Dry firing a hammer Parker
 

I know I can dry fire a hammerless Parker shotgun with no harm to the shotgun but can I dry fire a Parker hammer gun?

Dennis

Not in my house!!! No way I'd ever do it. I dry fired an old hammer gun once and the tip of the firing pin broke off and shot across the room.

a hammer gun - no - use a snap cap

personally I would not dry fire a hammerless either, but you have a better chance doing o harm with one of them.

That is what I thought. I am taking the answers as a NO. Thank you.

Dennis

When dry-firing any of my guns, I use A-Zoom Snap Caps, exclusively. There will be those that say otherwise, but I see it as cheap insurance.

Not a good idea. Not only do you chance breaking a pin, but on the older offset type pins, you chance peening the pin retainer as well.

What about using spent shells as snap caps? If not, where does one buy snap caps? I need some 10 and 12 gauge ones.

A spent primer has lost its ability to absorb the blow of the hammer and firing pin. Midway or Graf are two places I shop frequently. I am known to carry things to the extreme, but I keep A-Zooms in all my hammerless shotguns. I drop the hammers on them just before returning the gun to the locker. Despite what has been said over the years, pro and con, I try not to rationalize the non-use of a snap cap. I just do it....


:corn:

Mills - One low budget approach is to put pencil erasers in the primer pockets and snap away

On my hammerguns I gently release the hammer by using my left hand to control it. No slamming on an empty chamber. I leave all my hammerless guns cocked. Take the forarm off an ejector gun thats not cocked to put it in a gun case and you won't make that mistake again:nono:

You've said this before, and it made no more sense this time than when you said it the first time. The ejectors will remain cocked when you take you fore end off, unless there's a mechanical issue that's making them trip. I have no issues with ANY of my ejector guns, Parker or otherwise.

Bring one of your ejector guns to the Southern and I'll demonstrate for you.

I'm not going to the Southern.
I can fire both hammers, remove the fore end, remove the barrels, replace the barrels, snap the fore end right back on, open the gun and the ejectors trip as they normally would. I can do this on each and every ejector gun I own.
It there is something wrong with the gun, and the ejector hammers are firing when the gun is fired, before opening the gun, or if they are tripping when you remove the fore end, you need to make a trip to the smithy.
If I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, tell me what I don't get. As I recall, when you brought this up before, all the other posters replied that they had no issues removing and replacing the fore end on a gun when the hammers were down.

If I take ANY ejector gun I have open it, put snap caps in and dry fire it. Now take the forarm off and I'll have to manually recock the ejector cams in the forarm befor it will go back on.

C.O.B.

I'm with Edgar on this one. I too have been wondering if I have missed something when you say they are an issue to get back on. I always drop the hammers to relieve the spring tension on the hammers. I take the barrels off afterwards and reassemble with no issues. My guns disassemble and assemble just fine with or without the hammers cocked.

Are all your guns broken?

Perhaps I'm not explaining it very well. robin you were at Haussmanns when the forarm popped off the trap gun and you and Suponski helped to recock the ejectors. Give me one of your ejector guns at a shoot and I'll show you what I'm talking about.

OK.

If it's an underlifter with offset firing pins you purchased from me, then fire away, they will not break, I guarantee it.