"Dry Fire" Training

Considering the cost of ammunition… and range fees, it makes sense for a “new” (learning) shooter to spend time using “dry-fire” training exercises. This involves:

• practicing your stance
• how you grip the pistol (which varies by type of pistol you're practicing to use)
• finding targets through your sights with both eyes open (e.g., using a "Front Sight String" (aka “Brock String”) or "Advanced Focus String", as retired U.S. Navy SEAL Instructor Chris Sajnog recommends)
• trigger pull (e.g., including the Wilson Combat Training Tip - Penny Drill Dustin Aaron's "The Best Dry Fire Drills"… notice that he doesn't use the “finger forward” grip on his Glock)
• finding your trigger reset point (and avoid “trigger slapping”)
• quickly replacing empty magazines - using "indexing" (ignore Neil's inefficient slide racking technique… see the videos below for how to properly/efficiently rack a slide) or OPSGEAR® TACTICAL TIP: Properly Indexing a Pistol Magazine and A Different Way to Index Your Pistol Magazine
• How to properly "rack" a slide or Racking a Slide Made Easy!
• clearing malfunctions
• performing a "press check" (to ensure that a round is in the chamber - even in low light conditions), etc.

The “Barrel Blok” system is a GREAT way to start… and they even have free online videos for "dry-fire" training (although some SMEs may take issue with the “form” used in the videos).

Actual “snap (Dummy) rounds” (requiring you to eject each “dummy” round after pulling the trigger) can also be used in “dry-fire” training, and are a GREAT resource to have during “live-fire” practice by randomly intermixing them with live rounds in your magazine (to simulate a discharge failure - forcing you to clear it, and/or to more easily reveal unconscious “recoil anticipation” and flinching). While “snap (Dummy) rounds” can be problematic because they often unintentionally cause malfunctions (e.g., “double feeds”, “stovepipes”), many SMEs like them anyway because it forces trainees to learn how to recognize and clear the malfunctions. One of the best “snap (Dummy) rounds” is “A-Zoom”.

<note important> As you spend time practicing, one topic that eventually surfaces is whether you should allow the slide to drop (using the slide release lever on the frame) on an empty chamber - and without a loaded magazine in the well.

The "Gun Guys" from Wilson Combat say DON'T DO THIS to Your Guns ("Gun Guys", Ep. 17). While they tend to focus on the Wilson “Match” (competition) pistols - they also point out that this can damage Glocks as well.

In contrast, the Brownell Smyth Busters: Dropping a 1911 Slide on an Empty Chamber say that it's fine - unless its a precision “Match” (competition) pistol.

In reality… it's probably a good idea to minimize (but not completely eliminate) the practice of dropping the slide on an empty chamber without a loaded magazine in the well (e.g., in this instance a magazine loaded with “snap” rounds should be fine). </note>