Dry Fire Practice

[Jeff S]

Just wondering how you folks dry fire practice. What specifically do you work on and how do you do it? I just received my permit and besides joining a range, would like to practice at home to become more proficient.

[Izzy4175]

Practice your draw over and over!!! You don't have to spend a butt load of money blowing ammo down range, sure you can't replace range time with anything else but the more you practice your grip, draw, and stance at home with an empty gun the better you'll become at the range.

[CPW1265]

I try to dry fire everyday when i have time.

I take my firearm and make sure it is unloaded and no ammo is present. I then take an empty place on my wall (i have off white walls. If your wall isnt white any lightly colored wall will do or a paper plate) then i will hold the firearm in both hands like if you were going to actually going to fire. Then slowly depress the trigger with a slow consistent rearward pull of the trigger until it fires. and keep repeating this until i can be used to the trigger and also being able to do this until when the front sight doesnt move when i pull the trigger. I slowly add speed to pulling the trigger faster and faster until it resembles the speed that i would use when i would need to use my firearm to defend myself in real life.
I use this method as a competitive shooter and LEO and those that ask me for advice to become more proficient shooters and it always works.
Hope all this helps you. Let me know how it works out

[BeauRyker]

Just get comfortable with your weapon. That will include alot of live fire. Holster work, site acquisition, scenarios, and relaxation can all be worked on in your living room as well. You can work on awareness everywhere you go. Get your head right, and never be unaware of what's going on around you. In this day and age, you need to get serious about it.

Get a good trigger.

[ramrunnr]

I load up the weapon that I'm practicing with with snap caps for in home dry fire practice. I'll practice draws and presenting the weapon. Practice trigger pulls (that is what the snap caps are for) and clearing failure drills.

For example on my Glock. I'll draw the pistol just like I would if I had a threat and once on "target" I'll pull the trigger and listen for the striker to hit the snap cap. Then I will do the failure drill where I pop the bottom of the magazine to make sure that it is seated in the grip and then I move up and rack the slide to place a new round (snap cap) in the chamber and Fire again. I have two magazines that I practice with and I make sure they are clear and then load 5 snap caps in each one. After 5 snaps on the first mag the last tap and rack the slide will lock back on the empty mag. At that time, I'll practice changing the mag under fire. After the next 5, I'll pick up the snap caps and reload the mags and work some more.

I will also use snap caps when shooting. I'll have a friend load my mags and he will mix the snap caps into the magazines. Sometime all 10 and sometimes none. So I don't know where or if there is one in the mag so it helps me practice problems with live fire. Some ranges might not allow this type of training, but I live in a rural area and have a range at home.

I also use the same training with my Shotguns and Pistol Caliber Carbines.

As always make sure that there is nothing in front of the muzzle of the weapon you are practicing with. Make sure that there are no live round near you and that there are not magazines with live round that will work in the weapon you are practicing with.

I friend of mine was doing the same drills as me and grabbed the mag that he had put to the side and put a 45/100 inch hole in the side of his house. He was facing in the correct direction and no one was hurt, but it woke him up a bit. Just always be sure of were the barrel points and that it is in a safe direction.

[Turkules77]

If you have a friend, they taught us this drill up at the Sig Academy:

Stand with your arms outstretched as if you are going to fire with your gun as close to a wall as you can get. Have your friend place a shell casing on top of your pistol. Now try and dry fire your weapon 5 straight times without the shell casing falling off your gun. If it falls, start over until you can do it 5 straight times. Great drill on keeping a steady trigger pull. I don't bother with snap caps, all the instructors including an R and D guy said dry firing will not hurt my Sig.

[Derby]

The problem I have with dry practice, which I really agree I should be doing, is I live in a small frame house in a residential neighborhood. There is no direction I could aim where I would not likely put someone at danger should I foolishly cause a ND. I know all the rules of keeping the live ammo in a different room, etc., but still worry that I might screw up sometime.

Since one of the primary safety rules is never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy, I hesitate to aim even an empty weapon at my walls.

[Raider-3]

I highly recommend you do snapping in drills to practice your fundamentals

[Tucker's Mom]

Practice everyday in the basement like I have not done some of the sequences before, it makes it more interesting and not too routine.