Bud,
If I had held the barrel when I dry fired it, this would have stopped the damage to the internals of my rifle?
Barrel didn't move........but the insides did!!!
But I know what u mean, both my son and daughter also have rifles and I always bang on about not holding the barrel when loading the pellet..
What can I say.......I'm an idiot...once bitten twice shy!!!
Still only glad breech was broke....god knows where the pellet may have gone otherwise.

Cheers.
(A now very much wiser Roy.)