Do you 'break 'em in?'

[C0untZer0]

I don't believe a pistol should have a break-in period, my HK P7M8 worked right out of the box and I think that's the way it should be.

I wanted a Kahr CM9 though and I wanted to have confidence in it, I didn't want to have problems that shook my confidence in it.

I did almost everything that Jocko on KahrTalk recommends doing for break in. I cleaned the CM9, including using non-chlorinated brake cleaner in the striker channel. I manually cycled the slide 500 times.

Yes I actually manually cycled the slide 500 times.

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?1521-Proper-prep-of-a-new-kahr&highlight=break

I noticed on Kahr Talk the the guys who reported problems with the CM9 or PM9 on the first range trip were shooting cheap 115gr WWB ammo. So I decided to use "NATO" ammo for the first few hundred rounds. When I say NATO - I mean 124gr FMJ rated at or near 1200 fps from a 5" barrel. Fifty rounds of the Winchester Ranger RA9124N (NATO) and 200 rounds of the Georgia Arms 124gr "NATO" I considered those 250 rounds the "Break In" rounds. Even after that, I put 50 rounds of 123gr ZQI “NATO” FMJ. The ZQI isn't +P but it isn't weak ammo either.

If I would have started out with 115gr Blazzer Brass and gotten a stovepipe with the first mag, it would have shook my confidence in the gun. As it is, my CM9 now fires 115gr WWB without a hitch. I trust my CM9 and "transport" carry it Illinois where concealed carry is prohibited.

 

[Encoreman]

I don't believe a pistol should have a break-in period

Well it is like this a pistol like most firearms have metal to metal contact and due to the fact that humans are fallible there could be some surfaces that are not as smooth as they need to be to work flawlessly. My most famous quote is if it was made with human hands it isn't if but when it will fail.

 

[SteadyD]

With autoloaders I am mostly testing to see if it is susceptible to limp-wristing. If after 200 or 300 rounds I can still induce a limp-wrist stoppage I won’t consider it to be sufficiently reliable. There are too many autoloaders that aren’t prone to limp-wresting for me to settle for one that is.

 

[C0untZer0]

due to the fact that humans are infallible there could be some surfaces that are not as smooth as they need to be to work flawlessly.

I think you meant to say fallible not infallible. I'm not trying to be the grammar police, its no big deal, we all make mistakes.

 

[nettlle]

For self defense I carry a 1911 9mm Commander. I reload and for SD loads I use Speer Gold Dots. I also use RMR MPR bullets as a less costly Speer Gold Dot practice round clone. I'll run a couple of hundred rounds of these bullets though the new carry gun and if they run well all is good. 1911's need to be run wet for the first few hundred rounds. One last thing with 1911's is to always fill new mags and let them set loaded for a couple of weeks. That's my break in.

 

[American Finn]

I understand where some folks believe that a pistol shouldn't have a break in period; on the other hand my 2021 Chevy Silverado specifically says in the owners manual not to tow, haul heavy loads, make hard stops if avoidable, etc. within the first 1000 miles. So, having said that, yes, I do "break" my new handgun(s) in before carrying them. I shoot at least 200-300 rounds out of them before carrying it for CCW or backpacking; they have to work flawlessly for me to do so and so far I haven't had a problem. However, to each his own and whatever works for you go with it.

 

[CapnMac]

are ready for duty out of the box. “Break in” is a perception vice a rule

Yes, there are many arms you can take out of a box and shoot.
I will make a contention that a given person will have a finite time required to become fully familiar with an individual weapon.

A person would expect to zero a rifle that was new out of the box. "Zeroing" a pistol is as much about developing muscle memory as any other thing.

I would consider myself reasonably well schooled on 1911s. And, I would (and do, generally) expect them to work out of the box. Exactly how they work, though, is in that dance between my experience, the individual fit, and the selected ammo.

tl;dr--"break in" works both ways, both shooter and firearm

 

[jag1954]

I shoot on average 200 rounds initially to get a 'feel' for my handguns then 50 or so rounds per week.

 

[Garandimal]

For Glocks - will generally hold the pistols upside down and rack the slide a few hundred times.

