Can You Dry Fire A Remington 700?

Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter and Outdoorsman.

Dry firing is a controversial topic amongst those in the gun community. Some will say that dry firing a firearm (pulling the trigger without a live round in the chamber) can cause damage, while others say it will not. So can you dry fire a Remington 700?

You can safely dry fire a Remington 700. This will not produce any damage to the firearm, and in fact, will put less wear on the gun than firing it with a live round in the chamber.

So what benefits do dry firing give you, and why should you do it? Let’s further discuss dry firing a firearm, why you may want to start implementing it into your shooting regiment, and why the Remington 700 is the perfect firearm to be using it in conjunction with.

In this post, we'll cover:

Does Dry Firing Cause Damage?

It is a common misconception that dry firing a firearm can cause internal damage. While this does hold true with bows and certain types of guns, most firearms will not get damaged at all if they are dry-fired. As long as the weapon is unloaded and still pointed in a safe direction, you can dry fire the rifle without any negative side effects.

The only types of guns that should not be dry-fired are rimfire weapons. This is because the firing pin is positioned to strike the brass rim of a cartridge, and when there is no cartridge present, it will strike the hard steel of the gun. This can cause damage with repeated dry firing. Centerfire weapons, however, will not hit anything when dry fired and can be safely dry fired as often as you wish.

Is It Bad to Dry Fire a Bolt Action Firearm?

Because the vast majority of bolt action firearms are centerfire weapons, it does not cause any damage to dry fire them. The firing pin of a centerfire weapon is designed to hit the center primer on a cartridge. When there is no cartridge loaded into the gun, the firing pin will simply go into the empty space and hit nothing.

While it is a common myth that dry firing is very damaging to a weapon, it will not damage your centerfire rifle. Since all Remington 700 rifles are chambered in centerfire cartridges, you can rest assured that dry firing will not cause any problems with your gun.

Bolt action rifles are actually one of the most commonly used firearms to practice using the dry fire technique. Because of the large calibers that they usually shoot, practicing by dry firing the gun can be beneficial to get the correct form and technique down without worrying about the heavy recoil or costs associated with shooting the rifle.

The Remington 700 is the most popular bolt-action rifle platform on the planet today. More of these guns have been dry-fired than any other, and it is a great way to test out a trigger or practice your trigger pull.

How Can Dry Firing Be Helpful?

Why would you want to dry fire a gun anyways? Dry firing actually has a couple of different advantages. Dry firing an unloaded rifle can help to give you, the shooter, a feel for the trigger before actually firing the gun. This helps in knowing how sensitive or stiff a trigger is, and that can help you anticipate how soft or hard you need to adjust your trigger pull.

Dry firing can also help you get some practice before shooting at the range. Many shooters will often dry fire their guns a few times before shooting in order to build up some muscle memory. It will also remind them of how sensitive the trigger is before actually firing the gun.

Lastly, dry firing can significantly help new shooters avoid flinching while shooting. It is important to slowly squeeze a trigger while shooting, trying not to anticipate the actual shot. A slow, steady trigger pull is always best for accuracy reasons. By dry firing, you can practice this slow and methodical trigger pull without the added recoil from the shot. You can also see if a shooter is anticipating the shot, pulling the trigger too hard, or flinching by having them dry fire.

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How Often Should You Dry Fire?

With a centerfire weapon, you can dry fire it as often as you would like. Because dry firing does not cause any type of damage, you can use this to practice whenever you like. Many shooters will dry fire a couple of times before they actually shoot their guns, while others may even dry fire their rifles more often.

Regardless of how often you want to dry fire your rifle, it is probably a great idea to do it every so often in order to stay familiar with the trigger on your rifle. It will also keep the muscle memory intact for when you need it at the range or on a hunt. If you ever want to work on your slow trigger pulls, you can always do some dry firing practice in order to do so.

Final Thoughts

The myth that dry firing can cause damage to your firearm has been around for a long time. But due to the design of most firearms, you can safely dry fire your Remington 700 rifle as often as you would like without the risk of damaging or wearing out your gun faster. Hopefully,y you now know all about dry firing and can incorporate the practice into your firearm regime.

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.

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