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I've noticed in a number of different threads on this forum that people sometimes mention observing new shooters, typically at shooting ranges, who are obviously unfamiliar with their gun and its features as shown by their awkward, or even fearful, handling of the gun. Of course, it is understandable that someone might be a little nervous in handling a new firearm loaded with live ammunition for the first time.

So, my question: if you have an opportunity to help train a new shooter, do you recommend to that shooter that they use snap caps to help them safely learn the operation of their gun, especially for loading, unloading, clearing the chamber, etc?

Any time I acquire a new gun, I practice with snap caps until I am thoroughly familiar and comfortable with all operations. I assume that's a common practice, but haven't heard it mentioned too much? Just wondering.

I use and recommend snap caps or proving rounds to famarlize myself to a new gun. It works great esp. Teaching someone the handling of a semi-auto pistol in racking the slide and loading the magazine. They also make them for shotguns and teaching someone the controls of a pump action shotgun with snap/proving rounds is the safest way.

I use them whenever I teach a basic handgun class.

I use them to practice draw, shoot and reload and to teach my sons. When my 22 year old son bought his first gun, I loaned him my snap caps to practice shoot and quick reload of new magazine.

A training technique we use for our church security team when at the range is instructor has us load each others magazines and we use a couple of snap caps per person. This is to simulate a malfunction where we tap, rack and ready drill. So we don't know which round is the one that is going to "fail". But we are also taught to check the chamber. A non-ejected round can blow your gun up in your hand.

Snap caps are great for malfunction drills and for demonstrating a flinch when intermixed with live rounds. I use them as well.

Just simple dry firing (without snap caps) is also useful to learn trigger control at home. The overwhelming majority of center-fire handguns are not damaged in any way by dry firing.

In either case, I have always make it a hard and fast rule that I do not have live ammunition in the same room when I am dry firing or using snap caps at home. All NRA classes also adhere to this rule that live ammunition cannot be in the same room when students are manipulating a firearm, if I recall correctly.

For example, I'll unload in the family room. Dry fire in the back yard. Go reload in the family room.

Separate the actions to create a clearly distinct "training session". Heard too many examples of someone dry firing, then reloading, then mindlessly drawing "one more time" and shooting a hole in the television.

rtschl wrote:...A training technique we use for our church security team when at the range is instructor has us load each others magazines and we use a couple of snap caps per person.

This practice is also of great value to experienced shooters during one's routine range practice for learning or reinforcing keeping one's dominant eye, or, preferably, both eyes, open when firing, and therefore seeing one's sight alignment at the time the hammer falls.

Using snapcaps alone, rather than mixed with live rounds, is of much less value here since it is only natural for (many?) (all?) of us to successfully overcome the human body's instinctive flinching when one knows that there will be no flash-bang when the hammer falls.

Jim

As an instructor, I find the snap caps to be indispensable when learning to load and unload guns, clearing malfunctions, and to help diagnose flinch in shooters. I use them, pretty regularly, myself to keep working on flinch (which I'll admit that can be somewhat distracting, depending on how I'm feeling, physically, in general).

I try to keep 15-20 in all calibers that I might need, and am always looking for more. They seem to take flight and walk off by themselves, sometimes.

They definitely helped me with practicing and when teaching my mom and aunt.

Snap caps can be useful for both new and experienced shooters.

My wife suffered from carpel tunnel years ago and her hands and wrists have been weak since. She convinced herself that she couldn't operate any of my Glocks because she had trouble gripping and racking the slide and even found it difficult to load a mag. I gave her a handful of snap caps to practice with and once she realized it was her confidence that need the extra strength instead of her hands, it all worked itself out.

I also like snap caps to show my young son gun safety and they also help me with working out a flinch from time to time.

It might be easier to ask what reason you wouldn't recommend snap caps? I sure can't think of any.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:It might be easier to ask what reason you wouldn't recommend snap caps? I sure can't think of any.

I have a magazine with snap caps that I'll use just for trigger practice while sitting at my desk (shooting at annoying threads on the internet )

I use them to practice shooting skeet with 12 ga snap caps. My wife runs a laser around the room and I track the laser then shoot at a spot on the wall .

RoyGBiv wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:It might be easier to ask what reason you wouldn't recommend snap caps? I sure can't think of any.

I have a magazine with snap caps that I'll use just for trigger practice while sitting at my desk (shooting at annoying threads on the internet )

1. This is wisdom.
2. I am jealous. I salute you sir.

RoyGBiv wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:It might be easier to ask what reason you wouldn't recommend snap caps? I sure can't think of any.

I have a magazine with snap caps that I'll use just for trigger practice while sitting at my desk (shooting at annoying threads on the internet )

I work from home and get away with a lot of stuff. Once during a way too long conference call I did some rapid fire shots with my at the time new and unloaded LCR while trying to get a feel for the reset (or lack thereof).

I came to when someone said, "what's that sound?" and promptly hit my mute button.