How many rounds down range before you consider yours reliable?

[ScareyH22A]

I've put 500rds down range on my Kahr PM9 using WWB and haven't had a single FTF or FTE. I consider it to be reliable with factory range ammo. Locally, we can't use JHP at our range so the Speer Gold Dots that I chamber for carry, I have no idea how those will feed. But hopefully very well.

What's your criteria to consider your gun as being reliable? I know some of you literally have tens of thousands of rounds in your gun but that's not what I'm asking for.

Have you guys had a gun that shot like 999 rounds with no failures then all of a sudden on your 1000th, click but no bang? Would you consider that firearm reliable?

 

[geronimo509]

200 minimum FMJ's and at least 100 of my defensive load (JHP's)

Just because FMJ's work in your firearm doesn't mean that the Gold Dots will!

You NEED to find a range and test fire at the very least 4 mags full of the defensive load that your going to carry in your gun.

I'm not trying to sound like an... but you need to make sure the HP's work before you carry them.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

500 TMJ's and 100 Gold Dots.

So far I had three problems due to operator,newbiegun owner error.

As far as Im concerned my gun is good to go any time. Just takes a little TLC each week.

 

[CWL]

500. Just my opinion. Preferably all JHPs if this is going to be a SD firearm.

 

[Dan Crocker]

With my Colt 1911, it took about a thousand rounds before I trusted it. With my XD and Glock, I've fired tons and I'm still waiting for a reason not to trust them!

 

[WardenWolf]

I'd consider a firearm reliable with that type of ammo once I've fired a full box of 50 with no malfunctions whatsoever. If I had a firearm that went 1000:1, chances are that one problem would be an ammo problem, not the gun itself. Unless you handload, you can't control getting a bad round. And you shouldn't handload for self-defense. Too many legal liabilities.

 

[Mags]

100 rounds in a polymer and 600-800 in a 1911.
I found polymers seem to not have a break in period so I just like to put 100 rounds down range to ensure I am comfortable with the performance of the gun. I will not carry a gun for self defense until I shoot it no matter how good the gun's rep, is you can always find a lemon.

 

[TestPilot]

Minimum of 200 consecutive malfunction free operation with non-training only ammunition.

1000 rounds of FMJ don't mean a thing if it jamms on the first JHP.

 

[harmon rabb]

i had shot over 1,000 rounds through my sig 226, no problems, until today. it stovepiped once, using federal ammo no less. the gun was just cleaned as well.

 

[10-Ring]

IN my semi autos, I normally go 1000 rounds made up of at least 750 fmj & 250 JHP w/o cleaning gun and as quickly as possible

 

[Zerodefect]

I don't expect to trust my guns until they've had at least 100 HP rounds and 300 FMJ.

How I get to those #'s is important to. I don't shoot more than 100 rounds per range trip per gun. I clean my gun after each range trip. I don't go for the run the gun for 500 without cleaning to see how reliable it is. I only carry 20-30 rounds.

If the gun jams on a nappy FMJ round that deosn't count, or if it jams on a chunk of charcoal......If it jams on ANY good HP round that count starts over.

I like to see 100 rounds of perfection every month from my main carry piece. I don't shoot my carry ammo too often once I know the first 100 work well. I do shoot the amo I have been carrying every other month just to get rid of old carry ammo.

It deosn't have to be too scientific, the troublesome guns and ammo will allways show up if you shoot enough. Practice makes perfect for reliability to.

 

[TheVirginian]

I just go with a few hundred rounds of any type. I generally keep in the mag the current tested ammo, so it isn't a problem.

If I was to want to keep a specific type in there, I'd run at least 5 or 6 through and mix one of the usual target stuff in to see if it handled the change in pressures well. That test would be rapid fire. If it'll work for hundreds of rounds and then fire the choice ammo in a rapid manner in a mixed ammo mag, it'll feed the stuff reliably one at a time unless you have a spotty ammo issue. If it's just bad ammo, you'll have to have sorted that already or deal with it at a very bad time...
-Bill

 

[Knightrider03m]

300 rounds.

My gun jammed only 3 times. Once was on my very 1st mag. the other one was between 17-100 rounds. The next one was between 100-150 rounds. Now my gun can throw out any rounds that I buy, including my carry rounds which are federal and black hills. My gun is still a baby, it only has 600 rounds through it

 

[AK103K]

Mine are SIG's, I just open the box, its already reliable.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I think 200 rounds jam free is an OK number. It needs to be for THAT ammo, and with THOSE mags.

Don't trust mags you havent tested just as thoroughly.

I would not ASSUME that gold dots will feed just because FMJ's do.

 

[greenjeans]

And we complain about Kahr asking for a 200 round break-in period.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

And we complain about Kahr asking for a 200 round break-in period.

