How many HP's do you run for reliability test?

[Droid noob]

Just curious. I'm sure this has come up many times, but can't find it.

I've run 30 rounds through mine without a hiccup. I don't have to say how expensive this can get. Just wondering what the average satisfactory round count is for you all.

 

[bannockburn]

Of any one specific brand or type of ammo, probably a couple of the 20 round boxes or one 50 round box. If everything works out okay then a full mag of them with any new ammo that I buy that I have already tried in my guns.

 

[beatledog7]

Many will chime in to differ, I suspect, but for me it's not rocket science. If every mag for a given pistol can run through two full loads of a given ammo without a malfunction, then that ammo is good to go.

If one mag won't run it cleanly, it's a mag issue, and I can live without one mag provided I can keep track of that mag's inability to feed that particular round. If none will, then that ammo is not going to work for any serious application.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

A couple of magazinefuls, in each magazine. That could still be 100 rounds or more, depending on how many mags you have and rounds they hold.

Back when I could find it, I used to shoot those Remington-UMC 100-round boxes from Wal-Mart.

 

[Double_J]

around 40-50 rounds total. usually shoot two magazines full to check feeding, extraction, etc. Several of my pistols don't feed one brand or another worth a darn, so I have to experiment. Right now the Hornady T.A.P. ammo feeds in all of them, so it is what I will be using when I restock. (as soon as I can find enough ammo to restock.)

 

[OptimusPrime]

Ditto what everyone else said on about 2 mags full on each magazine owned. Plus I do this: a function check on each mag when full and when 1/2 full. Will it load flawlessly from racking the slide, from the slide locked-open position, in addition to during the course of firing?
I've found that out the hard way when I had a particular brand of HP that wouldn't load from a racked slide if the mag was full. 1/2 full it was perfect, and other brands it was perfect. Weird, but I learned not to carry THAT round for serious purposes.

 

[loose noose]

My mini-14, I've run 2, 30 round mags thru as fast as I could pull the trigger, without a hic cup, but it got so hot I was concerned about cooking off a round. Now one of my AR-15s I can do the same as the mini-14, however my other AR-15 with the bull barrel and stainless steel I can shoot 3, 30 round mags thru it without hurting the firearm allthough it gets really hot. I don't care to abuse the weapons in this way, so I've only tried it a couple of times. BTW all three weapons are not ammo specific. On my Berretta 92 I've shot 3 mags of 17 rounds without any problems during competition. Also my Springfield XD-40 I've shot 12 round (3 mags) thru it in competition w/o any problem, as well as my Berretta Cougar 80-40 (3 10 round mags). I don't think anyone should have a problem shooting a bunch of rounds with quality weapons. The most rounds that I fired with my Colt Gold Cup Ntl Match 70 Series was 21 rapid fire from 7 yards at multiple targets while I was qualifying as a policeman. I have several other handguns that are semi-auto that I use as a general plinkers.

 

[gym]

2 to 3 mags. Hydrashocks either do or don't from my experience. If they do, then they don't need many to tell. I tend to go with "Powerball", they have the little ball inside" and Hornaday "red rubber tip", I have yet to have a problem with either.

 

[tomrkba]

It depends upon the gun.

Revolver: 50 rounds of practice ammo, two cylinders of JHP for familiarization.

Semi-Auto:

Glock, SIG, Browning, etc: Mix in five to eight rounds of JHP. First two, last two, and a mix between. Round in the chamber is FMJ. I do two or three magazines of this.

1911: 500 FMJ, minimum. 200 JHP, minimum.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Depends on how many magazines I have. If just one or two, I run a box of carry ammo through it. Just to make sure it works since some weapons in my carry rotation are picky with certain hollow point rounds.

 

[jobu07]

After having a malf on the range with my CCW Colt Officer's Model I conducted a complete disassembly to the frame and cleaned/inspected thoroughly. After that I ran 200 rounds through before I felt confident to carry it again - mixed slow and rapid fire with some fast mag changes.

 

[FLGlocker23]

When I go with a different HP I feel like one full mag should be ample test for functioning and so you can feel the different load being fired. If you decide to stick with that exact ammo type over long period of time I would occasionally run another mag of the HPs.

 

[FLGlocker23]

2 to 3 mags. Hydrashocks either do or don't from my experience. If they do, then they don't need many to tell. I tend to go with "Powerball", they have the little ball inside" and Hornaday "red rubber tip", I have yet to have a problem with either.

