Hey guys, just a quick question here, on a semi-auto pistol (outside our normal scope of discusssion )

specifically a springfield xd, when I unload a gun I like to leave it uncocked as well, i.e. drop the mag, rack the slide, pull the trigger. However, you know the old saying never to dry fire your gun, so I was thinking, is it better to just leave it cocked? or will dry firing it once a day really cause any damage?

I have a little 25 auto that's probably spent most of the last 30 years with a full magazine and hammer cocked, doesn't seem to have affected it at all, so...???

Thanks.

Red

I alway uncock my pistols. If you are concerned stick a fired case in the chamber or get you a snap cap.

The once in a while dry firing will not hurt your gun in the least.
Someone posted a question like this a while back and my answer was "with my little brothers in the CHP they were told to dry fire their weapons as part of their training to be sure they can shoot their full ammo load both strong and weak handed so with the practice needed to develop a strong trigger finger the pistols were dry fired significantly"

Old revolvers and rimfires are the ones to be cautious with along with a double shot gun or rifle. Those you can damage the first time you dry fire it.

A lot depends upon the quality and design of the arm. Some designs will permit unlimited dryfiring while others (usually cheap ones) will malfunction the first time, as kc said.

IMO any arm that DOES NOT permit regular dryfiring is either not adjusted properly or needs some re-heat-treating of parts. No exceptions. This is basic smithing work and can be done by anyone familiar with the particular mechanism and its associated problems.

If your pistol is a 1911 clone then dryfiring it should be fine regardless of how many times you dryfire it.

I dryfire all my own arms regularly, including 125-yr-old Colt SAs and Winchester single shots. Even most cheap 22LRs can have their FPs adjusted so that they don't ding the chamber edge, and it's easy to fix even a single shot FP so that it doesn't break.
Regards, Joe

I thought that the XD was like a Glock in that the firing spring isnt under tension until you pull the trigger? Other wise it is at rest.

I dont have an XD to take apart to look.

Thanks guys, I prefer leaving them uncocked as well so will continue doing so. As to how the spring works in it I admit ignorance.
JD I had an old high standard sport king for a while, great little gun but you had to be careful not to dry fire it cause i'd already had to have it worked on once due to the dimple in the chamber, I wish I'd known it could have been adjusted a little.

Red

The XD and the Glock operate the same way. The striker is partially cocked when you cycle the slide. Then as you pull the trigger you are fully cocking it and releasing it.

The XD has a better trigger pull though

Dry fire it as much as you want. In fact, you should test which comes first. Your finger falling off or the firearm breaking.

I was told by a local dealer/gunsmith that dry firing any striker fired weapon would never hurt it. I practiced dry firing my Xdm .45 when I first got it to get used to the trigger. If you have any doubt snap caps are cheap, or easily made.

quote:

Originally posted by Fal Grunt:
Dry fire it as much as you want. In fact, you should test which comes first. Your finger falling off or the firearm breaking.

lol

don't dryfire rimfires or doubles or hammer guns without snapcaps .. otherwise, if it hurts the gun, shesh, its junk...

rimfires can mar the stricking surface, which in some guns, contacts steel on steel, leading to burrs..

doubles - its poor practice, due to the setup internally .. can break parts

hammer guns, ditto

I've done many trigger upgrades on XD pistols and they are not at all like Glock. When the XD is cocked it is fully cocked and the only thing the trigger does is trip the sear. Dry firing will not hurt it one bit.

I meant in concept

It's really fairly simple to alter most any arm so that unlimited dryfiring is possible. This includes RFs and older doubles.

For rimfires, simply adjust the firing pin nose protrusion to 0.040" or slightly less. Sometimes this requires installation of a travel-limiting pin or screw, but usually not. Also anneal the striker/FP to a slightly softer state to avoid age- or impact-hardening of the old metal.

Similarly for CFs, anneal the striker/FP steel first and then adjust the nose shape and protrusion. Sometimes the steel in these old FPs has already crystalized and the firing pin/striker may actually need to be replaced by a more durable alloy. Usually not a big deal for a good smith....

IMO there are only 3 classes of arms that should not be dryfired: old original uniquely super-valuable antiques in museums; El Cheapos that aren't worth correcting; and older or more-expensive guns that haven't been properly corrected YET (grin).

IMO if it's not a DGR, and you're scared to dryfire it, then something's wrong somewhere.
Regards, Joe

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:
I meant in concept

If you mean they both use a plastic polymer frame and a steel slide, yes, they are similar in concept. However, the XD trigger does not cock the pistol...not one bit...but of course the Glock does, making it imposible for a Glock to fire unless the trigger is pulled. Although extremly unlikely for an XD to fire without pulling the trigger, with the striker fully tensioned while cocked, I suppose it is possible something other than a pull of the trigger could cause it to fire.

Out of curiosity, since I now have one, how does the grip safety work? does it act separately on the striker or does it keep the trigger from engaging? does that make sense the way I worded it?