Simple and Effective: Why You Need to Use Dummy-Rounds

These Snap Caps from Ready Up Gear are an inexpensive, invaluable tool.

Perhaps one of the simplest and most versatile training tools that firearm instructors can use are dummy rounds or Snap Caps. But they have a far more reaching purpose than just in the hands of an instructor.

First, for all the wordsmith sticklers out there, let's get to it. Yes there is a difference between Snap Cap and a dummy round, and here it is:

  • Snap Cap: The term Snap Cap is a name originally trademarked by the company A-zoom. But it is used generically for any inert cartridge-shaped device with the same shape and size of a real cartridge. Snap Caps do not have a powder charge, real primer, or projectile.
  • Dummy Round: An inert training device, made when the primer and powder charge is removed from a real cartridge.

I will use the terms interchangeably moving forward as their uses are the same.

If you know what you are doing, you can make dummy rounds from real cartridges, by removing the primer and powder charge.

Why Use Dummy Rounds?

Dry Fire Applications:

Unless you are a sponsored shooter, who spends all day on the range flanked by boxes and boxes of ammo, you probably don't get to the range enough. I know, because I am as guilty as the next person. So what do we do? We do some dry fire practice. It is probably the single most important thing you can do to improve your shooting skills. In fact, if you are dryfiring 4 or 5 times as much as live fire, you're doing it right.

Have you heard that dry-firing your gun will destroy it? I have, and it's (for the most part) completely untrue. First, refer to your firearm owner's manual, but as a general rule: rimfire firearms, .22LR should not be fired without a cartridge in place. And if you own an antique or rare firearm, maybe dry firing is not the best way to go. Absent one of those reasons, it's going to be just fine. But just for peace of mind, using a snap cap will protect your firing pin by giving it something to strike.

Dummy Rounds are a great tool even when away from the range.

Additionally using a magazine filled with dummy rounds more closely replicates the weight of your loaded firearm for more realistic practice. And dummy rounds in the magazine keep the slide from locking to the rear while you practice clearing stoppages and performing magazine reloads.

While it is somewhat of a ‘lost art', quickly reloading a revolver with speedloaders is a skill set that can be mastered. Dummy rounds can be used with the speedloader to learn and practice lightning fast reloads with your revolver.

Function Check:

Even if you are not a garage gunsmith, you are likely regularly taking your firearm apart to clean and inspect it. Do you perform a functions check on your firearm after reassembly? You should, especially if it is your everyday carry (ECD) gun. Check that the gun cycles correctly and rounds are being fed, by using a magazine filled with dummy rounds.

Snap Caps are a great tool to identify recoil anticipation.

Live-Fire Applications:

Snap Caps are just as useful on the range as they are off the range. Randomly placing Snap Caps in the magazine along with live cartridges, will produce a stoppage each time the dummy round is chambered. Now the shooter must clear the stoppage and get the gun running again.

Anticipation was a popular Carly Simon song in the 70's, but it sucks when it happens on the range. You can identify and overcome anticipation by using dummy rounds during live-fire. Anticipation will be very obvious when the shooter pushes the muzzle of the gun down, as they prepare for the recoil that never comes.

Teaching Applications:

For those who have never held a gun or loaded a magazine, dummy rounds are a great tool for safely learning the process. Using live ammunition to teach a new shooter how to load, chamber and clear a firearm is not ideal.

Which is better, a Snap Cap or Dummy Round?

It really is a personal choice. If you can make your own, dummy rounds are cheap to make. Just be sure to paint the dummy round a bright color to differentiate it from live ammunition. Prices for Snap Caps vary drastically, and it is one of the products where it really is true that you get what you pay for. I have seen extremely cheap Snap Caps, and they simply don't last. Worse yet, parts can break off inside your firearm. Neither one is what you want. (See our recommendation here)

Dummy rounds like these are super inexpensive. Unfortunately, it is because they don't last. I have seen these types of snap caps crack and break leaving pieces inside the gun.

One thing you should expect to happen to all Snap Caps or dummy rounds is that after a lot of use there will be some ‘bullet' setback. Basically, because the cartridge is repeatedly being chambered, the ‘projectile' is gradually pushed further back into the casing. How long this takes just depends on use and the quality of the product. A little setback is not a big deal. But once it gets to a point where the product is not chambering, its life is pretty much over.

I have found these Snap Caps from Ready Up Gear perform well and are an incredible value. A-Zoom Snap Caps are also a quality product but tend to be more pricey.

RESOURCE: The Ultimate Dummy Ammunition Head to Head Review

If you are a gun owner, whatever you do, don't sell yourself short by not having some Snap Caps on hand.

About Matthew Maruster

I follow my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who is the eternal co-equal Son of God. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio with my wife and daughter. I served in the Marine Corps Infantry. I was a Staff Sergeant and served as a Platoon Sergeant during combat in Iraq. After I was a police officer at a municipal agency in San Diego County. I have a Bachelors's Degree in Criminal Justice from National University. MJ Maruster Defense.

