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"Dry firing" hurts nipples?

13K views 26 replies 21 participants last post by  jim brady 
#1 ·
Everybody "knows" that "dry firing" is bad on nipples, right?

But I am a confirmed "dry firer" from my IPSC practice days, as well as my numerous trigger tuning jobs I have done in my life. SO I have many times (Granted, only a few times with each weapon, not the thousands and thousands of times with my .45....) have dry fired my Traditions 1860 revolver, my son's 1851 CVA Navy, my son's CVA Frontier carbine, and now my Bondini target pistol.

I used to remove the nipples, but was told that was bad if the hammer couldn't hit something to stop it, so thinking if I damaged them, the "old" nipples would become my dry firing ones, since new ones are not that expensive.

BUT...my old ones still work fine, and I have never had to replace them????


Is there a chance that occasional dry firing (after working on triggers, and to get the feel of the break, etc) does NOT hurt nipples like we all "know" (were told?;)) that it will?:cool:
 
G
#2 · (Edited)
I knew one chap who used a leather disc on the hammer for dry firing a percussion handgun.

I asked if any leather worked into the nipple, he said he cleared them with a needle before use anyway, so it wasn't a problem.

Not ideal, but cheaper than a cracked nipple and it worked for him.
 
#3 ·
It's funny, Tranter, how just asking a stupid question gives you insight, with your help of course!

I am an inveterate pack rat, and right in the drawer of my work bench I may have found the answer!

I have a bunch of little plastic tubing ends that came as protectors of threads on screws for some mount or something that i did not throw away...

I winder if I trimmed one to fit would it fit over the nipple and protect it? HHmmmm...

I wonder why nobody else has thought of "snap caps" for muzzleloaders...or have they and I don't know about it?

Heck, I could be RICH....:p;) "Polish Percussion Nipple Protectors!"

But then again, if some Polak can make some out of scrap plastic, I don't think there would be any money in it....:D
 
#4 ·
Well, it works, kind of....:cool:

They fit right over the nipple, and a quick trim with a pocket knife and it fits like a charm!

But after about three snaps the plastic is torn and in a few more it will probably separate completely around the top of the nipple. But I have about a dozen or so of those little caps so I guess I can keep replacing them.

Maybe if I left it a little longer and let it crush down more it might last longer, but I think the idea is good, I'll have to let someny else develop a stronger polymer to handle the shock....:p

"Nipple Protector Mark I":D
 
#5 ·
#8 ·
Actually there are cases in which dry firing can help a nipple of a BP firearm. One of the older remedies as to percussion caps falling off very eaisly the nipples of any BP firearm is to dry fire it enough times to mash the end of the nipple a bit thos causing the percussion caps to have to be forced on with a little pressure and that keeps them from falling off. IF I wanted to dry fire without hurting the nipples at all I would use leather between the hammer and the nipple or the rubber rain gear that you can buy to fit over the nipple during rainy weather to help keep the drum dry. Leatehr or thin lead has been used for years as a dry firing tool so as to not damage ant parts including the nipple. The answer as to a revolver is have a second set, one to dry fire and one set of nipples to use in shooting.
 
#10 ·
I have a Uberti Colt Walker replica, which I have dry fired many times. It has been a while since I have shot it, so I was going to take it out for some target practice today. I had some old caps and I wanted to make sure they were still good, so I put six on the revolver and started popping them in the back yard. Fired the first one and it worked, but I noticed that when I cocked the gun for the second shot the cap was stuck to the hammer. After I removed the cap from the hammer, I noticed that the hammer had a circular indentation that appears to be due to it striking the nipple. I guess that the cap partially extruded into the hammer causing it to grip the cap and pull it off the nipple when I cocked the hammer for the second shot.

Has anyone seen this before? Short of replacing the hammer, is there anything I can do about it? I thought about grinding down that area of the hammer, but I supect that it wouldn't strike the cap properly after that.
 
#14 ·
Everybody "knows" that "dry firing" is bad on nipples, right?

But I am a confirmed "dry firer" from my IPSC practice days, as well as my numerous trigger tuning jobs I have done in my life. SO I have many times (Granted, only a few times with each weapon, not the thousands and thousands of times with my .45....) have dry fired my Traditions 1860 revolver, my son's 1851 CVA Navy, my son's CVA Frontier carbine, and now my Bondini target pistol.

I used to remove the nipples, but was told that was bad if the hammer couldn't hit something to stop it, so thinking if I damaged them, the "old" nipples would become my dry firing ones, since new ones are not that expensive.

BUT...my old ones still work fine, and I have never had to replace them????

Is there a chance that occasional dry firing (after working on triggers, and to get the feel of the break, etc) does NOT hurt nipples like we all "know" (were told?;)) that it will?:cool:
I can't say that i have ever "dry" fired on nipples that i can ever remember of?!! :D:D Had plenty of "wet" firings on nipples but thats neither here or there in the grand scheme of things. The important thing is that you make sure you have 2 large nipples between your hammer when you "fire off" so to speak..... :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Large, perky nipples..... yeah, thats the ticket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D

mike
gn

PS
Thanks Campingjosh, for letting me know about this thread!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D;)
 
#15 ·
I have a Uberti Colt Walker replica, which I have dry fired many times. It has been a while since I have shot it, so I was going to take it out for some target practice today. I had some old caps and I wanted to make sure they were still good, so I put six on the revolver and started popping them in the back yard. Fired the first one and it worked, but I noticed that when I cocked the gun for the second shot the cap was stuck to the hammer. After I removed the cap from the hammer, I noticed that the hammer had a circular indentation that appears to be due to it striking the nipple. I guess that the cap partially extruded into the hammer causing it to grip the cap and pull it off the nipple when I cocked the hammer for the second shot.

Has anyone seen this before? Short of replacing the hammer, is there anything I can do about it? I thought about grinding down that area of the hammer, but I supect that it wouldn't strike the cap properly after that.
My Uberti Walker's hammer is the same way. I really haven't dry fired it much at all either. I don't remember what the hammer looked like when it was new though. I thought the case hardening of the hammer would be much harder than the nipples. I have a cheap Armi San Marco .44 "Reb" revolver that I have dry fired hundreds of times and the hammer face still looks perfectly flat.
 
#19 ·
#21 ·
I never dry fire.
I never understood the idea of it, or never accepted the idea of it.
To me, it would be like sitting on my motorcycle and not going anywhere, but playing with the throttle and going 'vroom vroom'.
When I want I just get on the bike and go.
And take a gun and go shoot.
Real cartridges, real ammo. Real caps. Real balls.
dc
 
#27 ·
10,000 comedians out of work and you get posts like these? I have to admit that the same thing came into my warped mind.

Seriously, if you really have to dry-fire to practice, if it were me I'd just get a set of 6 of those brass nipples to dry fire with. Save your steel ones for live fire. The first place to come to mind would be Dixie Gun Works in Union City, Tennessee. Midway might also carry them.
 
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