With the exception of those chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges, most modern firearms can be safely dry-fired.  Dry firing is the practice of operating  a firearm's firing mechanism in the absence of live ammunition.

Generally, dry firing is considered beneficial to the shooter.  It can be done at leisure without the need for range facilities, and if familiarizes the shooter with the trigger pull and feel of the gun in question.  Dry firing is also very beneficial in teaching new shooters proper techniques for trigger squeeze and follow through, stance, sight picture, and helping to eliminate flinch.  However, there are many cases where dry firing, and the attendant working of the firearm's action can be detrimental to the firearm itself.  Some guns have firing pin designs that are subjected to extreme stresses when they are not "cushioned" by the primer cup.  If these are dry fired regularly, one is almost assured of a broken firing pin.  It is also never a good idea to let a self loading firearm's breech face slam home against the chamber/barrel.  The two were designed to be cushioned by a cartridge, and the violent metal to metal contact that takes place in the absence of a cartridge can only serve to damage the gun in the long run.

This of course begs the question:  If dry firing is good, and firing some types of guns without cartridges in them is bad, how do I safely dry fire my firearm?  The response to this question is where the snap-cap comes into play.  The snap-cap is a cartridge shaped piece that can be placed in the firearm's chamber.  They are generally caliber specific, and contain some sort of shock absorption mechanism with which they cushion the firing pin's fall.  Snap-caps are made of materials ranging from plastic to rubber to brass to aluminum, and have shock absorption systems such as spring loaded pins or polyurethane plugs.

ARMSPORT SNAP-CAPS
One of the most well known makers of snap-caps is Armsport.  Armsport snap-caps are made in one of two ways.  The Snap-Cap's body is made of either red or clear plastic.  For larger diameter calibers, such as the .45 ACP, the plastic body snaps over a brass base in a friction fit.  The base which provides the rim or extraction cannelure depending on the caliber, also retains a spring loaded brass plunger which serves to absorb the firing pin's impact.  For smaller diameter calibers, such as the .38 Special, the body is made of clear plastic, and itself provides the rim or cannelure.  Into the body snaps a red plastic plug which retains the spring loaded plunger.

Armsport Snap-Caps are distributed by Brownells, among other companies, and are reasonably priced, with the average retail price for a five piece set in any given price being  .

FIELD TEST
For purposes of our tests, we obtained snap-caps for the .45 ACP, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, 9mm Luger, and .380 ACP.  To test them we arrayed a series of pistols.  The pistols used are noted in the table below:

 

.45 ACP	9x19mm	.38/.357	.380 ACP
Colt Government Model	Browning High Power	Smith & Wesson M686	FEG SMC-380
Astra A-100	Star Model 30M	Smith & Wesson M28	Star Model S
Glock M21	CZ-75B	Astra NC-6	Frommer 37M

.45 ACP
All test snap-caps immediately displayed deep indentations in the "primer" plunger from firing pin strikes within the first five cyclings of the firing mechanisms of all pistols tested.

 

Pistol	Cycles Completed	Results
Colt Government Model	Fewer than 100	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Brass base was forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.
Astra A-100	500	Significant peening of "primer" plunger.  Successful completion of test.
Glock M21	Fewer than 200	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Brass base was forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.

 

Pistol	Cycles Completed	Results
Browning High Power	Fewer than 50	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.  It was noted that the Browning High Power has a particularly strong mainspring.
Star 30M	Approximately 200	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.
CZ-75B	Fewer than 150	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.

 

Pistol	Cycles Completed	Results
Smith & Wesson M686	Fewer than 20	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.    Destruction resulted in less than three revolutions of the cylinder.
Smith & Wesson M28	Fewer than 20	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.    Destruction resulted in less than three revolutions of the cylinder.
Astra NC-6	Fewer than 50	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.

 

Pistol	Cycles Completed	Results
FEG SMC-380	Fewer than 250	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.
Star Model S	Fewer than 375	Snap-cap cracked along long axis of case.  Plastic base insert and plunger were forcibly ejected when the snap-cap was removed from the chamber.
Frommer 37M	500	Significant peening of "primer" plunger. Successful completion of test.

CONCLUSION
Dry firing is a good thing.  It helps acclimate the shooter to the gun, and it engenders and reinforces good shooting habits.  During dry firing, it is prudent to protect your gun's firing mechanism with snap-caps.  What is not prudent, based on our tests, is to protect your gun by using Armsport snap-caps.  Very simply, this product line is not up to its stated purpose, and you will wind up replacing the product at your cost several times over.  Our recommendation is to avoid the Armsport snap-caps and to explore other alternatives in this line.  If you have any questions about other snap-caps, or this test, please contact us.

And now, our Buy-O-Meter rating for this product:
 

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