This simulates recoil forces on the moving parts and will knock off the sharp edges that usually catch, and seat the chamber/hood interfaces, as well as exercise the RSA a little.

Then, like everything else, a coupla boxes of carry-wt. ball, followed by every carry mag at least twice w/ carry ammo.




GR

 

[webrx]

I do break in target rifles, more out of habit than anything else, I have a routine I follow for these, so far, so good doing that, and I have a good bunch of moa or better rifles. Maybe this is a waste of time, but, it is what I do, and for me it has been worth doing.

If i buy a gun specifically for it to be a carry gun, it gets a cleaning and oiling and some dry firing (usually with snap caps) before going to the range, then it is a box of FMJ, and a box of HP reloads, followed by a couple mags of carry ammo. I shoot and check each profile and each mag will work. So, by the time this is done, I usually have around two hundred rounds down range, and am either confident or not with the gun.

My 1911, had a problem within the first mag, fired but would not go back into battery, had to push it forward, took it back apart, found the issue, cleaned up the burr, cleaned and oiled it heavy, after that, and a hundred rounds through it, so far trouble free. I'll probably shoot another hundred through it again before I will consider carrying it.

d

 

[John Joseph]

Function check, sure.
But no break in unless it is a match gun with tight tolerances that need running in according to factory instructions.

 

[Rexster]

Not so much break-in, as function-test. I want to shoot any new-to-me firearm rapidly, to get it really warm, to reveal any parts that were not properly heat-treated. I have had two pistols with parts that badly warped, the first time they got warm. One was a slide and/or frame, that twisted, and locked together, so it became a warranty exchange for a whole new pistol. The other was an extractor, which I tuned and replaced, myself, rather than deal with a return.

1911 pistols are their own category. I have generally fired 500 rounds of high-quality FMJ, followed my 200+ rounds of a premium JHP, to get a statistically meaningful sample. This assumes that everything does well. A good Colt Government Model might hiccup a few times in the first 200 rounds, but them be fine, afterwards. I went though three Kimbers, and multiple thousands of rounds, trying different magazines, and replacing parts, to arrive at one street-reliable Kimber. (These were 1997-1999 Kimbers, during their so-called “good” times.)

One of my Gen3 G22 duty Glocks was quite the drama queen, during the time Glock Inc was still denying there was a problem. I replaced the mag springs with heavier Wolff springs, which solved the problem.

Some revolvers cylinders will expand, upon getting really hot, enough to inhibit rotation, until things cool down. It never happened to me, but it has happened to people personally known to me.

 

[bassjam]

When I first started shooting I subscribed to the common "500 rounds" that I used to read so much about in various articles. I think I only did that once.

Now it's 200 rounds of fmj, followed by a 25 round box of defense ammo which is easy to do in a short range trip. Doesn't matter if it's a revolver or semi-auto or if I bought the gun new or used, I want to be comfortable knowing the gun will perform.

I've had some 25 handguns that I've owned, ignoring the break-in for the .22's, only two centerfire handguns had any sort of failure. The first was an lcp that had a couple failures in the first 30 rounds which I attributed to a break-in for such a small gun, and never another issue until it was north of the 1,000 round mark where i permanently locked up. No issues with the replacement lcp. The second was a Glock 23 that had several failures over the course of 1500 rounds. It liked to split the brass and required a dowel rod to remove, and this was around the time of all the "unsupported chamber" talk. That was my first center fire handgun and I didn't know if that was the issue or if it was out of spec, but I never shot the gun well to begin with so I got rid of it.

 

[AZAndy]

Dan Wesson said to run a minimum of a hundred rounds to break in the 1911 due to tight tolerances and stainless steel construction, with frequent over-application of lube, so that's what I did. Ran another couple hundred after that with normal lube application and frequent checks to make sure there was no galling on the slide rails, and then started carrying it.

With new revolvers, I'll run through a couple of loadings to make sure function is okay, and start carrying. With old revolvers, well, that's a different story. I do check under the sideplate on those.

 

[Dudedog]

Yes,
I can't imagine buying a new pistol and going to the range with it and not shooting at least 100 rounds if not more
Rifles and shotguns get at least a box of shells first range trip, usually more.

