What does it mean to “dry fire” a gun? It simply means to fire the gun, i.e., pull the trigger, causing the hammer to hit the valve, without a projectile in the breach. It all depends on who you ask about dry firing your airgun. Some say you can, while others say you should not under any circumstances. In this article, we hope to clarify the discussion so that you can better understand what’s best for your airgun and its longevity.
What Do the Manufacturers Say?
The reason there’s been so much confusion around this topic is that each airgun may or may not be OK to dry fire. Our general rule of thumb is to follow whatever the manufacturer specifies as appropriate. Beyond that, we stick to the “when in doubt, don’t” philosophy. There are some general guidelines if you absolutely “must” dry fire your airgun, and they center around the airgun in question. Let’s take a look at some. Before we start, please note that we don’t recommend dryfiring your gun unless the manufacturer specifically states it’s OK to do so. As we look at various types of airguns, please note that if you choose to dry fire your gun, you do so at your own risk.
Low-Powered Spring Airguns
Generally speaking, lower-powered airguns require less force to either drive a piston or open the valve. Because there’s less energy being utilized, it’s probably “ok” to dry fire one of these on occasion. Something like the Daisy Red Ryder is not going to suffer damage from the occasional dry fire. However, we would not suggest thousands of dry fire events for trigger control training. Not when BBs are so inexpensive.
High Powered Break Barrel or Spring Piston Airguns
High-powered airguns that use a metal spring or gas ram should never be dry-fired. They need to have a certain amount of back pressure to help minimize the impact of the heavy piston as it slams into the front of the compression chamber. Even shooting really lightweight pellets or cleaning pellets could simulate a dry fire, which could prematurely wear out the seal over time or even cause metal springs to break. Unless expressly permitted by the manufacturer, high-power spring and gas ram airguns should never be dry-fired.
PCP, CO2, and Pump Pneumatic Airguns
Remember that these guns operate via a hammer hitting a valve stem to open the valve and are calibrated to open based on the resistance from the gas or air pressure.
There are two types of dry fire events with PCP, CO2, and Pump Pneumatic airguns. The first type is firing a charged gun without a projectile. This is generally OK and should not cause any issues, but be mindful of your pressure. The second type is firing your airgun without any gas or air pressure, which can be an issue.
CO2 and Pump Pneumatic airguns mostly fall into the low-powered airgun category, so the occasional dry fire should not be a problem. However, as mentioned above, unnecessary dry-fire cycles could wear out the mechanics sooner than traditional use.
PCP airguns are a bit more varied as some are low-powered, and some are high-powered with massive hammers and high-tension hammer springs. Low-powered PCPs would behave like CO2 and Pump Pneumatic airguns. Provided there is pressure in the tank, it is probably OK to dry-fire them. We don’t recommend dry-firing on an empty tank as, over time, this could cause damage to the hammer, valve, or valve stem.
When it comes to a pressurized, high-powered PCP, we strongly recommend not to dry-fire them unless you have no other option. Even if there’s no projectile in the breach, the velocity and volume of air coming out the end of the barrel can cause serious injury or damage. So, if you have to dry-fire your high-powered PCP, please treat it as a loaded gun and discharge it only in a safe direction.
And we recommend that you never dry-fire an empty/depressurized high-powered PCP. We’ve witnessed valve damage on many occasions even from a single dry-fire event. The impact of a heavy hammer driven by a high-tension hammer spring can bend, dislodge, or just plain bust a valve. If your gun is cocked and you don’t have a means to safely decock it, please contact the manufacturer for advice and follow it to the letter.
Final Thoughts
We hope this helps shed some light on whether to Dry-Fire your airgun. Please always refer to the manufacturers’ best operating procedures to ensure that you get the most out of your airgun. If you have questions or need help with an airgun repair, please reach out to us here. We are always ready to help.
