KiltedClaymore
Member
and how did that turn out Eric? first time you take it out it wont play nice(meaning: not work well)?
Normal break in, or serious QC issue?
- Thread starter Tirod
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Mcuraddoc
Member
OK, I'm guilty. I expect a brand-new piece of equipment that cost hundreds of dollars to function flawlessly with minimal cleaning/maintenance for at least several years.
Agreed...
Agreed...
Um no my first 1911 worked great with ball, I dumped a lot of mods into it then sold it to upgrade to a double stack. I didnt know any shooters so I didnt know about break in I just shot it and it worked. I had to do some mods for swc and JHP to work.
KiltedClaymore
Member
glad to hear it! 
imma still stick with my cheap ugly guns though.
imma still stick with my cheap ugly guns though.
Normal break-in imo shouldn't be more than 3-4 boxes of shells.
When I had to deal with manufacturers on behalf of customers, the 'shoot another 500 rounds to see if it fixes it' CS was infuriating at best - telling a customer they need to spend another $150 on .45 ammo to 'maybe' get their $800 gun to work doesn't fly real well.
Yes, many problems are user-related, especially 1911s and smaller autos. But when lemons occur, I want the S&W and Sig service of old: they take it back, fix it, and make it right or replace it.
If a gun is finicky enough that it requires specialty ammo etc, it should IMO be on the hang tag provided by the manufacturer.
When I had to deal with manufacturers on behalf of customers, the 'shoot another 500 rounds to see if it fixes it' CS was infuriating at best - telling a customer they need to spend another $150 on .45 ammo to 'maybe' get their $800 gun to work doesn't fly real well.
Yes, many problems are user-related, especially 1911s and smaller autos. But when lemons occur, I want the S&W and Sig service of old: they take it back, fix it, and make it right or replace it.
If a gun is finicky enough that it requires specialty ammo etc, it should IMO be on the hang tag provided by the manufacturer.
Arkady
Member
I'm not a big believer in break-in periods.
When I spend my hard-earned money on a new gun, I expect that the maker's quality control department is not staffed by idiots.
It had better work right the first time. Do I still test it to be sure? Yes. Am I more forgiving of failures in the first few rounds? Yes. But that still means that your QC screwed up. That's why I don't own Kel-Tecs anymore: You ARE their QC department.
When I spend my hard-earned money on a new gun, I expect that the maker's quality control department is not staffed by idiots.
It had better work right the first time. Do I still test it to be sure? Yes. Am I more forgiving of failures in the first few rounds? Yes. But that still means that your QC screwed up. That's why I don't own Kel-Tecs anymore: You ARE their QC department.
Comparing electronic/electric devices to mechanical ones is not apples to apples. The whole point of electrical stuff is to be able to factory check operation before shipment, and decrease mechanical setup and break-in to reduce customers perceived quality issues. Still, computers and lap tops are run in for 24hrs to see if they keep working.
I note that a lot of electric stuff on cars fails a lot earlier than the motor at 250K miles. Starters, alternators, fuel injectors, fuel pumps, sensors, door locks, windows, CD units, etc just stop when they go bad. But, the motor still runs, transmission still shifts, differential still turns the wheels, so there it is on the used car lot, waiting for the next user. Gun stores are full of the same, 98k's, old revolvers, 1965 lever actions still going bang every time. Not always pretty, missing a sight elevator maybe, but still functional.
My 1966 17 transistor radio, however, is a piece of junk. Sure, it still gets a signal and makes audio. I don't see many old used electronics filling up a trade paper to sell nationwide. Mechanical guns, cars, yeah.
Electronics is a new age pacifier, and sets up unwarranted expectations. Mechanical devices actually last far longer and give better service - when you break them in right. Demanding that they perform out of the box with perfect performance at the lowest possible cost is unreasonable.
