Safer Dry Fire With An AR-15

If you’ve been a subscriber of mine for more than a few seconds, you know how important dry fire is.  (If you are new and don’t know, check out this article where I go into 10 of the top reasons why dry fire training is better than live fire.)

But what you may not know is how to safely do dry fire practice with your AR-15 (Armalite Rifle, Model 15), MSR (Modern Sporting Rifle), PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine), AK, or even a lever action carbine.

Keep in mind that it’s 100% impossible to have a negligent discharge while doing dry fire.

This is because of the fact that dry fire is the manipulation of a firearm with no ammunition present.

As soon as you introduce ammunition into an area where you’re doing training with a firearm capable of firing live rounds, it is no longer dry fire training.

I do SOME dry fire training with firearms capable of firing live rounds, but for the most part, I use inert training platforms or temporarily render “real” guns incapable of chambering live rounds while I’m practicing.

With that in mind, I want to share 8 AR Dry fire tools that you can use to make your dry fire training with an AR safer…not safe, but safer.  Safety depends on the shooter having muzzle and trigger discipline in addition to keeping ammo out of the training area.  That being said, there are a couple of options here that make it virtually impossible to have a negligent discharge.

First off is an old-school, simple as dirt solution…simply remove the bolt carrier group while you’re doing your dry fire practice.  99% of dry fire training can be done without an active trigger.  If you look at first shot speed, most shooters will make bigger gains in performance by focusing on mounting the gun quickly and consistently and acquiring a sight picture quickly than they will by focusing on pressing the trigger quickly.

AR Dry Fire With Bolt Removed

Second is almost as simple as the first…and, in fact, can be combined with the first:  Stick a length of 550 cord from the chamber to the muzzle, and tie the ends together outside of the gun.  This way, you’ve got a visual indicator that the chamber is empty and can’t accept live rounds.

AR Dry Fire With Bolt Removed & 550 Cord

Third is our new patented Dry Fire Cord…it plugs the chamber, sticks out the end of the muzzle, and you don’t have to disassemble the gun to insert or remove it.

Fourth is the Mako Safety Rod.  These are a slick little tool.  They plug the chamber and stick out the end of the muzzle.  The only downside is that you have to pop the takedown pin and remove the bolt carrier group to insert and remove the safety rod.

AR Dry Fire With MAKO/FAB Chamber & Barrel Block

Fifth is the SIRT AR Bolt.  This option is really cool because a laser shoots out the end of the muzzle each time you press the trigger…but it can be a challenge to set up.  Some people have ARs that allow them to quickly set up their AR for dry fire and then convert it back to live fire…for others, setup takes long enough that it makes sense to keep one AR set up for laser training.

AR Dry Fire With SIRT Bolt

Sixth is a Blue Gun.  These have a use for practicing muzzle strikes and other pugilistic skills with the AR, but I’m not a big fan overall.  Some people LOVE them, so this is one time when you shouldn’t take my experience at face value.  But before you buy one, I’d suggest borrowing one from a friend.

Seventh is an airsoft gun that’s set up similarly to how your real gun is set up.  It doesn’t have to be exact.  My real guns have Aimpoint and EoTech sights that cost several hundred dollars apiece.  My airsoft guns have cheap Chinese knockoff optics that cost $20-$40.  Exact size and weight is nice, but you can do a LOT with an inaccurate analog.  Mounting the gun is the same process, acquiring a sight picture is the same, calculating mechanical offset is the same, transitioning between targets is the same, dropping a mag and inserting a new mag is the same.  Airsoft trainers can range from under $200 to over $2,000, with the more expensive ones being purpose built for striking in addition to accurate shooting.

AR Dry Fire With Airsoft

Eighth is the latest generation of CO2 replica trainers…T4E HK-416 .43 paintball trainers and the Sig MPX and MCX pellet trainers:

The best part about using a CO2 or airsoft trainer is that I keep them in my living room, with the battery/CO2 removed, 24/7 with no concern about my kids picking it up or someone stealing it when we’re gone.  That means that I can pick it up and do 1-15 minutes of practice any time I want with absolutely no setup time.  This is absolutely, positively, my preferred method of practice, and I choose it over my own patented device for AR training (but not pistol training)…but it’s also the most expensive option of any of the options that I shared with you today.

If you’re one of the first plank holder students of the Home Defense Rifle course, these options are going to be a big help for you and help you be more confident about how to do dry fire drills more safely with your AR.

If you’ve been on the fence about getting the Home Defense Rifle AR-15 self-defense DVD course because of safety concerns, this will have squashed those concerns…so head on over to HomeDefenseRifle.com, sign up now, and you can start training in as fast as the next 10 minutes.

If you’re currently doing dry fire training with your AR, what method do you use?  Please share what you’re doing, as well as questions and concerns by commenting below.

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