Been a gunsmith for decades and there is no general rule. Some makes and models will not be damaged and others will the first time time you do it. If you ask about specific models, I will be happy to let you know whether or not they are OK to dry fire.
In general, there is no need to remove tension on a hammer spring by dry firing it. In my experience, it takes many years for a spring to take a set from being compressed and on those guns which may be damaded by dry firing, the spring you are attempting to save costs a fraction of the damage caused by dry firing.
As a rule, I do not dry fire any gun.
Use a spent case, or buy a rubber round. They are available, and made specifically for dry firing.
I do remember that just about every weapon in the Army had a ‘functions check’, after assembly, which involved dry fire. All firing pin style....and out of the dozens of things which would go wrong with these weapons, a damaged pin was never one of them.
What did it say about dry firing in the manual that came with your gun? What? You didn’t read the manual? You can download it from the gunmaker’s website.
Use Snap Caps. Can be used as a tool to teach you good skills without live fire and doesn’t allow the firing pin to be thrown beyond it intended length.
But, other than that, you can dry fire. I just prefer not to.
I suppose it must depend on the gun. I broke the firing ping of a shotgun by dry-firing it. I’d advise against it unless you have specific knowledge to the contrary for the gun in question.
DUH! It all depends on the gun! Check with mfg.!
Some you NEVER dry-fire; some there is no problem!
DUH!
Short answer: check the manual.
Kimber’s are supposed to be dry fired. Lowering the hammer slowly can actually hurt the gun.
It depends on the firearm. Many are safe for that but some are NOT. Consult the manufacturer or ask around about a specific make/model.
i believe centerfire is usually not a worry, NOT rimfires tho...
I'm sure there are more. Basically, there are a lot of reasons to use snap caps and no really good ones not to. Sure, you can dry fire most firearms without doing damage to them. It just makes more sense to me to protect my investments.
Depends on the weapon. The factory firing pins in CZ-52’s, for example, are unreasonably brittle and may break if dry fired excessively. For most weapons it’s fine, and if the manual for a specific model says it’s OK it probably is.