it doesnt hurt it if it is with snap caps. dry firing without snap caps is only going to hurt it if you do it alot

 

I've dry fired my guns many times and haven't had a preoblme yet.

 

I've also dry fired several times without snap caps and have never had a problem If you do decide to get Snap Caps then the A-Zoom Snap Caps will last for a long long time

 

I use the dummy rounds from Saf T Trainer.

I can practice dry firing, reloading, and immediate action drills without using live ammo (very unsafe :shock: ). I can also simulate malfunctions like stovepipes and double feed, as well. For my handguns, I have magazines that are dedicated for training. Good use for the neutered 10 rounders floating around. :wink:

 

Sorry, but I would never EVER use A-Zoom snap caps in a pump shotgun. I used 8 of them in my 590 figuring to get practice reloading quickly and they promptly disintigrated leaving the shotgun full of aluminum chips.
This was the biggest mistake I have ever made with any of my firearms. I will never use A-Zoom anything, ever again.
A-Zoom should have labelled these snap caps not for use in pump shotguns (or at least mossbergs).
Big waste of money and time.

 

I use the dummy rounds from Saf T Trainer.

That is also a very economic choice over most of the snap caps out there. You can get 12g dummy round for a little over a buck a round. Most snaps are going to cost you four time that.

 

I will look into getting some of the Saf-T-Trainer . Thanks for the reviews.

 

Man, I thought those A-Zooms were supposed to be the best. I have been meaning to buy some, but I never got around to it. So, they just fell apart? As they feed from the mag tube to the chamber they somehow get chewed up? They are supposed to be hard anodized to prevent that, but who knows. I'll probably buy some for my revolvers still, there is no feeding inlvolved with them.

 

Do these practice rounds have a realistic weight to them?

 

I got some plastic ones for my new Mossberg 500, but ran into problems quickly as the cartridge interrupter would just take a chunk out of the plastic rim and then I'd get a double feed jam. This would especially happen on the first few rounds of a full mag. I got some of the aluminum Zoom ones yesterday and the jams are gone, although you can see where the interrupter is hitting the rim. Hopefully they will hold up better though..

 

Brownell's Shotgun Dummies load and handle just like shotgun shells because they are shotgun shells.

 

The Saf-T-Trainers had the rims eaten and chipped in no time. So I bought the brass ones from Cabelas. Used those a few times and the rims are starting to get bad scratches but not quite chipping. Is that normal for the rims to get all jacked up after loading, firing and ejecting? :?: Thx

 

I think it may be somewhat normal, IMO.. the tip of the cartridge interruper is pretty pointed, and that has to bear the brunt of the next round getting slammed into it at full force.

That's the only point that I could find where the plastic snap caps I had were getting damaged.

Add the possibility that since mine is a 7 round mag the spring might have a higher peak pressure than a shorter mag.

I could see it getting better as the gun is broken in and the mag spring loosens a bit, and on top of that, the only problem with it dinging the rim of a round would be if you reloaded your shells repeatedly. I've seen many other guns that left thier own tell-tale "signature" on each shell and worked perfectly fine otherwise.

And my own feeling is that if I'm cycling rounds through, I'd rather have the softer, malleable metal of the rim take the ding rather than mangle the interrupter.

So the metal ones probably won't last forever, but at least they don't jam on me.

My 2 cents-