How To Dry Fire:
One of the best things you can do to up your shooting proficiency can take place in the comfort of your own home. And, while there are tools that you can purchase to help you out in your endeavor, you certainly don’t have to buy anything.
In fact, all you really need is some time and your EDC gun. Dry firing is a great idea because you can take all the other aspects about shooting accurately and apply them to your dry fire practice everyday without leaving your home.
Even better, you can practice things your range may not allow you to, like drawing from the holster, presenting to your target, and pressing the trigger. Many gun ranges around the country don’t allow their members to draw and shoot due to safety concerns during live fire, and this may be the only time you can actually practice like this.
If you have any fears about dry firing your gun, please know that all modern, center fire handguns can be safely dry fired without causing damage. If you’re still worried, consult your gun’s manual or the manufacturer to ask if dry firing is safe.
Finally, if you still have concerns about it, you can purchase dummy rounds and use them while dry firing.
How Do You Do Dry Fire Practice?
The most important thing to remember, is that this is called dry fire practice because there is no ammo in the gun. In fact, it’s a good idea to check the status of your gun each time you pick it up.
Even when you know it’s unloaded, check it. It can’t hurt and only takes a second.
Many of today’s instructors recommend dry firing for at least 10 minutes per day, several times per week.
Make sure the gun is unloaded, point it at a spot on the wall or a target (in a safe direction), utilize all of your shooting fundamentals: proper trigger manipulation, proper grip, sight picture, etc., and press the trigger.
You can then reset the trigger and do it all over again. If you’re doing holster exercises, re-holster the gun and start over. Do it repetitively.
And, because there is no ammunition, recoil, muzzle blast, etc., it really helps you focus on what, if anything, you may be doing wrong.
For example …
Did the front sight move at all? If so, what went wrong?
Some of the most common problems are a bad grip, pressing the trigger in a way that causes the muzzle to drift, flinching, or tightening the grip to the point where the front sight moves as you’re pressing the trigger.
Some folks will place an empty shell or a coin on the muzzle of the gun. If that thing, whatever it may be, falls off then you’re clearly in need of some diagnostics. And, if it doesn’t, you’re good to go.
The only problem with that, is sometimes the thing you placed on your front sight may actually stay on because you didn’t flinch hard, but it could still be a less than ideal shot because you did something else wrong.
Remember, even an eighth of an inch at the front sight/muzzle equates to inches on the target. When you’re dry firing, you can see if your sight moves. Did your eyes see the front sight slip to the left or right as you pressed the trigger?
Watching your front sight during dry fire can tell you a lot. If it moves as you press the trigger, there is something wrong. If it continues for a few repetitions of dry fire, you need to figure out what is going on because you’re also likely doing it while live firing.
Dry fire practice allows you to dissect your fundamentals to see just what you’re doing wrong. You’ll get to the point where you’ll know what you did wrong based on how the gun moved.