How often do you train with dummy rounds?

[Yellowfin]

Just wondering if you guys or girls put random dummy's in your mags to practice dealing with mfs at the range. Also do most ranges frown on this?

[Atilla]

I have had them placed there by an instructor during a class, and has training with my LCR and some dummy rounds in speed loaders last night doing reload drills. I do not play with them at the range (unless its a more controlled environment than a public range) since they are not cheap and after clearing the malfunction there is a good chance the dummy round will eject beyond the firing line, get stepped on by someone else, or get lost in the trashheap so common on the floor. One thing I do at the range is put random numbers of rounds in random mags so I can still do the tap/rack/return on target/shoot drill when I do go empty, and practice reloading. I will also randomly practice tactical reloads with non-empty mags as well.

At home I use practice rounds more in the revolvers or shotguns.

[TSiWRX]

I use them all the time...but not on the range (unless supplied by the school/instructors), for much of the same reasons that Atilla cited.

You can also use caliber-appropriate empty brass to do the same, or, if you've got a friend who reloads, get him to make you some dummy rounds, which can potentially be much, much cheaper in the long run.

What I really like them for is for practicing shotgun manipulations.

[calvin56]

Since I bought 4k rounds of Thunderbolt I am getting lots of practice.

[JU-87]

Never.
I just don't see a lot of training value in dummy rounds, other than checking for "flinch"(trigger control), like in the Appleseed "ball & dummy" drills
If you have a malfunction-clear it.

[Whirlwind06]

I use some home made dummies for speed loader / dry fire practice at home.
I have also loaded up my revolvers to 2 live rounds and 4 empty cases at the range.

[pleasantguywhopacks]

I use spent brass which usually causes an actual malfunction that needs to be cleared most of the time. Much more useful training than just a click on a snap cap.

[Straightshooter629]

Whenever I am teaching someone the basics of gun handling, I use dummy rounds for loading and function drills.

[muxtech]

Snapcaps for dry fire and for teaching new shooters to load are good. I don't induce malfunctions though. IDPA, Pop-up shoots, and Appleseeds are good for working out the kinks and learning what works when the clock is ticking.

[Mrs. Daspirate]

We just teach new shooters to load with real ammo. If they hadn't responded favorably enough to the verbal instruction for us to feel safe with them doing that, they wouldn't be doing it. We do teach one-on-one or in very small groups though.
Same with malfunctions. We have a .22 that jams often enough when it's dirty to make practice with those nearly assured.
I know when I'm flinching without using dummy rounds, and there are techniques to "fix" it without using them too.
I have yet to see a real need for them, but I'm still new at this.