Dry fire.....Do's and and Do not's!

old, good http://www.midcoast.com/~pilkguns/bbs/

Moderators: rexifelis, pilkguns

Post Reply
Lifetokerz

Dry fire.....Do's and and Do not's!

Post by Lifetokerz »

I have been reading about how dry fire training has raised the average scores of some of the best shooters in the world. I would love to do this but I own a Izh-46m and in the manual it stresses that i should never fire the pistol unless it is loaded. So what is dry fire? Is it simply pulling the trigger and using your imagination. Or do they cock the bolt and just let the sear drop? can someone clarify for me? I dont want to break my pistol....
thanks, Life
lifetokerz-at-aol.com.43438.0
Chris L in NC

IZH-46 dry fire is easy, and important

Post by Chris L in NC »

: I have been reading about how dry fire training has raised the average scores of some of the best shooters in the world. I would love to do this but I own a Izh-46m and in the manual it stresses that i should never fire the pistol unless it is loaded. So what is dry fire? Is it simply pulling the trigger and using your imagination. Or do they cock the bolt and just let the sear drop? can someone clarify for me? I dont want to break my pistol....
: thanks, Life
Hi Life,
Dry fire is just like live fire except the pistol does not expel air or projectiles. In a cartridge pistol, you can dry fire by cocking or charging the action but not loading any cartridges. The trigger will function the same. However, with a .22 (unless there is a special dry fire procedure in the manual) you must put an empty case in the chamber or you will eventually break the firing pin. I broke two firing pins in my Walther GSP that way.
I too have heard that expelling air from an air pistol without a pellet will damage it, but I do not know for sure. Good air pistols will have some way to click the action without damage. I have an IZH also and what you do is, instead of pumping the handle, reach up to the slide that goes around the chamber. Move it until the breech opens, and then close the breech. Now you can pull the trigger and it will click without expelling air.
Dry fire is extremely important because you can see if you are keeping the sights aligned while the shot fires. You can dry fire almost anywhere so long as nobody sees you and gets scared of you pointing a gun. Mostly I just point it at a blank wall and concentrate on keeping the sights aligned. Many coaches will tell you to also post a dot on the wall the same apparent size as the target and practice your hold.
chrisatty-at-hotmail.com.43439.43438
Norm

Re: IZH-46 dry fire is easy, and important

Post by Norm »

Agreed. I've seen the warning in my Izzy manual and I firmly believe it's a "leftover" warning that is generic to all of their airguns. Fully cocking and firing a spring gun (the -46 is not a spring gun) without a pellet in place can damage it. Dry firing an IZH-46 the way Chris does (and I do) only works the sear & "hammer" mechanism. No different than an actual firing. I put hammer in quotes because all it does is tap the air valve. It's not near as strong as the hammer in a cartridge gun. No firing pin to hit & break, either.
Dry fire & get better,
Norm
nglitz-at-optoline.net.43449.43439
Patrick

Re: IZH-46 dry fire is easy, and important

Post by Patrick »

I retrieved my 46 from my Dad a couple of days ago (I loaned it to him for 2-3 weeks and got it back 9 months later) and promptly started dryfiring with it.
It's a great gun and the dryfire capability is what makes it a good training pistol.
How often are you dryfiring, and how long is each session?
Patrick

haynes-at-targetshooting.ca.43450.43449
Norm

Re: IZH-46 dry fire is easy, and important

Post by Norm »

Personally, I dry fire until I get tired of not making holes in the target. This is usually 20 or 25 dry shots, if my patience is high. Mostly, I'm looking to see if I can trip the trigger without making the front sight wiggle. Then, it's time to put some pellets downrange. Typically, 20 or 30 pellets before other duties call. I have an old pizza box stuffed with newspapers at 8.4 meters in the basement. Not the whole ten, but better than nothing.
I try to fire a full match sequence a couple of times just before a match. Also, I dry fire several times in a match before shooting even sighters. A few sighters to confirm sight settings in conditions for that specific match (lighting, breezes, noises, etc.) and then on to the scoring shots. Any bad shot is cause to dry fire some more. IZH-46M
Enjoy,
Norm
nglitz-at-optonline.net.43560.43450
Post Reply