How many rounds?

[boogalou]

How many rounds or range time will you put into a gun before you decide its not for you and decide to sell or trade it for something else. Or, to put it another way, do you consider yourself the type of person who is constantly trying different firearms or the one who has a bunch of "safe queens".

 

[Ala Dan]

My friend that is a very subjective question; at least
for me? Under normal conditions, I like to test drive
a new weapon to between 300-500 rounds; to see
whether or not we like each other.

I've had a few weapons that I really wanted to warm
up too; so I extended their probationary period only
to be dis-satisfied, and end up utlimately trading the
gun off. And I've had some (the Astra .357 magnum
comes to mind), that didn't make it through the first
box of ammo.

Heck, I even had a Smith & Wesson model 19 NIB
that wouldn't run as it came from the factory! Didn't
take long to get shed of it either! I informed a dealer
what the problem was, and he allowed me to trade
it in on a used S&W model 10. I was one happy dude!

All in all, I've had some damn good result's obtaining
quality products, that ran like they should. The
only weapon to have made a trip to a warranty repair
service center, was a Colt Trooper MK-III thats firing
pin bushing had moved forward ever so slightly; but
enough to bind the cylinder. Besides, those I can't
think of any other times that I've needed the services
of a 'smith!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Mikul]

If the problem is gross: the hammer bites my hand, the recoil is just plain painful, it's full of sharp edges that cut me. A gun like that would last 200 rounds. With more subtle problems: it's slow to reload, has cumbersome controls, or just feels too big. That gun could last 1,000 rounds, but it would only take me two months to do that.

 

[gbelleh]

If a gun doesn't pass my reliablity test (several hundred rounds of defensive ammo without a failure), but I still like the gun, it will enter the collection. Collection pieces may or may not be fired a lot, but they are only used for recreational shooting.

I generally don't sell or trade guns anymore.

 

[HSMITH]

0-2500, depends on what it is. I pick up some guns as trade bait and keep them for a while, I pick up some to play with for a while and dump, I pick up some to use, and I pick up some to keep. Lots of the trade bait never sees a single round fired, the ones I play with sometimes go several thousand rounds before I am 'done' with them and some see a box tops before they leave, the ones I use see thousands and thousands of rounds and get dumped or repaired when they get tired, the ones I keep are shot a little but not much over years.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

I am a willing tester for pieces I see that may perform a role in the overall strategy. I have one each of many different arms. I am still trying to find the magical piece or small group of pieces.

I have one out for warranty work (cylinder bind from the factory). That is the first time I have ever had a problem. All others work like they are supposed to. Whether I like them or not is a different matter. I have accumulated a few that probably need to find a new home.

However, they do fit a certain role and I loathe to get rid of a gun. I sold a few 10 years ago when poor and have regretted a few (Colt M4, S&W auto, Old Enfield) of them since.

I do not have any safe queens. They all get used regularly.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Pretty much the first time out I can tell if they are keepers or not.


All ditched right after the 1st time out:

S&W 66----gone
Sig 245---gone
Sig 230---gone
Beretta Cheetah 8?-----gone
Springfield M1A----gone


Most all of them function as promised----but it just doesn't capture the imagination or stir the soul----so to speak. P245 had problems---but was more break in issues than anything.

Sometimes they are hand stingers------sometimes it's ya it shoots---whatever-----time for something else.

I just know when I'll never shoot it again---so its gone.

 

[cratz2]

I think it depends on the gun and the situation...

Typically I say 200 rounds of FMJ to start the break in process and 300 rounds of your chosen carry ammo as an absolute minimum.

If I had no guns at all and I decided to buy a Glock 19, I'd clean and lube it, take it to the range with 200 rounds and wear it on the way home with confidence.

If it was something like one of the 11 Oz Smiths, I might not ever put 500 rounds through it but if the first 50 were perfectly trouble free and I didn't feel any binding or hesitation, I'd carry it.

If the only gun I could afford was a PT140 or PT145, and there were failures every time out, I might never feel confident in the gun.

I daily carry a Kahr P9 Covert. I've put at least 300 rounds of FMJ, about 580 rounds of Gold Dots and another 100 rounds of various ammo I was just checking out. Zero failures. I plan on replacing it with a Kahr TP9 sometime this year and I think I'll be making the change to the 127 Gr +P+ Rangers . I will want to put 300 rounds of the Rangers through the gun before I replace my known 100% reliable Kahr with the new one. Of course, Rangers ain't cheap and it will cost about $300 to do this.

 

[Renegade]

Every firearm I own, was purchased for an intended use. I don't buy any gun unless it feels like an extension of my hand.

Later,
Dave

 

[alwims]

Every firearm I own, was purchased for an intended use. I don't buy any gun unless it feels like an extension of my hand.

That's the way I feel when I buy a gun, BUT, it had better perform on the first box or two of shells or I'm looking for a buyer fast. Cost or brand name is also not as important as reliability. I've paid an awfull lot of money for pistols that didn't quite fit or shoot right for me and very little for some that fit like a glove and shot the X out all by themselves, (well almost).

 

[lee n. field]

A couple hundred rounds at least, then back to the manufacturer for service if it gives me any grief, which I've had to do a couple times.

After that, no set number of rounds, just a gradually growing body of experience that leads me to believe that any given gun will go bang when fired, and I can hit what I shoot at. Sometimes a gun will get demoted to safe denizen, as with my Taurus Model 66 with it's firing pin spring problems.

I've not yet gotten rid of any gun simply because I dislike it, even if it's otherwise reliable.

 

[caz223]

Even the crappiest POS can stumble through 100 rounds of practice ball ammo, esp. if it's brand new.
When I get a new pistol, I get 5 boxes of ammo, all different brands, and if I load for the caliber, I'll bring some shoot'emup reloads, too.
Point is, if you like it enough to shoot 300+ rounds in one outing, and it's reliable with all the brands of ammo, and consistantly accurate with at least one brand of ammo, it's a keeper.
Of course,the flinch monster sometimes rears his head after a couple hunderd rounds of magnum type loads, so accuracy testing after that would be kinda pointless, for me anyway.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Like Omaha-BeenGlockin,
Most of the time I know within the first few magazines if it's a keeper.

Some guns I'll give a few hundred rounds if I think they may need a little breaking in.

Some guns, like a Colt .380 Government Model I have, gives problems but I like it , so I keep it.