There is a lot to be said for dry firing, regardless if you are a rifle or pistol shooter.
The practice allows you to become intimate with your firearm. It forces full concentration of perfect sight picture and trigger control. And, after you have a firearm, it costs absolutely nothing to do.
In fact, I would be so bold as to say there are few things a shooter can do that will better hone their marksmanship than dry fire. And, when at the range, the practice can actually do a bit more than just train; it can also be used as a diagnostic tool.
As the above video from the National Shooting Sports Foundations shows, incorporating dry fire in with live can help identify shooting bugaboos. One of the quickest that will typically surface is flinch.
The one drawback of the drill shown in this video is the fact the shooter knows when they are going to dry fire. But, the element of surprise can be added with a small investment in some snap caps.
Loaded in with live rounds, the snap caps add an element of unknown in a string of shots. It truly forces shooters to concentrate on all the mechanics of breaking off a perfect shot. And if they don’t, well the herking and jerking of the shooter and gun provides instant feedback.
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