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Does a Pistol have to be broken-in

Posted on 9/3/21 at 12:02 pm
Posted by hogdaddy
Krotz Springs
Member since Feb 2010
5153 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 12:02 pm
I know a pistols does indeed have a break-in procedure but, ole Braw at Academy was telling a lady with a new pistol she didn't need to because all guns should shoot all the time when new. He Also said he was a Ranger.

How many rounds would you say 100 , 200 , 500?
Posted by bbvdd
Memphis, TN
Member since Jun 2009
24986 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 12:07 pm to
depends on the gun.

But, a gun should be run and tested (several hundred rounds) prior to using it to rely on your life.
This post was edited on 9/3/21 at 12:11 pm
Posted by thegreatboudini
Member since Oct 2008
6452 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 12:07 pm to
From my experience it is less than that.

Every failure I've had in a centerfire pistol has come in the first 2 magazines fired out of the gun.
Posted by Flats
Member since Jul 2019
21763 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 12:55 pm to
quote:

I know a pistols does indeed have a break-in procedure but, ole Braw at Academy was telling a lady with a new pistol she didn't need to because all guns should shoot all the time when new. He Also said he was a Ranger.

How many rounds would you say 100 , 200 , 500?


You should shoot 200 rounds through it so you know it's reliable and that you can trust it. Breaking in is just an added bonus, and typically the only thing that "breaks in" enough to even notice is the trigger.

quote:

He Also said he was a Ranger.


Even if true, a lot of military shooters, even upper echelon, don't care about guns. It's not the norm, but those people do exist. To them a gun is just a tool and they don't care about anything other than it working properly. They don't care about the mechanics any more than they care about how their Aimpoint works, they just want it to work.
Posted by TigerDeacon
West Monroe, LA
Member since Sep 2003
29301 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 1:05 pm to
I'm not a pistol guy, I only shoot them at hogs I have trapped, but I have never heard of a pistol needing to be "broken-in".
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
13881 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 1:12 pm to
I always take the slide off and put a little oil in the right places. Fire a few hundred rounds, and you should be good.

Now, if it's a Kimber......................
Posted by dawg23
Baton Rouge, La
Member since Jul 2011
5065 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 2:24 pm to
ALL handguns should have AT LEAST a box of self defense ammo through them to make sure it will reliably handle that ammo.

Kahr recommends either 200 or 300 rounds to “ break in” their pistols (I forget which it is, but it's in the owner's manual).

M&P, Glock and H-K PROBABLY don’t need testing/break in— but it’s still a good idea and we all need to practice.

ETA: Corrected my phone's "auto-correct" crap. Kahr is the company that recommends breaking in their pistols.
This post was edited on 9/5/21 at 9:50 am
Posted by AU_Nomad
AL
Member since May 2021
313 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 2:42 pm to
Nah however you should get familiarized with it's functionality though.
Posted by LSU316
Rice and Easy Baby!!!
Member since Nov 2007
29289 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 2:42 pm to
quote:

a gun should be run and tested (several hundred rounds) prior to using it to rely on your life.


Realistically if you are relying on a gun to defend you life then you probably should be running it at least 100 round or so a month at very least....if not more.
Posted by Scoob
Near Exxon
Member since Jun 2009
20388 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:16 pm to
quote:

Nah however you should get familiarized with it's functionality though.

I have several pistols... maybe if you're talking some very tight 1911, break it in.

But generally, a handgun should RUN. If you get jams or failures, there's likely something wrong. Things might get smoother, but it shouldn't be something you need to worry about.

I DO agree, you want to shoot it enough to ensure it DOES run, and that it does like the ammo choices you have, at the very least. Shooting it enough to be familiar/second nature for a point-shoot with reasonable accuracy is recommended.
Posted by armsdealer
Member since Feb 2016
11502 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:20 pm to
Always test fire a gun, I run 50-100 rounds of defense ammo in any new carry gun. Guns that are toys, I wouldn’t worry about much, but for defense 250-500 rounds of range ammo then another box or two of defense ammo is absolutely a best practice.
Posted by TigerstuckinMS
Member since Nov 2005
33687 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:43 pm to
That guy's kinda sorta half right. It should shoot fine right out of the box and, if it's a reputable brand, it should shoot reliably right out of the box. However, there are brands that may or may not fire fine or reliably right out of the box. Any gun, however, will wear in and operate more smoothly after a few hundred rounds. Incidentally, I don't think you should trust your life on a gun until you put several hundred rounds through it.

I usually clean a gun when I get it and then put at least 500 rounds through it without cleaning. If it doesn't misfire in that time, I'm good to go carrying it after a good cleaning.
This post was edited on 9/3/21 at 4:47 pm
Posted by eatpie
Kentucky
Member since Aug 2018
1132 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:58 pm to
If its a new gun to you, putting 200 rounds through it is foreplay. You need to get that thing HOT. You should be able to find its special places without thinking. Mag release etc.

Posted by hogdaddy
Krotz Springs
Member since Feb 2010
5153 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 5:39 pm to
So I should treat it like my Girlfriend not my Wife. :)
Posted by Scoob
Near Exxon
Member since Jun 2009
20388 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 6:03 pm to
People seem to be talking about 2 separate things here... verifying the gun runs, is NOT breaking it in.

You SHOULD confirm it runs. But it SHOULD run right out of the box, unless it's some tight-fitted 1911 or similar. If it's a duty/self protection gun, tolerances should be fine. If you're consistently having problems a couple mags in, I'd say you have a lemon and need to replace it.
Posted by thejudge
Westlake, LA
Member since Sep 2009
14057 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 7:03 pm to
My Kahr specifically states 200 rounds break in.

Has been awesome ever since. Even the break in was fine.
Posted by SoFla Tideroller
South Florida
Member since Apr 2010
30106 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 8:34 pm to
It’s the shooter that needs to be broken in, not the pistol.
Posted by Lsutigerturner
Member since Dec 2016
5796 posts
Posted on 9/3/21 at 9:22 pm to
Breaking in is just to smoth out the action aka round of some of the sharp edges and polish the feed ramp. It will polish up the barrel a bit if there are any burrs may open up the group then tighten it back down. But it shouldn't really be noticeable with a pistol.
Posted by biglego
Ask your mom where I been
Member since Nov 2007
76309 posts
Posted on 9/4/21 at 7:47 am to
My Canik did have to be broken in. Had some failure to eject issues in the first 100 rounds. Once the spring loosened up, no issues at all.
Posted by upgrayedd
Lifting at Tobin's house
Member since Mar 2013
134860 posts
Posted on 9/4/21 at 8:54 am to
I believe my Gen 4 Glock came with a specific grease for a "break in" period. Like others have said, it's probably mostly to smooth out some parts with sharp edges from the manufacturing process.
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