This has worked out for me most of the time no issues but found the following

New Sig P226 Dark Elite, front sight fell out somewhere in box #2
Kahr P380, was not happy with anything less than full power reloads until it had a couple 100 rounds thru it.

For a pistol I am going to trust my life to I buy 3 or 4 boxes of SD ammo (at the same time, hopefully same lot) and shoot at least one to make sure the gun is happy with the ammo.

 

[WheelGunMan]

I give a new semiauto a thorough cleaning and inspection to gain familiarity with it. I cycle its freshly oiled slide several hundred times and put it thru a dry fire routine. Then I take it to the range and put a minimum of 100 rounds of mixed ammo thru it. If it does all without a hiccup I give it a pass.

 

[unclenunzie]

For revolvers I shoot a few cylinders after inspection and initial clean and lube. For semi autos top tier brands get fewer rounds through them then middling brands, but all get a close inspection, dry fire function testing, clean and lube before hand. As a sample I expect to run another 100 fmj of various types through my new P365XL before running a few mags of carry ammo. It's well made and authorized for carry by several large city police departments. I'm fine with carrying it so long as it continues flawlessly.

 

[JoeHenry]

Maybe 20 rounds of the ammo I intend to carry. That’s on a semi auto. If it is a J frame Smith, it goes right in the carry holster.

 

[P5 Guy]

Fixed sight revolvers need to be fired to confirm POA/POI with the intended ammunition.

 

[JR24]

Yeah, I do, sort of. I don't have a round limit or anything these days but I won't carry a gun until I've taken it to the range a few times.

Since new guns, especially new possibly carry guns, get me all excited, those first few range trips tend to be high round count as I get to know a new gun.

Even a Glock or 1911 has little differences in feel and trigger that I like to spend some time with and make sure they shoot how I expect a CCW to. Usually quite a bit of dry fire the first week too as I get, as I said, pretty excited about a new gun.

I do find some things out, like both my Gen 5 Glock 19s didn't like my 147 grain flat point reloads loaded to 1.13" (for my 9mm 1911 at the time) at all, and when I had a BHP it really hated any 147 grain ammo, accuracy was pure garbage. So once I figured that out, I knew which JHP to feed it for carry, for the couple years I carried it.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I buy a can of WholeSale Ammo/Miwal reloads with the most basic projectile and then have at it wringing out both the gun and the magazines.

No real structure or purpose but to be certain that I like the gun and can trust the magazines if semi-auto.

With new guns (rare for me), I specifically look for other owners' experienced concerns should I need to exercise a warranty issue.

Todd.

 

[DR505]

The break-in period for my first issue Glock 22 was 4,000 rounds....the amount we fired at the academy prior to graduation! Every other issue Glock was a function check, then 50 rounds to qualify with it.

 

[Elkins45]

The thing to remember with autoloaders is that you're testing a system of gun, magazine, ammo and shooter. I would want to see all them working together for at least a couple hundred rounds before I would confidently carry the gun. For a revolver it's really just the gun and ammo you are testing, so fewer rounds are needed to verify function.

For the gun I carry most often it's sort of a moot point because I've been carrying the same gun and ammo combination for 17+ years now. It's seen a lot more than 200 rounds. Interestingly I did discover a couple of years ago that I was getting the occasional failure to eject (once every couple of mags and only with my normal carry ammo) that had never happened before. A complete spring replacement and a new extractor was needed in order to fix the issue. I'm glad the problem was discovered on the range during routine testing and not in a real emergency!

One of the reasons I have hesitated to jump on the latest bandwagon of the micro compact guns is because I don't want to go to the trouble and expense of assuring it is reliable using ammo I can't replace.

 

[psyopspec]

The ideal for me is a case of ammo and 200 of the intended carry round. Ideally this would be done at a class to wring out the pistol and get acquainted with it in a variety of conditions beyond a square range.

My minimum before trusting a gun for carry is half of each of those numbers.

 

[ThomasT]

I think breaking in a gun with several hundred rounds of ammo is just a rumor started by ammo companies.