Dry Firing a MK II

klt1986 · 11-24-2009, 10:46 PM

Just purchased a Savage MK II for my son. Is it safe to dry fire this particular rimfire?

Quickshot · 11-25-2009, 12:20 AM

Nice piece to start a kid out on. I had my 11 yr. old granddaughter out just today shooting my MarkII. I put a Sav R sear in it to get a decent trigger pull,and have a BSA huntsman 3X9 on it. When I first bought it I noticed that the firing pin appeared to make a mark on the receiver end of the barrel when dry fired.I don't know if it is a safety issue. It seemed to me to be a good idea to stuff an empty case in the chamber when doing any dry fire trigger checking just to avoid possible damage to the pin. Have fun, I know the kid will. Don't forget the safety glasses and ear plugs. Quick

pa hog · 11-25-2009, 12:37 AM

They sell snap caps for dryfiring and taking pressure off spring during storage,I belive Zoom makes them.

Cycler · 11-26-2009, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by Pa Hog

They sell snap caps for dryfiring and taking pressure off spring during storage,I belive Zoom makes them.

You can take the pressure off the striker spring for storage by holding the trigger back as you close the bolt.

I like snap caps better than a fired case if only because you can't inadvertently have a loaded round get in by mistake and not notice. Snap caps are obviously different appearing from live rounds, fired cases aren't.

ergceo · 12-19-2009, 12:15 PM

Do not dry fire the MK II. I did and it put a bur on my chamber face which caused it to fail to extract. Get some snap caps or just use a spent case but DO NOT dry fire.

duckcommanderfinstr · 12-20-2009, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by ergceo

Do not dry fire the MK II. I did and it put a bur on my chamber face which caused it to fail to extract. Get some snap caps or just use a spent case but DO NOT dry fire.

+1 ,been there and done that. ::)

oldschooler · 03-18-2010, 09:00 PM

I just use a fired case. Snap Caps are nice but are yet anothert item to spend money on. So I take a fired case, fill it with epoxy and paint the rear in DayGlo paint.
No, it aint pretty. But it suffices for the few times one, dry fires the weapon. The rest of the time, pull the trigger as you close the bolt - the striker will drop as the bolt goes home and you wont have to dry fire.

It is standard good practice to avoid dry firing whenever possible. Nearly all firearms have a method to release the mechanism so it isnt needed.

AzizaVFR · 03-19-2010, 06:28 AM

Yes, you can dry fire it, if you check how far the firing pin protrudes from the bolt. Remove the bolt from the receiver then bring it up to where you can see across the flat of the bolt face. Using your fingers, put the firing pin as far forward as hard as you can. If you see any metal that protrudes beyond it, you can file that area down. The way the firing pin is made, the area above the rim striking area is longer than the actual area striking the case. It is this area that dings the barrel/chamber area. As long as you do not file the case striking area, you can remove just enough material to make it safe to dry fire.

Dry firing is an essential part of getting comfortable with any firearm. This will allow you to practice your position and trigger control much more.