Snap Caps do they work?

They work very well for testing if your "flinching" when firing. Need a buddy to sneak one or 2 in a magazine without you knowing if and where.
 
SMagee said:
They work very well for testing if your "flinching" when firing. Need a buddy to sneak one or 2 in a magazine without you knowing if and where.
Click to expand...

thats exactly what I picked some up for... I have no worries w/ dry firing my pistols w/o them, but then again if you're showing a newb theyre nice to have to show/let them play with to get the mechanics down without the chance of AD/ND... if you make sure the live ammos locked up far far away [wink]
 
thanks for all the answers.

i have some for both of my 12ga's and 30-06 but i didn't know if the caps help or if it would have been the same without them.

i'm considering getting them for my handguns as well, which was the reason for the thread.

thanks again
 
I got some when I built my 1911 and found them to be helpful when testing feed, cycling, safeties, etc.

If using spent cases instead of snap caps, should you resize the cases first so that they're in spec? For example, if one was checking the cycling in a Garand.
 
i own snap caps for every cal i own except 5.45x39, which seems to be not available snap cap wise. i did find snap caps in 7.62x54R, which i thought was lucky.

they are a great training aid and if you have enough money for them i would highly suggest them.
 
Yes, in some of my .22 calibers. I use them in my semis that don't have a hold open, bolt and levers as the last round. I'll use them also in .22's for dry firing. They keep the firing pin from hitting my empty chamber walls. Hence, rimfire. On regular centerfires not so important with todays metals. On older firearms, yes. I will use them in my revolvers for dry firing practice but that's out of habit, not a nessesity.
 
OnTheRoad said:
I got some when I built my 1911 and found them to be helpful when testing feed, cycling, safeties, etc.

If using spent cases instead of snap caps, should you resize the cases first so that they're in spec? For example, if one was checking the cycling in a Garand.
Click to expand...

Good idea.
 
eisenhow said:
I got mine from s.t. action pro. Not the cheapest, but they've held up nicely to lots of use/abuse. I think I got the recommendation from someone on NES.
Click to expand...

They're extremely inexpensive compared to the snap caps that most shops stock. NRA has essentially the same product in their store for about the same price. BTW, for malfunction drills just load a couple in your magazines before you go to the range. You won't remember which magazine(s) they're in or in what position.

Ken
 
They work much better than empty brass because they cushion the blow of the firing pin but many guns don't need them. I use them as the first round in the magazine of a couple of my open bolt full autos because the guns don't lock open when the magazine is empty and the snap caps protect the barrel from being peened by the bolt. If you're not sure, I'd call the manufacturer and ask.
 
Good for tap/rack drills

Depends on what you are using them for. I found them invaluable for practicing mag changes and tap/rack drills. This ensured that all live ammo was not present during these drills.

*Snap-caps make it real when you pull the trigger and hear a "click", rack the slide and a snap cap ejects and then another feeds followed by another "click" [that simulates the "bang"].

*They are good to practice tactical reloading and mag changes, too. For example, put in an empty mag and lock back the slide. Then, practice mag reloading with snap-caps in the replacement mag. Slide slams forward and a "click" on target in the basement builds speed and coordination.

My thoughts only.
 
I have them for several calibers.

I think the biggest concern would be with dry firing a .22 over and over again without a snap cap, or spent casing in the chamber. I've seen some pretty beat up .22's in the past that have had peened chambers and flattened firing pins. [frown]
 
Yeah, I have snap caps for the calibers I own. I primarily use them to show first timer friends how to reload mags, dry fire, etc, before taking them to the range and using real bullets.
 
the-hobbit said:
what does "snap caps protect the barrel from being peened by the bolt."
Click to expand...

On open bolt guns, there is no firing pin mechanism per se. Just a pin welded/formed on the front of the bolt that as the bolt comes forward, the pin impacts the primer and there she goes. So closed bolt, there is a mechanical pin which moves inside a bolt, which also moves to allow for ejection. Open bolt, the pin is fixed and the bolt moving for ejection/feeding reasons doubles as a firing mechanism.
 
terraformer said:
On open bolt guns, there is no firing pin mechanism per se. Just a pin welded/formed on the front of the bolt that as the bolt comes forward, the pin impacts the primer and there she goes. So closed bolt, there is a mechanical pin which moves inside a bolt, which also moves to allow for ejection. Open bolt, the pin is fixed and the bolt moving for ejection/feeding reasons doubles as a firing mechanism.
Click to expand...


Thank You very much for the excellent explanation!
 
the-hobbit said:
what does ... "tap/rack drills" mean? thanks
Click to expand...

When shooting any mag fed semi/auto, what do you do when it doesn't go "bang"?

"tap/rack/bang" (and it derivatives, ie some say slap/rack/bang, tap/rack/shoot, tap/rack/pull, tap/rack/assess) is the immediate action drill instilled in most shooters.

Meaning when the gun doesn't shoot, some statistic says most failures are caused by a poorly seat magazine, so step 1. Tap (or in real life typicaly slap the mag) up into the mag well to ensure it is in there "good", step 2. rack the slide/charging handle hopefully chabering a new round (and possibly ejecting a bad round) step 3. "bang" ie. hopefully this time when youpull the trigger the gun works.

As for dummy's (snap caps) you can do this drill safely at home "dry" with a mag full of dummy's, or better yet, when at the range when loading up you mags "hide" a dummy in a few. somewhere during your shooting you will press the trigger and only get a "click"forcing you to do a "tap/rack" drill.
 
securityboy said:
When shooting any mag fed semi/auto, what do you do when it doesn't go "bang"?

"tap/rack/bang" (and it derivatives, ie some say slap/rack/bang, tap/rack/shoot, tap/rack/pull, tap/rack/assess) is the immediate action drill instilled in most shooters.

Meaning when the gun doesn't shoot, some statistic says most failures are caused by a poorly seat magazine, so step 1. Tap (or in real life typicaly slap the mag) up into the mag well to ensure it is in there "good", step 2. rack the slide/charging handle hopefully chabering a new round (and possibly ejecting a bad round) step 3. "bang" ie. hopefully this time when youpull the trigger the gun works.

As for dummy's (snap caps) you can do this drill safely at home "dry" with a mag full of dummy's, or better yet, when at the range when loading up you mags "hide" a dummy in a few. somewhere during your shooting you will press the trigger and only get a "click"forcing you to do a "tap/rack" drill.
Click to expand...

thanks being pretty new to handguns and having nowhere to shoot them yet, i had never heard of the drill.
 

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