Snap cap training in Glocks (or any handgun?)

[sixGuns]

I've 2 9mm snap caps. I think I had 6? So I probably lost some. Anyways, what I do, is chamber a snap cap from the magazine, drop the mag and practice my trigger pull. I'm thinking I should leave the empty magazine in. Now the real question. Is short-cycling the slide as to not eject the snap cap a bad thing for the gun? It saves me time having to not constantly reload the snap cap. I feel like maybe this is bad form. Thoughts?

P.S. I feel like I should just buy enough snap caps to fill the magazine and do full cycling action for manipulation practice and ftf practice.

 

[Hopper]

Most all of my pistols are SA/DA or DAO, so no slide pull required to reset anything, just pull the hammer back. But I am unaware that a short recycle of the slide (just enough to reset the trigger) does any harm. What is it about doing this that makes you think it's bad form?

 

[Twangbanger]

You didn't say what kind of gun, but if you dry-fire enough, you'll probably come to realize the snap-caps are an unneeded distraction and an impediment to high-volume practice.

Almost nobody who dry-fires enough to really improve their shooting, uses snap caps. They are a "newbie-item" that is really expensive for what they are.

And if it's a striker-fired gun, there's not even the intrinsic mechanical justification for using them that exists on a hammer-fired gun, which is avoiding over-stress of the firing pin spring.

IMO, if it's a striker-fired gun, just stop using them and don't worry about it.

Honestly, from a safety standpoint, it kooks me out to place _any_ object in a magazine or chamber while I'm dry-firing.

Now, if you're using a hammer-fired gun and just cocking the hammer over and over again between reps, without cycling the slide as Hop suggests above, then have at it with a snap cap. No need to check the chamber between *subsequent* repetitions or fuss with the cap in any way, since you haven't cycled the slide in-between reps, and the snap cap isn't going to magically morph into a real round without the slide being cycled.

But striker gun? Just forget it. It will be safer without it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Many pistols dont require snap caps.

Now they are awesome for tap rack bang drills.
Have somebody load your mag out of sight, adding a snap cap (or two... or none) inside your gun before handing it to you. Now you run your string of fire. When your gun doesnt go bang, handle it.

 

[sixGuns]

It's a G19. I just thought I read for normal use one isn't really needed, but "prolonged" use they said it would be recommended. I guess I wonder about repeated striker hits on the breech face over time. The other concern I had was as the barrel unlocks would there be extra pressure from the snap cap onto the bottom of the breech. I might be overthinking it. I just had one laying around from some time ago and started using it. Oh how I miss the days of walking past full shelves of 50 round boxes of 9mm at Walmart for $9.88.

 

[NHT3]

Dry firing a Glock will only result in improving the trigger.

 

[DadSmith]

Now days even 1911's can be dry fired according to Springfield Armory and Rock Island Armory.

I think almost all centerfire handguns can be. Rimfire no.

 

[hammerd13]

OP,

I recommend, as others have indicated, that you just dry fire practice without snap caps. Snap caps can be useful for the ball-and-dummy drill, but just a hinderance (imo) to normal repetitious dry fire drills.

A related anecdotal tidbit...Gabe White dry fires A BUNCH (like, 10s of thousands per year). That's why he's so good. He's using a Glock and typically doesn't use snap caps. Due to the volume of dry fire he does, he's broken out 3-4 breech faces on his Glocks (which were taken care of under warranty). On the rare occasion that he uses snap caps, he uses the "St Action Pro" variety and fills the primer void with Shoe Goo, which is easy to replace when it becomes worn.

• ST Action Pro Dummy Rounds - 9mm

I'd suggest that you get at least two copies of the gun you carry. One to carry and the other to utilize for practice. If your practice gun breaks, you've still got your well-serviced and proven carry gun.

Lastly, you might consider the DryFireMag. This device eliminates the need to reset your gun with every trigger press. It does simulate your Glock trigger fairly well (and is tunable). Just know that nothing EXACTLY mimics your real trigger...so I still recommend just resetting your real firing mechanism for most things. I do use one of these when I'm practicing transition drills for multiple targets, bill drills, Mozambique drills, etc.. It allows an infinite number of trigger presses without the need to reset...much more fun!

• Dry Fire Mag

 

[nad63]

As others have said not needed but snap caps are a worthy training and dry fire aid. Your new G19 likely came with three mags and you can practice mag changes, sight acquisition, malfunction drills and dry fire.
Set up one snap cap in each mag. Insert mag 1 in the gun and chamber a dummy round.
Holster gun and draw, aquire proper sight picture and dry fire. Gun didn’t actually fire so go into remediation drill, tap, rack bang/reassess. You will go to slide lock so emergency reload, reacquire target and dry fire then repeat.

With three snap caps/dummy rounds you will get some quality time with your gun and practice what to do if experience a failure to fire.
I like the dryfire mag too as Hammerd13 mentions but it cuts out all the other aspects that you can get from just three lowly snap caps.
NHT3 knows Glock triggers and like he said the more you dryfire the better the Glock trigger will get.
Incorporate a dummy round into a mag at the range too.
The hard part will be locating all the snap caps/dummy rounds as you are ejecting them!

 

[russc2542]

No mechanical harm in short-stroking the slide but it does build muscle memory of doing it which is arguably less than ideal.

There are a few guns out there that can be dry fired but have concerns from excessive dry fire: some hammer fired CZ75 family guns will wear through a roll pin that retains the firing pin rather than the breech. takes many thousands of dry fires though.



Unrelated related subject, this is one of the reasons I don't like the Walther CCP: the sear doesn't catch the striker until the last 1/8" of slide travel. you physically cannot recock it without pulling the slide back enough to load a new round. On the other hand it'll strip a round from the mag about 3/16" from the back which means there is a chance, however small, that you can load a round into the chamber with an un-cocked striker.

 

[Chaplain]

No mechanical harm in short-stroking the slide but it does build muscle memory of doing it which is arguably less than ideal.

A Law Enforcement friend of mine privately confessed that everyday after his shift he would go home, draw his sidearm, clear it, and place it into a safe...everyday...until... One day on the job, while some bad guy was shooting at him, he drew his side arm and caught himself about to release the magazine.
That is why I like watching firearm instructors that draw, point down range, sweep the area, and only then proceed with any other activities. To the unknowing it seems silly, but my friend would argue differently.

 

[russc2542]

A Law Enforcement friend of mine privately confessed that everyday after his shift he would go home, draw his sidearm, clear it, and place it into a safe...everyday...until... One day on the job, while some bad guy was shooting at him, he drew his side arm and caught himself about to release the magazine.
That is why I like watching firearm instructors that draw, point down range, sweep the area, and only then proceed with any other activities. To the unknowing it seems silly, but my friend would argue differently.

I've heard similar about a LEO that had a malfunction in a firefight. sat back and raised his hand to flag the RO to come help clear his firearm. shorty thereafter he realized what he was dong and cleared it himself but it was a few seconds he was just standing there doing nothing.