KTOG Forum - Dry fire damage

xndr512

Junior Member

Where it's freakin'
cold!

Posts: 85

Dry fire damage
06/22/07 at 11:10:01

I am picking up a new PF-9 and I know it has been dry fired at least twice, once by the salesman and once be me. He said that dry firing wont harm it, but after seeing a Kel-tec manual online, I see it's not recommended. After owning Glocks, I never thought about it. Could this design be severely
damaged by even just 2 or 3 dry fires and should I be concerned? Thanks

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Badman400 Grand Poobah And miles to go before I sleep. -Robert Frost Posts: 2711 Gender:	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #1 - 06/22/07 at 14:39:18 2 or 3 times shouldn't do too much harm, but repeated dry firing will damage the FP retaining screw. 8)
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xndr512 Junior Member Where it's freakin' cold! Posts: 85	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #2 - 06/22/07 at 18:04:08 Whew! Thanks. I'm getting it tomorrow. I have not been this excited since my ex-girlfriend left!
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ambush YaBB Newbies I love guns Posts: 8 Gender:	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #3 - 06/22/07 at 21:07:26 If dry firing a weapon 2 times would cause it to break, I would not even consider buying that firearm. My PF-9 has been dry fired many times (on purpose, at least 20 times) and performs flawlessly. By the way, if you are that excited about a gun, you need to get a life
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snow4brains Junior Member Hmmmmm Posts: 33 Gender:	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #4 - 06/22/07 at 22:26:40 Pick up some snap caps and fire away.
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spence

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America was founded
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Re: Dry fire damage
Reply #5 - 06/23/07 at 01:04:49

Quote from ambush on 06/22/07 at 21:07:26:

By the way, if you are that excited about a gun, you need to get a life Wink

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! sorry, but i've seriously got to call you on that one, i'd bet money that i'm more excited than xndr512 about a few new guns that are just waiting to have me trip their triggers. Wink

at least one has been waiting for about a year now. don't try and tell me a guy "needs a life!" Tongue

btw, congrats on your pf9!

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ambush

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Re: Dry fire damage
Reply #6 - 06/23/07 at 09:32:49

Quote from spence on 06/23/07 at 01:04:49:

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! sorry, but i've seriously got to call you on that one, i'd bet money that i'm more excited than xndr512 about a few new guns that are just waiting to have me trip their triggers. Wink

at least one has been waiting for about a year now. don't try and tell me a guy "needs a life!" Tongue

btw, congrats on your pf9!

I just KNEW I'd get called on that post!! I have to admit, I've felt the same way about a few guns over my lifetime

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njcsd.org

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jimwiggs Grand Poobah Posts: 852 Gender:	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #7 - 06/23/07 at 10:01:38 Limited dry firing shouldn't harm your PF9, HOWEVER, DO NOT dry fire the gun with the slide off. This can break a small cross brace in the frame. This thread addresses this problem http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=newpistol;action=display;num=118 0306033#lastmsg
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spence Grand Poobah America was founded on GOD, GUNS, and GUTS Posts: 3456 Gender:	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #8 - 06/24/07 at 02:49:51 Quote from ambush on 06/23/07 at 09:32:49: I just KNEW I'd get called on that post!! I have to admit, I've felt the same way about a few guns over my lifetime yeah, well i feel that way about, oh, half my guns right now. why? i've never even SEEN them yet!!! and at least one of them isn't even BUILT yet!
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geezerhood YaBB Newbies I Love YaBB 2! Posts: 2	Re: Dry fire damage Reply #9 - 05/24/10 at 23:31:00 I know this is an old post....but there is nothing in my PF-9 manual saying to not dry fire it. There is however a warning about that in my P3-AT manual. "Do not dry fire your P-3AT. As with any gun, dry firing should be avoided."
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billjohnso20

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Pistol Packin'
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Re: Dry fire damage
Reply #10 - 05/25/10 at 00:35:43

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
!!

NEVER dry fire ANY gun. It doesn't matter what "they" say. All manufacturers sell replacement firing pins. Why? Firing pins break. Dry firing a gun is no different than dry firing a bow. It causes undo stress that shortens the life. In the case of a gun, it will eventually weaken the firing pin and can cause damage to the firing pin channel. It doesn't matter what gun it is nor how much that weapon cost. I have seen the firing pin break on Benelli shotguns, S&W pistols, high end 1911s, Ruger handguns, etc, etc, etc. Yes, the thick striker/firing pins out there seem to be invulnerable but ALL metal will loose integrity when overstressed and dry firing a gun, any gun, overstresses the firing pin and will cause the firing pin to be compromised at some point in that guns future.

Snap caps cost a mere fraction of what a new firing pin costs. Not only do they protect the firing pin but snap caps prevent other damages to guns as well. If you choose to dry fire your gun, don't be surprised when that gun catastrophically fails you when you need it most. As one that has had this happen, I was fortunate that it was my deer rifle and NOT my self defense weapon. It skimping on the cost of some snap caps really worth risking your life when you're facing a man intent on causing you great bodily harm? I think not.

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What parts of that do you not understand?

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PgunneR

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wascally wabbit!

Posts: 585

Re: Dry fire damage
Reply #11 - 05/25/10 at 07:34:52

To understand why dry firing the PF9 is a bad idea, you need to understand how it functions. The firing pin is held in place by the tip of the extractor screw which "rides" in a slot cut in the firing pin. The screw holds the firing pin in against the spring pressure and the slot provides enough room for the firing pin to move forward far enough (when struck by the hammer) to strike the primer. If no primer is in place to absorb the blow, however, then the firing pin slams against the retaining screw tip. Over time (sometimes very little time) this can damage or break off the tip of the screw, rendering the gun inoperable as the firing pin will then be pushed out of the gun by the spring pressure. It can also damage the firing pin itselft by deforming the slot, or even breaking the pin. There have been a number of posts over the years where this has happened, undoubtedly due to some dry firing. That forward movement of the firing pin must be absorbed by something (either a primer, or a snap cap) to avoid thiis. Some pistol designs are not a critical in this regard as the PF9, but in almost all firearms, damage to the firing pin from unrestrained movement in dry firing can damage the pin over time. In general, just not a good idea for any firearm.

Jim R

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