How many rounds does it take to "break in" a semi?

[Art Eatman]

Back before sticker shock got me out of the NIB deal, it seemed to take maybe around 200 rounds for the various mating surfaces to get burnished. Wasn't so much a reliability thing as smoothness. No big deal. I could tell a little difference after maybe four boxes of ammo, but they always went Bang okay. Maybeso a bit more lube, early on, and okay when a bit drier, later. Nothing I ever worried about...

 

[TXHORNS]

I prefer to call it a "grace period." I dont like or have a use for guns that act up past a few hundred rounds. Depending on the gun, I may give it more or less time to get its act together. A gun like an HK gets a few mags - if it aint 100% after that something is probably wrong. Other guns such as tight 1911s may get more time to "break-in," especially if the factory says they need it. If I have problems after my grace period, i either send it back to the factory for repair or sell it, based on how much I liked shooting it.

Keep in mind this grace period just decides if I plan on keeping it for a while. If the gun is meant for home defense or carry, it must be able to shoot defense loads no problem too. By the time I put enough defense loads through it to be happy carrying it, it probably has 750 to 1000 total rounds through it with 100% reliability. But I shoot alot so this comes quick and I love every second of it.

 

[1911Tuner]

Gee, I guess maybe because they where put together so sloppy and loose a cat could crawl between the slide and frame.

Original GI 45's were not loose enough for a cat to crawl between the frame and slide, but the mice used to hide there for safety.

Sheepdip.

Apparently neither one of ya have had your hands on one that wasn't worn completely out.

They weren't sloppy loose and they weren't inaccurate. While the WW2-era pistols built after 1941 were a bit looser than their WW1-era counterparts...they weren't rattle-trap loose by any definition of the term.