I use the Hornady critical duties with the red rubber tip too, helps from clothing and other materials clogging the HP and causing it to not function and expand as it should. Heard this can be an issue with some low weighted HSTs like the federal 135 hst

 

[sidheshooter]

Revolvers take me about 60 rounds to start feeling even remotely comfortable: checking POI/POA, ignition and overall feel/controllability for both hands.

Autos is another issue entirely; I like to have *at least* 6 mags in rotation for working autos, and I need to check those mags in all aspects of function, including a dirty gun. This can get expensive. I usually just take a decent handgun class with the gun/ammo/mags in question--by the end of the course, I have a pretty good idea if it all works together under most likely marginal scenarios (occasionally this makes for a rough class: I had a Bersa thunder .380 that totally crapped the bed under class pressure--that gun and brand is long gone from my own rotation)

This is probably why I have only a couple of autos in rotation (3953, Commander, seecamp) and a pretty strong commitment to GDHP and Fiocch jhp: that's what I was able to get in sufficient quantities to run 8 or 16-hour courses with those guns of late.

The upside is that I am very confident that, say, my 3953 will run dirtied up with any of its 8 mags and Speer 124-gr GDGP in either pressure loading. No guesswork or wishful thinking needed.

Every DA .38/.357 revolver I own is GTG with any maker's version of the FBI load, including buffalo bore (that was expensive, but spread out over time). .357s will both run silvertip 145 all day long as well.

 

[kayak-man]

I try to shoot around 100 or so rounds through it, and preferably through different mags.

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson

 

[Trent]

Whenever I buy a new box, before I "rely" on it, I'll fire a few rounds off that box just to make sure A) they put powder in the shells and B) make sure the primers ignite in that gun.

I also shoot a box or two in their entirety to make sure they feed reliably and I have a good feel for where they hit.

 

[Solo]

One thing you could do is alternate the rounds in your magazine so the first round you fire is a FMJ, the second is an HP, the third is FMJ, and so forth.

Whenever a HP round is chambered, you know it feeds properly. Then you eject it and shoot the FMJ chambered after it.

Repeat a few times, and at the end, take all your HP and shoot them.

It's not a substitute for shooting a good amount of HP rounds, but it allows you to test some aspects of how well your HP ammo feeds.

 

[Droid noob]

Thanks guys.

I was figuring most don't run over 40 or so rounds. I had purchased a LW 40-9 barrel and tested 30 of the zombie max through it. I feel I can trust this barrel. I even ran a few hundred fmj through it.

 

[texasgun]

2 magazines... but neither my Glock 21 /Glock 26 and my Wilson X-tac are picky when it comes to ammo anyway.

For the Wilson I load Wilson JHP so I would expect them to function anyway The Glocks eat anything I give them.

 

[shinyroks]

I figure factory loads are good at 2-3x per mag

I figure factory is good at 2-3x per mag you intend to carry. If you want to carry handloads, it is a whole different story. I figure 300+ rounds for HL...

 

[Trent]

I figure factory is good at 2-3x per mag you intend to carry. If you want to carry handloads, it is a whole different story. I figure 300+ rounds for HL...

Yup. Back when Remington Golden saber projectiles were (a lot) cheaper, I shot a few thousand of them at bowling pins and IPSC targets.

Because of this, I trust the handloads in the Glock on the nightstand completely; more than factory.

 

[TheDaywalkersDad]

2 boxes of HP after the gun is well broken in with ball ammo. 2 boxes of HP is just about all that I can afford for a test. If I had the money it would probably be a couple of hundred rounds whether it's necessary or not.
I have an associate that always brags that he only shoots hollowpoints in his M1911's because that's what he uses for self defense. This gentleman always tells everyone that his CCW and home defense weapons have thousands of rounds of HP through them. Seems kind of unnecessary to me. What happens when he gets the inevitable bobble? Does he have to run 2,000 more rounds through it before it's trusted again. The guy's family has money and he sometimes acts like the stereotypical wealthy gun.

 

[psyopspec]

Years ago when all ammo, including JHPs, were less expensive it used to be 200 for any gun that might be in a defensive role. Anything I've added to the rotation in the last couple years has admittedly gotten less, but I do still try to keep it close to 100 trouble free rounds of the intended carry ammo, plus a few hundred rounds of practice FMJ to test for general function.

 

[Creature]

I run at least each carry mag, full to capacity,...twice. If there are no problems from each mag, its cleared for carry.

 

[ACP]

I'll usually fire 5 or 6 rounds through my revolvers.

If they all go "bang" I carry them.

(I've never had them NOT all go "bang.")