Dictionary

snap cap en · NOUN

Meanings

1. A dummy round of ammunition used to check ammo feed and other mechanical problems.
   • However, it does no harm (and may prevent damage) to use snap caps - dummy rounds which are inserted into the chamber to soften the impact of the firing pin. 2014, MAssad Ayoob, Gun Safety in the Home, page 124:
   • Snap caps are dummies (no powder, no primer, no projectile) shaped like the ammunition for a particular gun. They're supposed to provide something for the firing pin to hit during dryfiring, so the gun's lockwork doesn't have to absorb this impact. It's a fine idea, but not all snap caps are made right. 2012, Silvio Calabi, The Gun Book for Boys:
   • 1187. B. Lilly. Improvements in the construction of "snap caps" or "nipple protectors" for firearms. Dated May 12, 1863. 1863 December 18, The Mechanics' Magazine, page 889:
2. A cap or cover that snaps into place.
   • After centrifugation, the top dense band (out of three formed following ultracentrifugation) contained the purified oocysts, which were removed using a pipette and placed in 15 mL polypropylene snap cap tubes. 1997, Gordon R. Finch, Effect of Various Disinfection Methods on the Inactivation of Cryptosporidium, page 10:
   • The shampoo bottle closures included a screw cap closure considered to be the most vulnerable during use, a flip or snap cap with a circular orifice considered to offer the greatest degree of protection, and a flip cap with a slit orifice whose protective abilities were unknown at the time. 2011, Nava Dayan, Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products:
   • Development of the snap cap for Bufferin pinpoints the Bristol-Myers Products approach to these problems. 1966, Package Engineering, volume 11, page 66:

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