Gun building discussions can be quite esoteric, and we can dwell on and wax philosophic about the virtues of a baby-butt-smooth RSA channel and the differences between various generations of ejectors. By contrast it seems any conversations about snap-caps would be rather mundane. Maybe not!
Snap-Caps are "de rigeur" for any builder worth his or her salt. They can serve a number of purposes. For gun builders, they are a safe way to function test a pistol. Hopefully most of us agree that a new build should never taste live ammo until it's at the range. But, before we head to the range, we need to function and safety test our builds... with Snap-Caps. ONLY! Riiiiiiiiiight?
But they can be used to safely function test and to diagnose issues with factory guns, as well. Furthermore, they can come in handy for dry fire exercises.
![20220908_194636[1].jpg](https://www.patriotgunbuilders.com/forums/attachments/20220908_194636-1-jpg.6163/ "20220908_194636[1].jpg")
While Snap-Caps can also be used for training at the range to diagnose a flinch or run malfunction drills, builders like us mostly use them for function and safety testing.
When I got my first sets of Snap-Caps, I figured metal would be better / last longer than plastic. So, I got some made of solid aluminum with a rubber "primer" inserts to absorb the impact of the firing pin strikes. A-Zoom "Precision Training Rounds" seemed to enjoy a good reputation on various gun forums. $16 for five rounds. After I got the first set of five, and they seemed to be "good to go," I ordered another pack of five. I figured I'd want to load a mag with more than five.
Plastic versions of Snap-Caps typically cost half or less. I figured metal is stronger and better, right? Worth the extra expense, right?
The rims at the back of the rounds were getting chipped. I suspect there wasn't enough "meat" left on the rim for the extractor to grab. When I used newer A-Zoom snap-caps, the extraction problems went away. Hooray! Also... Where did the fragments from the chips go?
I'll add that it really didn't take long for the all-aluminum A-Zooms to start looking that rough. I'll admit I can't offer a number of cycles, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that they can last for "thousands" of dry fires. Ummm... yeah... no way. I'm going to guess I've cycled them in the range of low hundreds - if that.
I invoked my Google-fu and found some online articles about the "best Snap-Caps." One particular brand caught my eye in one of the review articles, even though it was rated 5th out of five brands reviewed. Despite ranking dead last, the review was all positive - save one thing: They were the most expensive. But, they weren't really the most expensive. They happen to ring in at about the same "per round" price as the A-Zoom brand. But, they come in a pack of ten, instead of five.
What are they? B's Dry Fire Snap Caps - A.K.A. B's Dummy's. The pedant in me couldn't help notice the manufacturer's syntactical misuse of a possessive apostrophe in "Dummy's" instead of the proper plural "Dummies." Maybe it was just easier to format in their labeling. Forgivable, I suppose!
They advertise them as, "The best training rounds money can buy." I couldn't resist! I bought mine on Amazon instead of directly from the manufacturer, since I also needed to buy some targets. Free Amazon Prime shipping, too!
They arrived today. They came in a nice plastic container that can be re-used to store them... instead of a disposable plastic clam-shell.
The bullets are made of.... LEAD! Yep... according to the manufacturer's website: "Our pistol / rifle snap caps use either full copper jacket or straight lead for the metal tip. Both are coated with colored plastic."
That would explain the very realistic weight of the B's Snap-Caps. There's a huge difference between these and the solid aluminum A-Zooms. It's especially noticeable with a magazine full of them.
Note that the B's Dummy's weight (measured in grams) falls squarely between the WWB FMJ range ammo and the Federal HST hollow point defensive ammo. The A-Zooms are about one third the weight of the real ammo.
While I expect the B's Snap-Caps to be more durable by virtue of their construction, there is the added benefit of enhancing the training and testing experience with the realistic weight.
I loaded up a mag with all ten B's Dummies (I used this syntax to help with "SEO," as some searchers may use the grammatically correct term) and cycled them through my latest build. They worked perfectly.
And, they sure look nice, eh? The laser-etched "B's Dummy's" on the case adds a touch of class.
We'll see how they hold up. After I've used them a while, I'll report back!
Disclaimer: I bought these of my own volition with my own hard-earned money.
