bannockburn
Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 26,308
I probably run about 3 or 4 boxes of ammo through both my revolvers and semi-autos before I consider them good to go. Has worked pretty well over the last 40+ years of shooting them.
The question was in regard to "breaking in" a new carry gun not how many rounds to failure. You really need to dry fire a lot to make parts fail. I've got guns pushing 50 years old, live and dry fired thousands of times, that still have all the parts they left the factory with.
I don't think quality of firearms has taken that much of a nose dive. Everything wears out eventually. If it makes you feel better to change springs every X numbers of rounds have at it. I haven't seen any need to do it unless something was wrong.
No, I have never purposefully run several hundreds of rounds thru a carry pistol prior to adding it to my carry rotation.Do you break in your carry pistol with 500 rounds?
Something that has probably worked in my favor is that I have always disassembled, cleaned and closely inspected the parts on my firearms, whether new or used.I've concluded you should shoot sufficient ammo to get the rough edges of a newer gun, and how you handle it. ...
Well, for starters, if you don't shoot it, you cannot possibly discover (1) that all your magazines function reliably; (2) if the handgun has any flaws or functioning issues; (3) what loads are the most accurate; (4) what loads, particularly JHPs, might not feed reliably; (4) if your sights are regulated for the distances at which you typically shoot ... There are many more reasons, but hey, most experienced hand-gunners already know them all ...No. Why would you want to unnecessarily make your gun eat 500 rounds?
Combat practice, targets are one thing.
It's "broke in" when in comes from the factory.
Every round you fire takes life off the gun.
Absolutely no need for a break in.
It comes from way back. I remember reading it in my high school library in a "Guns and Ammo" back in the 70s. Betting it was decades old back then. You know back when guns were steel and wood. Before they even thought of a plastic gun. Truth is guns are better today then they have ever been.I think the "500 rounds for break in" comes from a few years back when Kimber used to tell folks that's what was needed to break in their 1911s before they would consider to take the gun back under warranty to repair for FTF/FTEs. I think the idea was that most folks never put 500 rounds thru their gun. With a semi auto, a coupla hundred rounds of the ammo you intend to use should be sufficient to decide whether the gun/mag/ammo is reliable. With a revolver, a coupla cylinders worth.
Well, for starters, if you don't shoot it, you cannot possibly discover (1) that all your magazines function reliably; (2) if the handgun has any flaws or functioning issues; (3) what loads are the most accurate; (4) what loads, particularly JHPs, might not feed reliably; (4) if your sights are regulated for the distances at which you typically shoot ... There are many more reasons, but hey, most experienced hand-gunners already know them all ...
I'd submit most folks would say at least a couple hundred rounds should go through a handgun prior to trusting one's life to it ... And some of us have even higher thresholds.
As for guns being "broke in" right out of the box ... well, as the immortal Patrick Swayze kept stating in the cheesy, but nevertheless, classic movie Road House, "Opinions vary." At any rate, 500 rounds should be a drop in the bucket as far as the lifespan of a modern quality handgun goes.
Go back and read my post REAL SLOW.
Gosh, I did -- yep, still says the same stuff.
If it takes 500 rounds to do that, you or the weapon are not up to par.
I didn't say it would take all 500 rounds.
My point was 500 rounds was/is unnecessary.
Oh, and here I thought your point was that many rounds significantly impacted the lifespan of a gun ... and that guns come already "broke in."
Run it to death if you want. Just don't be telling folks it "needs" to be done.
If you read my post REAL SLOW (love the all-caps), you'll detect that nowhere did I say that it "needs" to be done.
If you don't have POA and what will feed or not, it's YOU or your weapon. Not a "break in".
Yeah, but you gotta shoot it some to find out which.
I was reading thoughts in a thread elsewhere on the "life and death" reliability of a particular gun and one comment kept coming up - the owners suffered stoppages that were well under the the 500 rounds recommended by professionals for a carry gun.
Of course that made the gun complete junk and they hated on it from then on. No mention of WHAT ammo they were using, either.
How many of you have fired 500 rounds thru your carry gun? Did that process iron out which ammo was more reliable for you?
Over the last 15 years on the net, I haven't read of any Brand that doesn't have a few guns with FTF or FTE issues when new. Every brand you could think of seems to be capable of it and the more expensive the more likely. Yet owners of the high priced guns shrug it off and wait for the brown trunk to return it. And others continue to (perhaps rightly) think they can jam in any round possible and should get 100% success every shot.
Is that your experience?
It comes from way back. I remember reading it in my high school library in a "Guns and Ammo" back in the 70s. Betting it was decades old back then? Anyone think you can still find a Guns and Ammo in a high school library?