Dry fire training

Dry fire training is the method of training for muscle memory, going through all the steps and actions of firing without using live ammunition.  Most of us either don’t have access to a range every day so this is a way to keep skills sharp and learn new ones before going to the range and spending that precious time and money.  

There are at least two schools of thought on this.  One said says dry firing your weapon damages it and does not accurately simulate actual firing.  Others say it is perfectly fine, especially with modern firearms and it does simulate perfectly fine. I am somewhere in between.    On one hand I agree it does not fully simulate the actions, there is no recoil, there are no audio keys, but I also feel it does help with the muscle memory.  I have been shooting for a long time and dry firing has always been kind of a no-no but I have been using snap-caps for a while now and I feel this helps reduce the wear and tear on the weapon.  Maybe it does maybe it is just give me a sense of not causing harm.  Either way I encourage everyone to use dry fire as a part of your training routine. 

Dry fire training needs to be conducted as if you ARE live firing.  Safety first and don’t let yourself build bad habits of not clearing, not controlling your muzzle and trigger discipline.  NEVER handle a weapon any other way.  Remember the four cardinal rules of firearms safety.  Some say there are five, adding wearing ear and eye pro but I feel this is implied anytime you shoot.  I like Smith and Wesson website outlining this.  

        1. Handle all weapons as loaded weapons.  No matter if you “Know” it is clear.

2      2. Never point a weapon at anything you are not willing to kill or destroy

             3. Keep your booger hook off the bang switch, I mean keep your finger outside the trigger guard and off the trigger until your sights are on target and you are ready to engage

        4. Know your target and what is behind and beyond it.

Now some call these “rules”, I call them Laws, they may differ from person to person but the general idea is the same.  

Another thing to keep in mind are to never rely in the mechanical safety features alone.  Parts and machines fail.  Use them but do not rely on them solely.  

I prefer to use A-Zoom snap caps and I usually get them from Palmetto State Armory.  All good local gun shops carry them and they are well worth the investment.  I prefer the A-Zoom ones as they are machined and I feel they are mother to operate and last longer.  They are rated for about 3,000 firing iterations, so they do wear out but I like the longevity of the A-Zoom brand.  Doing your own research will help you determine what ones you want to use and where to get them.  

My first step is to remove all live ammo from my magazines.  I store these away and remove them completely from my training area. It is ALWAYS a bad idea to have ANY live ammo around when you are dry fire training.  Even though you will follow all the laws of safety don’t put yourself in a position to have an unintended discharge. Once I have my magazines cleared and loaded with snap caps, I dress and rig my gear the same as I would for live fire.  

My first iterations are loading and unloading.  I don’t mean loading rounds in mags, I am talking about mags in and out of the weapon and chambering a round and clearing the weapon. This goes for pistols as well as long guns.  I know this sounds too basic but it is the foundation of making your gun go bang.  Practice it.  

After I am comfortable with that and I transition and I work on my draw.  I like to stand in front of a mirror and go very slowly to make sure my actions, stance, grip and sight alignment are perfect every time.  I increase the speed as I go along.  I go from a battle belt holster and rig and then move to my concealed holster.  At this point I go through the entire dry fire from concealed using different layers.  First just a shirt, then I add a sweatshirt or a jacket and go through each draw for each layer of clothing. This allows me to adjust and know where any hang ups are or where I can adjust due to layers.

When I feel confident in my draw I move to trigger pull.  Again slow and smooth, building speed as I go.  After I have done this for my pistol and long gun I work on transition from pistol to long gun and back.  

Usually about 20 to 30 minutes is what I will put in.  My wife hates it when I hog the bathroom doing this but skills are perishable and need to be worked out like any other muscle.   Some folks suggest 15 minutes a day, I don’t have a set time.  I work my drills until I feel confident.  Sometimes it’s the 20 -30 minutes, other days, especially with a new skill I may spend a lot more time or even devote the entire session to that specific skill.

By creating and setting up a dry firing schedule for yourself, it will make you live fire sessions more productive. Well at least it makes mine more productive.  Once you are on the range to live fire I suggest a few dry fire drill to shake the cobwebs off THEN go to live fire.  For me this greatly enhances my accuracy and my time on the range.  This works for all types of firearms including shotguns.  

I encourage all of you to give it a try.  If you haven’t done it before give it a try, if you do regularly train, mix it up a bit, add in some new skills after you cover your basics.   As always if you are unsure go to your local shop or range and find someone who can help you.   If you are in the Charleston area PalmettoState Armory has a ton of great folks that can help you and I am always willing to help folks.  

Go train, get better and as always Safe Shooting!