Hi, new member here. I have a question...in the manual it states unequivocally “do not dry fire” this weapon. However, if I use Snapcaps, does that protect whatever might break inside? Note that I owned it for only a few weeks when the trigger went “clunk” and locked up. I just received it back from them, telling me it was “dry,” (though I cleaned and lubed on day one, and after shooting one box of ammo, and again after the second box, when it seized up...literally the day before I mailed it to them. So, I don’t want to rock the boat here, I’m a bit afraid it is fragile. I have several others and think I will use this for practice. Is there an upgrade trigger available? Thanks for any advice...KT
Welcome to the site, Karen. I think Browning says not to dry fire for liability reasons. But snap caps guarantee you won’t hurt your pistol.
I just went online and looked at the manual, it says "DRY FIRING DO NOT DRY FIRE THE 1911-22 PISTOL. DRY FIRING MAY DAMAGE THE FIREARM COMPONENTS, POSSIBLY RENDERING THE FIREARM INOPERABLE." I would agree not to dry fire a .22 or any rim fire. The center fire should not be an issue. Of course using dummies such as Snapcaps or a laser in the bore such as G-Sight should give you piece of mind. I've 'shot' my 1911-380 over 5,000 times with a G-Sight bore laser. Really helped me get rid of flinch.
I do not know of a snap cap for a rim fire cartridge, there are “action proving dummy” cartridges but dry firing most rim fires is just a bad practice. Most centerfire pistols can be dry fired without damage but there are some that break parts, especially firing pins so a snap cap is a good addition if practicing in this fashion.
Snap cap for rim fire: Get a box of yellow plastic wall anchors! None of our hardware stores carry the yellow ones anymore so I got a full box from Amazon for just a few bucks. Now I have plenty to use and share with others. If you rotate the 'wall anchor' each time you pull the trigger you are placing a new firm spot in position for the firing pin, and you can get at least a dozen uses from each one of those little gems. I actually do not dry fire my 1911-22, but I DO put an anchor in the chamber each time after shooting and /or cleaning so I do not store the gun with the hammer cocked.
Shooter granny, I too have heard of the yellow wall anchors as a substitute snap cap. I have heard just as many cautions from responders that they are a very poor substitute, I have not used them but felt a caution should be included here, If there is a way to make a saleable .22 snap cap I should think the major manufacturers would produce one..maybe in the shape of a yellow wall anchor.
ibmikey: I agree that I would not use the plastic wall anchors for actual dry firing, doing repeated trigger pulls. I did note that I rotate each one slightly each time I use it for the final trigger pull at the end of shooting or after cleaning. The firing pin makes an obvious dent in the edge of the wall anchor, and that makes them unsuitable for more than one trigger pull per spot. Very occasionally I will let a new person try the grip to see how it fits their hands, and then do a trigger pull, and that "one dry fire" is with a wall anchor in place. Given that I only use them for those purposes, they are a bit of extra insurance in case the hammer slips out of my fingers as I'm lowering it after cleaning or ending a shooting session. I think your "use with caution" statement is a helpful one.
I agree any protection is better than none, I think back to my first and second .22’s, a Winchester 1890 and Colt Scout and the zillions of times I dry fired them ( both of which I still occasionally fire) not knowing I could damage them. With centerfire revolvers when I issued a new officer a weapon I told them to dry fire it about 500 times and then bring it back for cleaning and inspection. They usually had some slick triggers on those pistols.
Old post but here's another option. One hammer fires, place an O ring in the hammer slot at the back of the slide.
