[B yond]

I'm familiar with break-in procedures for new rifles, but is it necessary for new handguns?

[Chipperman]

1. Take gun home
2. READ MANUAL
3. Disassemble and clean
4. Take to range and shoot
5. Shoot some more
6. Take home and clean.

[Jeff F]

Clean it, shoot it, clean it and shoot it some more. We have a gp100 that got nice and real smooth at around 600 or 700 rounds of .357. Most of my autos are just getting broken in at 500 rounds. The only way I know to brake them in is to shoot and shoot a lot. And with an auto, Don't stress if it acts up a little when new. Try different ammo, usually ball and run it at least a few hundred rounds before you look for a smith or send it in for work.

[Black Majik]

Theres no need to shoot a round, clean the barrel and repeat.

Clean and lube the gun before going to the range and shoot the bejeezus outta it, then take it home and clean and lube it again.

[gudel]

depends on what new handgun you got. some requires a trip or two to factory for service as part of the break in procedure ;)

[RyanM]

Manufacturers usually say it takes about 200 rounds to break in an auto. Some say 500.

[SJshooter]

The only thing I would do to "break in" a new handgun is give it a very thorough cleaning, especially letting a lot of FP-10, (or Hoppes, or BreakFree, or whatever is your fancy) soak into that freshly cut barrel before drying it out. Once lubed and cleaned, she's ready to go.

[modifiedbrowning]

I use the same routine as Chipperman.

[possum]

clean it, lube it, shoot it repeat, repeat ..... etc! and oh yeah happy shooting!:)

[wildburp]

Yes, you must kill at least three terrorists, four lawyers, or five politicians, then pour honey down the barrel and let ants eat it out.

[Moonclip]

For safetys sake I like to load one round in any new or used auto I acquire when I get to the range after a good cleaning and start shooting the one round and look for the ejected case and make sure it looks normal.

Then I like to load 2-3 rounds and shoot them, as long as gun does not go full auto then I continue with normal break in. With auto pistol, firing as many hollowpoint loads of what I use in a defensive gun as I can afford. 2-3 hundred rounds of ball too if a gun I plan to use a lot or for defense. Otherwise I don't really sweat it like in a 22lr auto. If gun works at least semi ok in 1st range trip I figure it will get many more rounds downrange later anyways.

revolvers once loads are zeroed in with adjustable sighted guns I figure nce I fire 50-100 rounds of 2-3 types of ammo with no issues the gun is ok.

[sig228]

1. Take gun home
2. READ MANUAL
3. Disassemble and clean
4. Take to range and shoot
5. Shoot some more
6. Take home and clean.


and # 7. Repeat steps 4 through 6

[tegemu]

Kimber 1911's require a break in. The company sez 500 rds. My Ultra Carry II took 800 rds. I don't consider a defensive gun to be broken in and reliable untill it has fired 200 successive flawless rounds.

[AirForceShooter]

Shoot the snot out of it.
Try to break it.

AFS

[MD_Willington]

Shoot the snot out of it.
Try to break it.

AFS


Sounds like what I did with my S&W 5906 ;)

[OpFlash]

Not actually required of course, but I do the following to any semiauto weapon I buy new:

Disassemble, clean and lube very well. You want to run it a little wet first IMO because there may be tight fitting parts and you are creating the initial wear patterns in the metal.

After 200 or so rounds I take the now worn in primary metal action pieces (bolt or slide, barrel, etc.), clean them very well and then coat them with Militec-1 and bake them in the oven at 250 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Then wipe them down (when they cool off :D), lube with whatever lube you like best (I use CorrosionX) and reassemble.

I find that it really slicks up the actions!

[Sylvan-Forge]

I guess I'm weird. I shoot-in pistol barrels as if they were rifles.

[Average Joe]

Take it home, clean the barrel, shoot it , clean it. Its broken in. Now order more ammo and repeat.

[TimboKhan]

with an auto, Don't stress if it acts up a little when new

This is good advice. A rule of thumb I have heard bandied about is that a new auto should have at least 200 rounds through it before you should place your trust in it. If I am not mistaken (and it's likely that I am) Kahr actually says straight out that you need to run at least that many through their pistols before you trust your life to it. Also, don't forget that the magazines are the weakest part of automatic chain. A lot of failures can be attributed to magazines, even if they are new. Other than a couple of blips here and there, I have always had pretty good luck with magazines, but I have seen more problems come up where a different mag was all it took to fix the issue.

[10-Ring]

My break in period goes like this:
1. Disassemble new handgun
2. Clean
3. Lightly lube & reassemble
4. Shoot 1000 as quickly as you can. If any kind of failures occur, they'll probably happen w/in this time.

Repeat from step 2 :D Enjoy :D

During these 1000 rounds, I don't shoot anything else. This allows me to get used to the trigger & sights and get accustomed to the way it feels in my hands :D

[Anna's Dad]

I read posts where guns aren't reliable for hundreds of rounds, but of the guns I've bought NIB, I've never experienced a break-in period with the exception of one (1) FTF in the very first magazine I put through my Ruger P345. Never had any issues with my XD9, Sig Trailside, Auto-Ordnance 1911A1, Beretta Tomcat or Kel-Tec P32. All worked swimmingly right out of the box.

I know its bad practice, but I generally don't even clean/lube them before first shooting them (I know I should). Guns are just too darn reliable these days.

[Jerry Morris]

I clean it up. Inspect for obvious flaws, such as burrs and dress them. Lube it several times and dry it out. Then go shoot.

Don't make a huge fuss out of it. Just keep it reasonably clean and free of rust. A handgun has no elan, if it is unmarked and unworn. It will wear, wear is good within parameters. It means it is settling in and smoothing out. A smooth, accurate gun, is a trusted friend.

If it just has to be perfectly pretty, you're not one of my crowd.

Jerry