Snap-Caps are "de rigeur" for any builder worth his or her salt. They can serve a number of purposes. For gun builders, they are a safe way to function test a pistol. Hopefully most of us agree that a new build should never taste live ammo until it's at the range. But, before we head to the range, we need to function and safety test our builds... with Snap-Caps. ONLY! Riiiiiiiiiight?
But they can be used to safely function test and to diagnose issues with factory guns, as well. Furthermore, they can come in handy for dry fire exercises.
While Snap-Caps can also be used for training at the range to diagnose a flinch or run malfunction drills, builders like us mostly use them for function and safety testing.
Metal or Plastic?
There is a myriad of brands and types of inert / "dummy" rounds that we generically refer to as "Snap-Caps." I cannot speak to all of them. But, they come in varieties that are made of plastic, metal, or a combination.When I got my first sets of Snap-Caps, I figured metal would be better / last longer than plastic. So, I got some made of solid aluminum with a rubber "primer" inserts to absorb the impact of the firing pin strikes. A-Zoom "Precision Training Rounds" seemed to enjoy a good reputation on various gun forums. $16 for five rounds. After I got the first set of five, and they seemed to be "good to go," I ordered another pack of five. I figured I'd want to load a mag with more than five.
Failures? The gun? Or the snap-caps?
I've used them quite a bit over the course of four builds. During recent function testing of my latest build, I noticed sometimes I'd have failures to eject. My first thought was that it was my build. Eventually, I figured that it might be some of the snap caps. Perhaps, this is why:The rims at the back of the rounds were getting chipped. I suspect there wasn't enough "meat" left on the rim for the extractor to grab. When I used newer A-Zoom snap-caps, the extraction problems went away. Hooray! Also... Where did the fragments from the chips go?
I'll add that it really didn't take long for the all-aluminum A-Zooms to start looking that rough. I'll admit I can't offer a number of cycles, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that they can last for "thousands" of dry fires. Ummm... yeah... no way. I'm going to guess I've cycled them in the range of low hundreds - if that.
Just keep buying the same ones?
I'm planning for a number of future builds, so I wondered if I should just keep buying more of the same as they wear out.... Or, is there something better? Maybe I need to level up my Snap-Cap game? Is it even possible? Or are they all pretty much the same?I invoked my Google-fu and found some online articles about the "best Snap-Caps." One particular brand caught my eye in one of the review articles, even though it was rated 5th out of five brands reviewed. Despite ranking dead last, the review was all positive - save one thing: They were the most expensive. But, they weren't really the most expensive. They happen to ring in at about the same "per round" price as the A-Zoom brand. But, they come in a pack of ten, instead of five.
What are they? B's Dry Fire Snap Caps - A.K.A. B's Dummy's. The pedant in me couldn't help notice the manufacturer's syntactical misuse of a possessive apostrophe in "Dummy's" instead of the proper plural "Dummies." Maybe it was just easier to format in their labeling. Forgivable, I suppose!
They advertise them as, "The best training rounds money can buy." I couldn't resist! I bought mine on Amazon instead of directly from the manufacturer, since I also needed to buy some targets. Free Amazon Prime shipping, too!
They arrived today. They came in a nice plastic container that can be re-used to store them... instead of a disposable plastic clam-shell.
Kicking Brass?
The cases are made of nickel-plated brass - just like real premium ammo. Color me impressed! They are also available in regular (non-plated) brass.That would explain the very realistic weight of the B's Snap-Caps. There's a huge difference between these and the solid aluminum A-Zooms. It's especially noticeable with a magazine full of them.
Note that the B's Dummy's weight (measured in grams) falls squarely between the WWB FMJ range ammo and the Federal HST hollow point defensive ammo. The A-Zooms are about one third the weight of the real ammo.
While I expect the B's Snap-Caps to be more durable by virtue of their construction, there is the added benefit of enhancing the training and testing experience with the realistic weight.
And, they sure look nice, eh? The laser-etched "B's Dummy's" on the case adds a touch of class.
We'll see how they hold up. After I've used them a while, I'll report back!
Disclaimer: I bought these of my own volition with my own hard-earned money.
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