Any firing pin can take dry firing. It's just the matter that eventually it won't, and you can't predict that. When the firing pin is struck by the hammer and doesn't impact a primer, it vibrates in place and absorbs the hammer blow. Over time this can cause it to crack.

If snap caps aren't within one's personal budget, use spent shells (they can take about 50 or so hits before the primer is too dented to do anything) or make a couple dummy rounds using a bullet puller or impact remover hammer (you fit the bullet inside it, smack it on a hard surface, and the inertia pulls the bullet head without setting off the round), dump the powder, fire the primer off, and reinsert the bullet head with a vice and some super-glue. If snap caps and store bought dummy rounds are so expensive today, making use of regular ammo probably wouldn't hurt.

I found 5 packs of 357 (yeah, 5, they cant give you a full 6) for 3.99 at kittery trading post here. So were 9, 45, .22, 2 packs of longgun calibers.

Didn't realize they were that cheap at KTP, my LGS has 5 round packs of .45 snap caps for $17. He is expensive though with everything but a really nice guy. Do you know if KTP has reloading manuals? I plan on swinging by there soon to get some shotgun reloading stuff.

havent been there in like a year but sure nothings changed. where do you live? BTW bet theres cheap snap caps online.

Right on the Maine/New Hampshire border in the south.

Was at KTP yesterday and snap caps are $11 per pack.

packs of how many? i got a 5 pack of 357 (they get you by having to buy 2 packs....assholes. I havent been there in a long time though they mightve had a sale.

Packs of five, its listed on their website, prices do vary but none are that low. http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/fu...data=snap+caps

I got a 10 pack of pachmayr 22 for less than that 24.