Trigger without ammo
Dry-firing is pulling the trigger of a firearm without ammunition loaded, typically for practice or to test the mechanism: He spent twenty minutes dry-firing to work on his trigger control.
Some older or rimfire guns can be damaged by dry-firing, though most modern centerfire weapons handle it safely.
The term extends to archery—releasing a bow without an arrow, which can damage the bow.
IDEA.org / Words / dry-firing
Trigger without ammo
Dry-firing is pulling the trigger of a firearm without ammunition loaded, typically for practice or to test the mechanism: He spent twenty minutes dry-firing to work on his trigger control.
Some older or rimfire guns can be damaged by dry-firing, though most modern centerfire weapons handle it safely.
The term extends to archery—releasing a bow without an arrow, which can damage the bow.
1. firearms — trigger, What initiates action; practice (Repeated work toward mastery); striker (One who hits targets); hammer (Tool for striking nails); marksmanship · pistol · rifle · holster · draw · aim · training · safety · bore · chamber
2. archery — bow, Respectful forward inclination; release (To let go); form (Shape or document); string (Slender fiber or character sequence); compound · recurve · target · aiming · practice · letdown · limbs · cam · follow-through · repetition
ammunition presencedry-firing ≠ live fire Actual ammunition in use; shooting · discharging
dry, fire, drier, dryer, driest, dries, dryly, dryness, fired
Word data: Linguabase (CC0) · www.idea.org/words/dry-firing