Snap Caps Usage

New shooter here of a SW22 Victory with a question about using snap caps.  Do I really need snap caps to cushion the firing pin?  What damage can occur?  I have some of those yellow wall anchors and have used them and can't see where the firing pin even hits them.  My first Bullseye shoot is this morning.  Wish me luck.  Thanks

The safest method, is to have a gunsmith set the head space and then the firing pin protrusion.. The firing pin should not touch the breech face, with a safety margin of at least .015/.020
This provides for clearance should the firing pin go forward during a no feed situation, or any other reason..
I would still dry fire with a safety device.  Should a firing pin break, which is not uncommon with .22s it will save the breech face..

Charlie Campney wrote:New shooter here of a SW22 Victory with a question about using snap caps.  Do I really need snap caps to cushion the firing pin?  What damage can occur?  I have some of those yellow wall anchors and have used them and can't see where the firing pin even hits them.  My first Bullseye shoot is this morning.  Wish me luck.  Thanks

Good luck.  You will have a great time and learn a lot as well.  Take your time, load your magazines before you walk to target to score.

Chip

What Jerry said.  In addition, some firing pin designs aren't made to absorb the energy of the hammer strike without a cartridge rim or some other device to take the hit.  I have seen my Marvel pin break at the point where it bottoms against the slide if no cartridge is present.  So unless your pistol has a true firing pin block like the S&W52 or some such dry fire device, it's always best to use something as a snap cap.  Note: This does not apply to the 1911; you can dry fire that design with impunity.

For all my .22 rimfires I like to use a #4 plastic wall screw anchor (yellow) as a snap cap. I buy them by the hundred at Lowe's or Home Depot. They will last for a fair amount of time considering how hard the firing pin hits are.

in my high standard i use credit card cut parts to protect firing pin and barrel.

Magnetic Business cards, snap caps, wall anchors, pieces of old credit cards, dry fire devices, they all work. And dryfire does too.