Can I dry fire my S&W M&P 9mm?

[bluedog]

Folks, I picked up a new M&P9 last Sunday...never had one nor shot one but it sure feels good right out of the box....I was doing some dry firing with it to get used to the trigger and heard that dry firing is harmful to the M&P! I checked the S&W manual that came with the pistol but could find no reference to dry firing (pro or con).....what is the deal? Is it OK to dry fire the M&P?

 

[Moe Howard]

Dry fire away. If your going to do it for a prolonged period of time I would suggest using a snap cap though.

 

[Cloudpeak]

I use A-Zoom snap caps. You hear a lot of "yes/no" discussion about the effects of dry firing but the snap caps just seem like a good idea to me. (I have a M&P full size 9mm and it's been an outstanding pistol with several thousand rounds of reloads through it with no problems, btw. I just can't seem to shoot plates well with it. Slow fire, no problem, though. I shot a .383" group offhand at 7 yards the other day with it with a handload--the best group I've shot with a center fire semi auto.)

Cloudpeak

 

[Magyar]

If your going to do it for a prolonged period of time I would suggest using a snap cap though.

It's always this caveat that makes this post re-occur.....

 

[sholling]

I do not recommend dry firing an M&P9 without snap caps. It's about the only weakness that I know of with the M&P but don't dry fire it a lot without snap caps. The good thing is that you only need to work the slide about 1/4".

 

[ShootingNut]

S&W

Says dry fire away, any S&W hangun except the .22 caliber.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...talogId=10001&content=13012&sectionId=10504#2

 

[sholling]

Excessive dry firing without snap caps has led to broken firing pins. Invest the $10 in snap caps and then go for it.

 

[ranburr]

After returning dozens of these guns and speaking in great detail to the factory gunsmiths; without a doubt, do not dry fire the M&P. Smith uses overly heavy springs. One fix that we have been doing is substituting Glock springs with good results. With a Glock spring in place, we have at least 10K dry fires and and 3K rounds with an M&P 45 that had broken three firing pins at roughly 12, 375, and 600 rounds.

 

[allenomics]

Centerfire, yes, Rimfire, no. But over time it may put some wear and tear on components.

 

[cxg231]

For what it's worth, my dealer told me specifically *not* to fire my M&P 9 without snap caps. I realize that most firearms dealers are not all-knowing, but perhaps there is some issue related specifically to the design of the M&P striker?

Almost 400 rounds thru it with zero problems (mostly FMJ, some HP). Seems like a very well made pistol.

 

[mbott]

Yes, you can dry fire an M&P without issue and you don't need a snap cap if you only dry fire occasionally. If you're going to dry fire a lot, then use the snap-cap.

--
Mike