dumb pistol question

We dry fired our M16's about a 1000 times in the week prior to qualification week, snapping on on barrels on the various shooting positions. Cocked them every time to get the feel of the trigger travel. Dry fired our M1911s into a sand filled "clearing tube" every time we did a guard change. I think the .45 I used in Barracks Duty was as old as the Commandant. Dry fired every day at least 6 times..year after year. No experience with rim fire but break barrel pellet rifles are not supposed to be fired with no pellets.