DRY firing practice

At MCSFTC Chesapeake (gunslinger’s school) we would dry fire everything (pistol, rifle, shotgun) on the lines and through the outdoor and indoor CQB courses for hours before live fire.

It always stuck with me that this is how it’s done. Visualization of the target and repetitive movement of proper technique. I dry fire a lot.
 
I dry fire almost daily. If I’m not dry firing I’m shooting suppressed subsonic 22 at the very least off my porch at a 50 yard steel.
The dry firing helps accumulate to the trigger break and manual of arms for muscle memory. Manipulating the rifle off the shoulder and free hand or onto sticks etc… I like to walk my 3D archery course and just snap shoot each target once it’s at a spot I would shoot, through openings in brush etc.

Old timer guys like Elmer Keith used to dry fire as they were in the same boat with ammo costs. They thought it was expensive back then but they were used to casting lead in the kitchen !
 
This is @tinktink12's Walther 10meter Olympic air rifle that she shoots in competition. I have an identical Walther LG-400 in black/silver. On the left side of the receiver of any serious air rifle you have a dry fire switch.
View attachment 752837
On these rifles, it's the black toggle. F is for fire, T is for Training/Dry fire. When in the T position, the trigger activates as normal, but the air cylinder is disconnected, and no air is released.
View attachment 752839
All that's needed for practice is 33ft, and some sort of backstop. We use a steel pellet trap, or a wooden box filled with Duct-Seal putty.
View attachment 752841
This is a 12 Bull 10meter target. We keep one at the backstop marked "Do not shoot" specifically for dry fire practice. The 10 ring or Bullseye is not really a ring, but a dot about the size of a period at the end of this sentence.

I spend no less than 30 minutes a day dry firing, and 15 minutes live firing. Even more before a competition.

With larger caliber firearms, I still dry fire 20-30 minutes a day before a hunt, and live fire as often as I can get to a range.

I often dry fire not only from sticks, but standing, kneeling, sitting and prone. Do this before a hunt and you'll put it right on the money.
The air rifle target is very similar to the 25 mtr 22lr targets I used to shoot, the dot is 1mm, first circle is.224 in diameter, I went through a lot of 22 snap caps dry firing at the range and at home with my Carl Walther with either weaver x36 scope or gehmann aperture sights
Gumpy
 
When you own as many rifles by different manufacturers in as many calibers as I do the needed practice quickly becomes prohibitively expensive. Every rifle and every trigger is an entity unto it self.
Guns are cheap. The ammo is the real cost, lol. I just finished setting up a pair of 338wm rifles for my son and I for a hunt and easily bought and tested 10 kinds of ammo at an ave of about $65/box. And the three kinds of ammo I liked the most, I bought at least three boxes of for additional dope testing at distance and from sticks. I am certain that I spent over $1000 on ammo for that single caliber. I don't shoot it all but shoot some of all of it.

What is left over is a lifetime supply. My 375HH, I bought ten boxes of just the Barnes TSX ammo. Plus seven or eight other kinds. That stuff is about twice the cost of the smaller calibers. I do this with every rifle I buy. In the last three years, I have bought, 308, 243, 7mm/08, 7mm Mag, 30-06, 338 RCM, 338wm, 375HH and 458wm. It is good that I enjoy it so much. I try not to add it all up too often, lol.
 
Guns are cheap. The ammo is the real cost, lol. I just finished setting up a pair of 338wm rifles for my son and I for a hunt and easily bought and tested 10 kinds of ammo at an ave of about $65/box. And the three kinds of ammo I liked the most, I bought at least three boxes of for additional dope testing at distance and from sticks. I am certain that I spent over $1000 on ammo for that single caliber. I don't shoot it all but shoot some of all of it.

What is left over is a lifetime supply. My 375HH, I bought ten boxes of just the Barnes TSX ammo. Plus seven or eight other kinds. That stuff is about twice the cost of the smaller calibers. I do this with every rifle I buy. In the last three years, I have bought, 308, 243, 7mm/08, 7mm Mag, 30-06, 338 RCM, 338wm, 375HH and 458wm. It is good that I enjoy it so much. I try not to add it all up too often, lol.
If I added up all those costs I would have a stroke realizing I could just be retired at this point and be making enough money on investments to just cover the Costs of that ammo now so I try not to think about it
 
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM SOME OF YOUR OPINIONS ON THE PRACTICE OF DRY FIRING A RIFLE. WITH AMMO COST AS IT IS 2$ A ROUND UP TO 10$ FOR DG RIFLES.
I PRACTICE ALOT THIS WAY, BUT I DONT COCK THE RIFLE JUST SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER, ALMOST ALWAYS FROM A STANDING OFF HAND POSITION. ANY ONE CAN HIT OFF STICKS,RIGHT?
PICTURE DRY FIRING ON A LIVE TARGET A COUPLE DAYS BACK, 200 YDS + _ ON MY FIRST SPRING HIKE, WITH MY LITE HIKING RIFLE.. " EXCUSE THE ALL CAPS," IT DEFINETLY HELPS ON BREATHING.
I use snap caps of course to do two things: 1. get the feel of the trigger. 2. Ensure I do not flinch. However I do this with my three Africa Rigbys just before each hunt given now it is muscle memory and I know each rifle so I just don’t need to much anymore
 
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM SOME OF YOUR OPINIONS ON THE PRACTICE OF DRY FIRING A RIFLE. WITH AMMO COST AS IT IS 2$ A ROUND UP TO 10$ FOR DG RIFLES.
I PRACTICE ALOT THIS WAY, BUT I DONT COCK THE RIFLE JUST SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER, ALMOST ALWAYS FROM A STANDING OFF HAND POSITION. ANY ONE CAN HIT OFF STICKS,RIGHT?
PICTURE DRY FIRING ON A LIVE TARGET A COUPLE DAYS BACK, 200 YDS + _ ON MY FIRST SPRING HIKE, WITH MY LITE HIKING RIFLE.. " EXCUSE THE ALL CAPS," IT DEFINETLY HELPS ON BREATHING.
I competed all my life from rifles to ipsc and dry firing is fundamental. Besides that 3 positions improves your fitness.Mark Sullivan trains dry firing with his doubles everyday pointing live targets mostly.With doubles practice reloading with caps please.
Cheers dr Juan Pablo Pozzi, Córdoba Argentina
 

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