A-Zoom 40 S & W Snap Cap 5PK, Red (15114)

To be fair and honest, I will use this same review for all the snap caps I have purchased, nothing changes just because the caliber does. Snap caps are an inexpensive tool to use for training your trigger pull and reaction when pulling the trigger of your pistol. Before you take your pistol to the range, throw a few of these caps in pistol and practice squeezing the trigger so you get the feel of how much force you need and where it breaks when firing. Next, place a nickel or dime on the front of the barrel (on a semi-auto, this won't work on revolvers), close to the front site. Find a target to aim at, squeeze the trigger until the hammer fires, all while trying to keep the coin in place. Many people will flinch while pulling the trigger in anticipation of the of the upcoming shot. This practice will help minimize or eliminate this problem. The best part about this practice is you're not wasting ammo at the range, now when you get there you can feel more confident. These caps are used to protect the firing pin from bottoming out in its bore buy absorbing the impact when the trigger is pulled. You don't have to use them, but if you break a firing pin and have to have a gunsmith install a new one, the price for these caps would have been a real bargain.

I now own A-Zoom snap caps in several different calibers and have been pleased with the brand. They are sturdy, well-constructed, and seem to hold up well after repeated use. I recommend snap caps for those who like to practice dry-fire for trigger control, reloading, and clearing drills, and this brand is trusted and proven. I've seen reviews of other brands that seem to fall apart or degrade rather rapidly. These don't last forever, but work well for repeated uses (I've owned my oldest ones for close to a year now and don't see any sign of them failing yet). There are cheaper options, but you get what you pay for. I do not recommend the plastic or hard-rubber dummy rounds, as they can break apart and leave dangerous blockages in your chamber or barrel. Spring-loaded snap caps help protect your firing mechanisms and the hard aluminum casing replicates a brass cartridge for a proper fit.

I read most of the reviews, both positive and negative before I purchased these. This is my second set of these as I wanted to practice with 10 rounds instead of five. I have cycled these through a Glock 22 and a Ruger SR40C about 500 times in each platform with no issues that others have stated. They may not work for everyone or every weapon, but they worked flawlessly for me in the two weapons listed.

Very good quality. Aluminum construction is durable and allows the snap cap to be inserted in a magazine with live rounds to simulate ammo malfunction and clearing drills. They also stand up to repeated use for safely conducting speed loading drills. Allows dry firing, without damaging the firing pin, to practice sight alignment/sight picture combined with smooth, even trigger pull to stay on target. If you are serious about learning to shoot, and shoot well, you must have these babies to perfect your technique...

These are a solid product. They have fed fine in my Glock 22. Nice to be able to cycle rounds through with no worries about accidentally shooting off a round. Im not overly worried about the firing pin, but better safe than sorry. They are great for drills also, simulating malfunctions and testing trigger pull. (Load a mag with live ammo, but randomly add dummy rounds) Cons: The finish does get worn down and scracted away. Big deal right? They are under weight for most of the ammo I fire and are slightly under sized. Overall, NO DOUBT WORTH THE MONEY

Just got it but already love it. It is probably old school but dry firing on an empty chamber is just not something I'm comfortable with. That being said, I generally dry fire a new gun extensively and check it's functionality prior to actually sticking a live round into it. My friends used to tease me about "playing cowboys and indians" but three things stopped that; 1. Twice I have caught defects in the weapon I was testing out that, while minor, should not have been there. A little back and forth on the phone and the problems were resolved. Here is a plug for European American Armory... Fantastic product support. 2. By extensively handling the gun and dry firing I get a really good feel for the gun, it's action, and the controls on the gun. That generally results in MUCH better results at the range and during matches. 3. Dry firing and drills, properly done, "works the weapon in". Every piece of machinery I have ever used required an initial "break in" period while all the parts worked themselves into alignment. You will generally need to fire live ammo to complete the "break in" but the amount of ammo that it will take to get the gun into it's final "ready-to-roll" state is dramatically less (and much less expensive) than doing it completely through the use of live fire. Snaps Caps and similar products REALLY help. You can dry fire the weapon extensively without worrying about damage to the firing pin or action. I would HIGHLY recommend this product to anyone who likes to do dry fire drills. You get a pack of five and they are pretty inexpensive. I normally have enough to fully load out several magazines for every caliber weapon I own. This allows me to do a LOT of dry fire practice and drills without stopping constantly.

Really groovy.

Excellent Product