Dry Firing Before Storage ?

[.38SPL enthusiast]

I hope I'm not asking something thats been delt with recently. I have a bolt action Marlin 883 .22 wmr. I've never quite known what to do about the cocked hammer after I'm done shooting. Should you dry fire it? What about closing the bolt while squeezing the hammer? Any suggestions would be great.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Relax the mainspring--good thing.

.38spl Enthusiast--The standard wisdom is that a relaxed mainspring is a good thing, the longer the storage the better for the spring.

BUT--Dry-firing a rimfire can allow the firing pin to contact the edge of the chamber, to the detriment of both parts.

I'd check with a gunsmith or the gun's manufacturer--some .22's you can dry-fire safely.

I'd also insert a dummy round into the chamber before dry-firing. Or on a bolter, close the bolt while holding the trigger back as you suggest, lets the firing pin down gently.

For short-term storage, like a couple of weeks or so, I hardly think it matters to the mainspring.

FWIW, I uncock all my firearms as a standard thing prior to storage. Can't say I've noticed a particle of difference because of it.

 

[Byron Adams]

Making sure there is no ammo in the magazine or chamber, I will have the bolt up,pull back the trigger while slowly lowering the bolt handle.The allows the spring to be relaxed and not having to snap the trigger to release the spring. Again, make sure the magazine and chamber are empty. Byron

 

[Death from Afar]

With a quality shooter, springs should not need to be eased before storage. Its still a good thing to do. With a bolt action rifle

1/ Remove the magazine

2/ Open the action and visually check the chamber. ALWAYS DO THIS.

3/ Point the rifle in a safe direction, and put the safety onto fire.

4/ While squeezing the trigger, close the bolt. The rifle will not cock.

Some rifles will not allow you to put the safety back onto safe if they are not cocked, like a Ruger 10/22. This is by no means a bad thing, as if you cant apply the safety, its not cocked, and cannot fire.

When removing the weapon from storage, immedialtly check the chamber and ensure it is not loaded.

 

[Smokey Joe]

I have to agree...

With Death from Afar and Byron Adams--I ALWAYS check the chamber and the magazine prior to letting down the firing pin, and I apologize that I did not so state in my previous post.

It's such an automatic thing that I assumed you would also do it automatically. Doom on me! You know what they say about the word "assume"!

 

[.38SPL enthusiast]

Oh, sorry to worry you guys. I meant unloaded and double checked first of course Thanks for the replies. I have always lowered the hammer by squeezing the trigger and shutting the bolt but I had begun to wonder if thats what you were supposed to do.

 

[dfaugh]

Most of my personal guns

aren't stored for all that long, but I do usually try to release the spring tension.... However, an interesting factoid: A friend just brought me her fathers "old" guns, asking me to "clean them up", so they can be displayed and kept as family heirlooms...None have received any maintenance and cleaning for about 30 years (and they show it)...after cleaning the rust off(inside and out), and carefully examining everthing all were test fired, and all fired reliably even though they had been left with the firing pin springs compressed for all of 30 years(and the newest of them was made in the 1930s). Pretty amazing really....