[RDFabsRep]

This question may be stupid, but I'm definitely looking for people's opinions.

The bulk of weapons I own and take to the range (regularly) are semi-automatics. Being the good firearm owner that I am, I clean them after each trip. Well, okay..I slack on the AK every now and then, but seriously...you could fill the receiver with gravel and it'd still shoot :tongue2:

Anywho, to clean a SA, you have to open the breech, which in turn cocks the hammer. After closing the breech, you have a cocked hammer and a weapon waiting for the trigger to be pulled. Here's the question:

What do you guys do at that point? There's no real easy way to easily de-cock these rifles and I hate hate HATE to dry-fire. Are snap-caps my only option? Do you guys just leave your rifles cocked until you take them out to fire?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Zer0DazE]

Why fire/de-cock it? It doesn't wear the spring out. The repeated compression and decompression is what wears the spring out.

Close the bolt, and turn the safety on and call it a day.

 

[wade]

I just dry fire then put away. Function testing requires a dry fire or two on some of them anyways.

 

[Mr_Mac]

I simply dry fire the centerfire guns and leave the rimfire cocked since, as stated, the spring wears out after repeated use, not resting in either a sprung/unsprung state. You can always use snap caps and store with them in the breach.

 

[HouLlama]

I'm with Mr_Mac, I go ahead and dry file the centerfires, and with my rimfires, I ease the bolt back about 1/8-3/16" to prevent the pin from striking any metal and pull the trigger.

 

[Ron M.]

I usually use the same technique at HouLlama.

Ron M.