Dry firing....is it bad for a PCP?

My understanding is that if you have enough air in your gun to stop the valve bottoming out, then it's ok.
i am no expert though.

No, it will not hurt your guns. If it did all my guns would be junk!!

I know of no one who has indicated damage a pcp from dry firing their gun. I've been in this hobby for several years, and never a mention of any such problem.

Not an issue for PCPs

BUT

Its a risky way to try to empty the air cylinder - as said above, once the air pressure drops below a certain point dry firing can damage the valve pin / valve.

Also remember that air moving at 600+ fps is just as dangerous as a pellet for a few inches out of the barrel at least. It isn't harmless. It can cause an embolism if you were to shoot the air at someone point blank. OSHA has really strict standards about air nozzles at 100psi because they can kill people. Imagine what 3000psi could do. 

Extremely good point ztirffritz ! Every now and then you hear a news report where someone puts a blank firing gun to their head to be funny and pulls the trigger. The escaping gases send skull fragments into the brain as a projectile and they die. Ignorance can hurt. 

On my Korean guns the instructional says to dry fire them empty before working on them.

I cant comment on Korean air guns as I dont have one.

The principle applies across the boards (makes) - dry fire down to @ 60 Bar then release the remaining pressure by hand - tricky if your cylinder doesn't unscrew. On those that do unscrew a length of dowelling is usually used to knock open the valve (valve in the cylinder) even so you have to be very careful.
Damage to firing pin and main valves can be expensive & it usually requires replacement parts (ie. not a Home Fix job), I dont risk it.

I asked this same question a long time ago. I was wondering if it would be ok to do this as I wanted to get some "trigger" time in the garage. I wanted to do this to get used to the different stages of the trigger and also be able to adjust the trigger without shooting pellets. The consensus was this was a terrible idea and could case lots of damage. I'm really confused now.

Keith.

I don't see how it could be damaging. It just involve a hammer striking the valve and releasing air.

What are the symptoms of a bad valve? I have a good feeling my valve on my maruader might be damage because I've been emptying my tank by shooting the air out of the gun. I thought this would be ok because it does say in the manual I could do this? When I take out my valve, what signs of damage in the valve should I look for?

My opinion is as long as there as "plenty" of air in the reservoir probably won't hurt it. I have actually done it a lot while full of air and never hurt any of my small calibers. . I did send my big bore .457 Extreme back to get a valve replaced, after just a few shots. I must of shot it low and & damaged the valve. However I once owned Quackenbush .50 Bandit and shot it empty frequently , never hurt it a bit. Some guns are more prone to valve damage.

"wyshadow"What are the symptoms of a bad valve? I have a good feeling my valve on my maruader might be damage because I've been emptying my tank by shooting the air out of the gun. I thought this would be ok because it does say in the manual I could do this? When I take out my valve, what signs of damage in the valve should I look for?

It wont hold air, and will leak air through the barrel out the muzzle while trying to fill.

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This is good info but confusing. I typically try not to dry fire my guns. I just read a post that said AOA recommended a couple of dry fires before using the chrono. I also recently took my .30 cal Bobcat to AOA with leaking issues and they said it had damage from dry firing & the reg had to be replaced. I've not shot over 4 tins thru this AG & I don't dry fire so I'm not sure what to think. I remember the Daystate MCT will fire as often as you pull the trigger & I've seen it done at AOA. MUst not hurt the Daystate. 

I think a definition of "Dry Firing a PCP" might be necessary . I think there is some confusion as to the difference of cocking your PCP & pulling the trigger w/o a pellet while the reservoir is full of air, versus , cocking your PCP and pulling the trigger w/o a pellet when there is no air in the reservoir/tank /bottle . I would be inclined to think the latter not best practice.

Well if dry firing is bad then someone should tell Crossman! My manual says to dry fire the gun or to use the tool included with the gun to empty the gases in the gun before working on it.

I'm going to buy another valve pin. I think the valve might be bent. The gun still holds air but my pellet velocities are very inconsistent and I'm just not getting anything over 730 fps even though my hammer spring is almost tightened all the way. My gun used to be about 880.

The instructions for My HW100 say's to not dry-fire unless you absolutely have too.

Fx also says so