We are not talking about break in. I think most here are assuming the gun is broken in, or at least doesnt need to be broken in.

We are talking about when you consider a gun reliable with specific ammo.

Big difference.

 

[loop]

If it feeds two mags of WCs it will probably feed anything. So, I go two mags of WCs and then go to hardball. If it feeds a box of hardball and then takes a couple of mags of 185 flying ashtrays it's good to go.

I'll take it out for one more range session after I've taken it home and cleaned and inspected all the parts, but if it doesn't fail in those first two outings it isn't going to rail until I wear something out.

My final check is to see how I perform with that gun under pressure so I will take it to the next IDPA match. If I come away from that feeling comfortable, it is a potential carry gun.

Bear in mind that shooting one round at a time at a target is a lot different than hitting three targets in the A zone three times against the clock. When that is the case you are not only testing the gun for function at speed, but also how the sights line up for you under stress and how well it points.

I am an IDPA RO and some of the claims I see about how guns perform are just plain outrageous. I see the same types of guns on the firing line every other week. We time the shooter and score the targets. Reality sinks in real fast when you are standing in front of 20 people who are watching every move you make and there is no margin for error.

You'd be amazed how often I've heard "It's never done that before" at matches.

The true test goes far beyond round count. Shoot 10,000 from the bench and I still don't trust it. Shoot 50 in a match without a hitch and it's a shooter.

 

[Dark Skies]

I assume my rifle(s) being brand new, is / are reliable until proven otherwise. If there is a problem it generally appears right out of the box or years into it's life (wear).

In fact, thinking on it, the only problem I've had with a rifle (new) was with my Amscor .22 AK-alike.

Five rounds in I was getting misfeeding problems. I correctly determined that rounds were binding on the lips of the magazine and did a bit of work with a Swiss file. Job done. A few magazines in I deem the gun to be reliable.

 

[Mr.510]

I won't carry a weapon for defense until it has flawlessly eaten 200 consecutive rounds of the exact ammo I'm going to carry in it. Half of those rounds through my primary magazine and half through the refill. That said, I wouldn't be very comfortable starting that 200 round test on any new gun prior to at least 500 rounds of FMJ. Two trips to the range with FMJ to get familiar with the gun and one trip to get comfy with the way the carry ammo shoots sounds about right to me.

 

[Glockensig]

Mine are SIG's, I just open the box, its already reliable.

Amen brother!! I have a P229 in .357 sig with almost 5,000 rounds thru it and only one failure to feed. I have had numerous failures to fire.... but then, I have shot 60+ different factory loads ( or factory reloads ) through it - and most of you wouldn't recognize the names of the brands that had failures-to-fire. One thing I have realized over the years is that - no matter how great the gun, it can't overcome bad ammo!! I have a Ruger P89 that has been virtually flawless, but one day I shot a box of Winchester SXT ( you know- premium self defense ammo ) and 12 rounds out of the 20 failed to cycle the slide. The bullet went downrange but the slide didn't even move!

 

[theken206]

1000 rounds fmj and 200 jhp

 

[jocko]

TAP, RACK BANG. one of the reasons one should train also. Guns can malfunction for what ever reason, doesn't mean it is an unreliable gun, bad ammo, contents, insufficient cleaning etc, shooter error,,, practice for it. Revolvers malfunction also, for the above same reasons. I trust all of my 9mm auto, completly...

 

[TG13]

the amount of rounds that it takes to stop the threat, is when i'll truly trust my pistol..

you can have 10K rounds of various types through your carry pistol.. and have one bad round cause a malfunction when you specifically need your pistol to work.. and it's not the pistol's fault, but the firearm did not function all the same..

so, regardless of how many rounds you have down range out of your carry, you still stand a chance of it malfunctioning exactly when you need it the most.. and this is where training and stress familiarity with your pistol comes into play..

you'll just get shot until you get your firearm to function, or die..

 

[Kleanbore]

Hornady Critical Defense in M&P9c?

Becomes problematical to put 200 rounds of ammunition through each magazine at $1.00 per shot when you are limited to 25 rounds per customer when it happens to be on the shelf when you come in. I wouldn't trust my life to anything I had not tried but that's pretty extensive testing, IMHO.

This is the first time I've ever heard of such extensive testing, but in the old days one ever heard of a reputable pistol manufacturer calling for break-in, either. Back in the day, I never saw a new American or Belgian pistol jam with commercial ammunition. That was ball ammo in those days. War-time Lugers jammed all the time, but Colts, Smiths (early single-column), and Brownings never seemed to cause problems.

One question: what about transferability of other people's results?

And--has anyone fired Hornady Critical Defense ammo in a Smith & Wesson M&P9c? Results?