a used Hammerli AR20, and want to adjust the trigger to my liking, and would like to be able to dry-fire. Could not find anything specific to this gun relating to dry-firing.

Can anyone help?

Thank you.

Almost all airguns can be safely dry fired, it's not exclusive to electronic triggers. I would read the manual and if that doesn't help speak to the dealer you got the gun from or Walther / Hammerli direct - they all speak good English.

In most guns I've seen you either cock and don't fully close (as per Steyrs, Anschutz) or they have a switch - mechanical or electronic. If you can't make that work then just cock it and don't load a pellet. You need to do that anyway to get the feel totally right.

Rob.

Anonymous wrote:I took the air cylinder off, and found out that the regulator holds at least one shot in it, as the gun fired! Did not try again after that.

That's normal... some guns hold pressure in the regulator even if the cylinder is off.
It should only have air for one shoot and a small puff after that...
Use a pillow at the end of the barrel to suppress the sound.

Now you can dry fire.

Hope this helps