First hand gun break in?

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215Match

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Hey guys, this is my first post here and I know it's going to start a little bit of debate.

So I recently purchased my first handgun and I'm awaiting its arrival(Sig P226). Before I hit the range I wanted to know what is the accepted break in procedures to go through. I know with my rifles I was taught to shoot a round, clean, shoot a round, clean etc for the first 20 rounds or so giving lots of cool down time in between. But the old guy who got me into rifles has no experience with handguns. So what's everyone opinion?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Yes I have my range membership, hard cases, locks, ATT, etc. Just waiting impatiently for it to get here!
 
Strip and clean the gun of factory lube. Check for burrs etc. Lubricate properly then shoot as many rounds out of it as you wish. I usually clean guns after each session.
Some guns may take a few 100 rounds to 'settle in'. For example my HK pistols needed 124 gr ammo for the first few 100 rounds to 'break in ' the spring then it worked even with soft shooting 115 gr. 9mm ammo.

If you have a gunsmith made custom gun then the situation 'may' be different. My Don Williams custom 9mm 1911 CCO took 800 rounds to 'break in' to the point that it was consistently reliable with 115 gr. 9mm ammo.
 
Clean it before you use it, get the heavy grease off if any, however my last gun was dry as a bone in the dessert. Some light lube on friction points and slide.......(don't ask what kind of lube, THIS will lead to a thread so long the servers will implode) shoot the piss out of it. I routinely dump several hundred rounds per gun in one range visit, new or old. Shoot a round, clean it, shoot a round ..... really ? Have had over 20 new handguns..... shoot the crap out of it. If anything a tight gun will loosen up and get better after hundreds of rounds. I do however clean every gun after every range visit, No dirty guns in my safe. Enjoy !
 
Thanks for the fast replays guys,
So take a night and study the manual, I can do that!
Another quick question, would you recommend a heavier weight round for the first bit? All I have available is 115gr from Canadian Tire until I can get to cabelas in a couple weeks.
 
If it goes bang its good, I do however use reloaded 147's, much smoother shoot than 115's or 124's. I get tighter groups and more accuracy with the heavier bullets.
 
generally the brake in period on sig's is roughly 200rds, since it is a sig you can shoot a crap load of rounds with it, (and you really don't have to take breaks to let the barrel cool as really handguns aren't all that accurate in the first place) my advice bring three times the amount of ammo you think you need because it goes quick
 
unless it's glock compact, there is no break-in for handguns. just standard strip and clean like others mentioned.

215Match said:
Hey guys, this is my first post here and I know it's going to start a little bit of debate.

So I recently purchased my first handgun and I'm awaiting its arrival(Sig P226). Before I hit the range I wanted to know what is the accepted break in procedures to go through. I know with my rifles I was taught to shoot a round, clean, shoot a round, clean etc for the first 20 rounds or so giving lots of cool down time in between. But the old guy who got me into rifles has no experience with handguns. So what's everyone opinion?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Yes I have my range membership, hard cases, locks, ATT, etc. Just waiting impatiently for it to get here!
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There is no break-in procedure with the P226. Clean it, lube it (with grease, not oil) and shoot it.

By the way, what you've been told about rifle break-in is a bunch of voodoo nonsense. There is absolutely no benefit to the procedure described by the "old guy".
 
You could grab the dip stick out of your car wipe it on your gun and you'll be fine. Gun cleaning and how often to clean and what to clean and oil with are one of the highest debated subjects on here. Do what ever you want and use whatever you want as long as the bore is clear and your having fun becouse no matter what you use or do someone will say it's wrong.
 
215Match said:
I didn't know the choice of oil was a touchy subject, however all I have available is hopp's gun oil. Should be ok eh?
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I have used froglube, fireclean, hoppes, motor oil, slide glide, ballistol, lubriplate etc etc. I finally found one that works best for me, on all my guns, cleaning and lubricating. You will have to spend your own bucks and do your own experiments to see what you like best. There is no correct answer.
 
I use Mobil 1 full synthetic oil and an industrial grade machining grease, I "overlube". I've been doing this since I started and my guns run smoothly and none of my guns show any wear that other people usually get.
 
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