Product Spotlight: Carlson's Rimfire Snap Caps

"Eh, what do I need snap caps for? Why spend money for 'em?" We sometimes hear that complaint. The reason for using snap caps, particularly in rimfire guns, is they're a lot less expensive than the cost of repairing a damaged gun! Brownells Gun Tech™ Steve Ostrem tells us about the rimfire snap caps from Carlson's. Yes, the same folks who make the excellent screw-in shotgun choke tubes can also help you protect your .22 and .17 rimfire firearms.

 

Many gun manufacturers tell you NOT to dry fire their rimfire guns. That's because when you pull the trigger on one, the firing pin hits the rim of the cartridge, which rests against the mouth of the chamber. If there's no cartridge in the chamber, that firing pin smacks right into the edge of the chamber. You can end up with a broken firing pin or a damaged chamber mouth or BOTH. A dinged-up chamber mouth can snag on cartridge cases, preventing them from extracting properly. This damage can be very costly to repair.

 

Put a snap cap in the chamber (one in each chamber of a revolver), and the firing pin hits the rim of the cap. Carlson's rimfire snap caps are machined aluminum. The aluminum absorbs the energy of the firing pin and is far too soft to damage it. Dry firing will leave indentations in the snap cap. When one part of the cap gets too dinged up, just rotate it a bit to put an undented area under the firing pin.

 

Carlson's says each of their .17 and .22 rimfire snap caps can withstand hundreds of firing pin impacts. Your investment in a pack of snap caps will pay you valuable dividends for a long time.