Loaded & ready with A-Zoom Snap Caps

[sliponby]

I recently acquired a SW442 and, following the advice of some from this forum, bought some A-Zoom snap caps and have been dry firing hundreds of times to help smooth out the trigger. I have noticed good results as the trigger is definitely smoothing out.

My safety protocol when dry firing is to unload gun in a separate room to keep ammo away to avoid any chance of ND. I'm relatively new to revolvers and have been working the 442 into my carry rotation.

The other day I pocketed my holstered 442 and rushed out the door to start my day. After lunch I was able to get in a brief range session on my private range on my land. I usually fire my carry ammo to load fresh after a range session. I pull out my 442, make ready and take aim, then a shockingly loud and surprising "click" as the hammer fell on an A-Zoom snap cap.

Needless to say, lesson learned...

 

[chewie146]

We always called that Barney-Fifing it. It wasn't necessarily carrying with snap caps...that's a new one on me. It was when someone would go to clear a weapon and realize they didn't have a chambered round to begin with. It makes you think, and generally gets to teased. I've never been guilty of that one, but about 6 years ago, I really wish I had followed your safety protocol for dry fire practice. My one and only true ND was the result of that. Now I follow a similar protocol, but I've become more adamant about checking to make sure I am carrying a weapon in the condition I think I am. I.e. check before I leave the house to make sure I'm concealing more than a paper weight and triple-double check before I "dry fire."

 

[Mello2u]

Amazing how loud a click can be when you expect a boom.

Good lesson to learn without any serious negatives.

 

[aarondhgraham]

It could have been worse,,,

then a shockingly loud and surprising "click" as the hammer fell on an A-Zoom snap cap.

That's better than a shockingly loud BOOM as you blow your TV set away.

An acquaintance of mine put a .38 Special round right through his TV,,,
The one good thing was it gave him an excuse to get a big screen.

Stuff can (and will) happen.

Aarond

 

[C0untZer0]

I leave Tipton SnapCaps in my G17L all day. I work from home and I dry fire it off and on pretty much all day but I check each and every time I pick up the gun to dry fire it. I move the slide back and make sure I see that red plastic before I do anything else.

I also think it's good to keep live ammo separate from the snap caps.

I was doing that exercise where you put a JHP on the top of the slide and practice dry-firing - you want the round to stay up there. But as I was doing it I didn't feel good about it, I was thinking I needed to get something else to stay on top of the slide besides a live round.

For my G17L -it's a range gun and it never gets live rounds EVER until I step up to the firing line.

But I did do something awkward at the range with it. I stepped up to the line, put a loaded magazine in it, pullled back the slide and then had to fumble around with the SnapCap that was still in the chamber... I didn't do such a great job of it and ended up with the slide about half back and the SnapCap stuck sort of sideways.