14 Comments

  1. Joseph Shahoud on May 1, 2018 at 6:02 pm

    Great article, Matthew. Funny how I was just using snap caps with a student on the range this past Sunday. I prefer the A-Zoom product and use it with students as well as myself to practice malfunctions or expose recoil anticipation. What’s great about the legitimate Snap Caps is that they are one solid piece; break apart risk is minimal. Well worth every penny!

    • Matthew Maruster on May 3, 2018 at 10:04 am

      Thanks Joseph. Such an overlooked and beneficial product. I just hate losing them lol.

  2. PabloHow on May 3, 2018 at 9:53 am

    It is remarkable, rather amusing information

    • Matthew Maruster on May 3, 2018 at 10:06 am

      Thanks Pablo, I am glad the article placed you in a state of joyful awe. Good luck with your training.

  3. Matthew Coetsee on May 16, 2018 at 1:10 am

    Great article here. I get my wife to blindly load A-Zoom snap caps into my range magazines while I am prepping for a session at the range so I am caught completely by surprise during practice.

    It helps me immensely as it keeps me on my toes and gets me running my malfunction drills smoothly. It has also greatly improved my IDPA preparedness allowing me to do far better in matched than I used to.

  4. Marcelino on May 16, 2018 at 7:41 am

    There’s always a learning curve. I didn’t know about your statement, “Randomly placing Snap Caps in the magazine along with live cartridges, will produce a stoppage each time the dummy round is chambered.” Dry fire is my main stay between shoots.

    Great information and thank you for posting Matthew.

  5. Desert Lion on May 16, 2018 at 11:46 am

    Guilty as charged – I’m a wordsmith stickler. That’s because words have meanings. There are differences between various products, but they’re all dummy rounds. There is no difference between a dummy round and a Snap Cap. Not all dummy rounds are Snap Caps, but all Snap Caps are dummy rounds. Using the brand name and generic name as if they are different things is misleading. Using the brand name to refer to a different product is just flat wrong. As you noted in what I assume is a correction edit, A-Zoom trademarked the name Snap Cap, but the product label also calls them proofing dummies, or at least did at one time. They’re more expensive for a reason – they are machined from a single piece of aluminum so absolutely can never be subject to bullet setback, even though your article explicitly states the opposite. They will eventually wear out from repeated extraction, but I’ve used the same set for over 10 years as an instructor and in my own practice. Based on your credentials, you should know what you’re talking about, but using terms like these improperly and defining a distinction in an attempt to cover for that error damages your credibility. That’s unfortunate, because there are huge benefits to be gained by using dummy rounds for practice both with and without live ammo.

    • Paul S on February 27, 2019 at 5:59 am

      I am late to the conversation. Had I been here earlier I might have offered you an aspirin for the headache caused by reading the article. Or should I say “Aspirin”?
      (From wikipedia: ” The word Aspirin was Bayer’s brand name, rather than the generic name of the drug”)

      I have to refresh my memory on the term “Silencer” when I have a minute.

      Just poking fun at the issue. The world is a complex And Fun place! Such is the issue with words.

      On a fun side note, my sister married into a Lion family.
      😉

  6. Steve Beinart on July 26, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    What’s your opinion on laser rounds damaging the gun. I have two guns that, after a fair amount of dryfire with a laser round broke.

  7. Rob on March 20, 2019 at 7:01 am

    I prefer using the orange tipped or completely orange rounds for my training simply for the visual confirmation that it’s a dummy round. When training I will clear the gun and the room of live ammunition and having brightly colored orange dummy rounds allows me to visually see that they are not live rounds. Just being overly cautious.

    It also make finding them when doing malfunction drills on the range easier too. 😉

  8. Steve Terry on April 16, 2022 at 1:34 pm

    As an NRA Firearms instructor, I must take exception to your suggestion of “MAKING YOUR OWN” dummy rounds by using a standard brass case without a primer and powder with a bullet seated into the casing. This is far from SAFE. The danger of mixing live ammunition and homemade dummy rounds is not a chance you should be taking. The result would be catastrophic.
    SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. It is highly careless and ignorant to suggest this type of action, especially in a public forum such as this.

    • Matthew Maruster on April 16, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks for the comment Steve. I understand and agree that there are better options than using a live round that simply is void of a primer and powder. However this isn’t what I recommended in the post. I could have done a better job of explaining different methods of making homemade dummy ammo that is less likely to be confused with live rounds. This wasn’t the focus of the article specifically but certainly something I can write about. Ultimately though, no matter what the dummy ammo looks like, it’s the responsibility of the person conducting dry fire to ensure there is no live ammunition present. Again, while redundancy in safety is important, no amount of markings relieves us of our duty to know what is in our gun. Thanks for ready and taking the time to voice your concerns.

  9. Alfredo A Vergara on December 31, 2023 at 1:01 pm

    Hello Mr Mathew thanks for the information – ive been searching to see how exactly they work— i bought them long time ago but I’m aftaid to use them- i cant find a video to watch in detail— i don’t want to make a mistake
    Thank you again and Congratulations on your relationship w God and all you have achieved

    • Jacob Paulsen on January 2, 2024 at 4:41 pm

      Mr Vergara, it a simple product to use. Just load the dummy rounds in to your magazine like you do real ammo. Run or cycle the gun like you would with real ammo. Everything is the same minus the bang of course.

Leave a Comment