If Suzy Q does buy a 1911 for immediate personable protection - as an IDPA champion, she would go shoot 200 rounds out of it to ensure herself it works right - it's a professional habit that has been explained far longer than she has lived. George Nonte didn't write to do that by making it up himself, he learned it in the '50's/'60's . And when multiple suppliers made 1911's, it was common knowledge that all mechanical devices had to be broken in to get the parts worn into a working relationship. Malfunctions were expected - and owners a lot more experienced at getting over it. It was new. After awhile, it earned the "old, trusty, reliable" moniker, or it was gotten rid of.
Yesterdays common knowledge is no longer applied, nor sometimes even applicable, but the common sense still stands. Demanding something new out of the box to be 100% reliable without any proof it can - especially if it involves your life - is unrealistic.
So, expect a few teething problems with a new gun, regardless of the hype about the brand. It should give far longer service than the cassette player in your 75 Dodge New Yorker. Should you still have one.
I note that a lot of electric stuff on cars fails a lot earlier than the motor at 250K miles. Starters, alternators, fuel injectors, fuel pumps, sensors, door locks, windows, CD units, etc just stop when they go bad. But, the motor still runs, transmission still shifts, differential still turns the wheels, so there it is on the used car lot, waiting for the next user. Gun stores are full of the same, 98k's, old revolvers, 1965 lever actions still going bang every time. Not always pretty, missing a sight elevator maybe, but still functional.
My 1966 17 transistor radio, however, is a piece of junk. Sure, it still gets a signal and makes audio. I don't see many old used electronics filling up a trade paper to sell nationwide. Mechanical guns, cars, yeah.
Electronics is a new age pacifier, and sets up unwarranted expectations. Mechanical devices actually last far longer and give better service - when you break them in right. Demanding that they perform out of the box with perfect performance at the lowest possible cost is unreasonable.
If Suzy Q does buy a 1911 for immediate personable protection - as an IDPA champion, she would go shoot 200 rounds out of it to ensure herself it works right - it's a professional habit that has been explained far longer than she has lived. George Nonte didn't write to do that by making it up himself, he learned it in the '50's/'60's . And when multiple suppliers made 1911's, it was common knowledge that all mechanical devices had to be broken in to get the parts worn into a working relationship. Malfunctions were expected - and owners a lot more experienced at getting over it. It was new. After awhile, it earned the "old, trusty, reliable" moniker, or it was gotten rid of.
Yesterdays common knowledge is no longer applied, nor sometimes even applicable, but the common sense still stands. Demanding something new out of the box to be 100% reliable without any proof it can - especially if it involves your life - is unrealistic.
So, expect a few teething problems with a new gun, regardless of the hype about the brand. It should give far longer service than the cassette player in your 75 Dodge New Yorker. Should you still have one.
3KillerBs
Member
Tirod, that's nonsense.
If a mechanical device can't work without a "break-in" then the thing is poorly designed and the manufacturer should be compensating for their inability to create a solid piece of machinery from the get-go by doing the "break-in" in the factory.
For something comparable in price and greater in complexity: How many boards do you expect to mess up "breaking-in" a new table saw? How may times do you expect your new riding mower to fail to start or to fail to actually cut the grass before its "broken in".
ANYTHING bought brand new ought to work flawlessly first time out. That's what brand new is about -- not yet subjected to the wear and tear that causes malfunctions.
In the days when parts were made by hand there might have been some justification for a break-in period because humans are not capable of consistent perfection. But in the day of computer-controlled machinery capable of working to microscopic tolerances there's simply no excuse.
If a mechanical device can't work without a "break-in" then the thing is poorly designed and the manufacturer should be compensating for their inability to create a solid piece of machinery from the get-go by doing the "break-in" in the factory.
For something comparable in price and greater in complexity: How many boards do you expect to mess up "breaking-in" a new table saw? How may times do you expect your new riding mower to fail to start or to fail to actually cut the grass before its "broken in".
ANYTHING bought brand new ought to work flawlessly first time out. That's what brand new is about -- not yet subjected to the wear and tear that causes malfunctions.
In the days when parts were made by hand there might have been some justification for a break-in period because humans are not capable of consistent perfection. But in the day of computer-controlled machinery capable of working to microscopic tolerances there's simply no excuse.
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