How to break in a pistol

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wreckingball

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Hey Guys,

Still waiting my transport papers but had a question how do i break in a pistol. Same procedures as a rifle or different? Just in case ur wondering it a 96a1 40. S&W.

Wreck
 
Give it a good cleaning and inspection first. Particularly if it's a used gun, look for any surprises before you shoot it, but inspect a new gun as well.
Then go out and shoot it until the ammo runs out.
 
A lot of people used to say that you should shoot a new gun with only jacketed ammo at the start to lap the barrel in. That has not been my experience to be nesecary.

Graydog
 
I have not had many brand new handguns. But of the small number I have gotten about half of them started with rather open groups. But a hundred or so rounds and they were doing fine. I suppose that's some sort of a break in.

Handgun projectile velocities are simply not up there anywhere near close to high velocity rifle muzzle velocities. So handguns just don't see the sort of copper fouling you get with a rifle. So there's no need to clean the barrel ever shot or two like some will do with a new rifle.
 
Barrel break in is a myth.

A co-worker of mine had a custom barrel made by Ted Gaillard for his new rifle. When he asked about the break in procedure, Ted only said, "Just shoot the F*cking thing!"

Another prominent shooter, Gale McMillian has similar thoughts on the process.

Shooting serves to "season" the bore if its a factory barrel and not match grade. Don't wear it out by cleaning the barrel.
 
After people get a few years of handgun experience, they'll tend to develop their own personal habits and procedures in terms of gun care.

If I bought a brand new handgun, I'm not going to take it out of the box and then rapid-fire 50 rounds. I would read the manual, disassemble it for a cleaning and oiling, and then slow-fire the first 50 rounds (loading magazines to half capacity). The goal is to move slowly in order to evaluate the gun's ergonomics, accuracy, and function and to record any malfunctions/problems the minute they occur.

Furthermore, breaking in a handgun is not just about the barrel; it's also about exercising all the moving parts in the handgun: trigger (DA and SA), hammer, slide, magazine release, slide catch, decocker, safety lever, etc.
 
Sort of like breaking in an engine. Lots of theory's and speculations. Some people clean after a handfull of rounds some clean when it gets so dirty it functions poorly. I personally clean every 100 rds the first 3 times. Then i beat on it. A good tip as well is load single rds for the first few shots. If the gun is going to #### up its better it does without a full mag
 
Like some already said clean it, inspect it and shoot it.

I like to clean mine, oil it and continuously rack the slide...I did this last night on my .22 and found it was sticking, which can lead to failures to feed and eject.
 
Crosswind said:
After people get a few years of handgun experience, they'll tend to develop their own personal habits and procedures in terms of gun care.

If I bought a brand new handgun, I'm not going to take it out of the box and then rapid-fire 50 rounds. I would read the manual, disassemble it for a cleaning and oiling, and then slow-fire the first 50 rounds (loading magazines to half capacity). The goal is to move slowly in order to evaluate the gun's ergonomics, accuracy, and function and to record any malfunctions/problems the minute they occur.

Furthermore, breaking in a handgun is not just about the barrel; it's also about exercising all the moving parts in the handgun: trigger (DA and SA), hammer, slide, magazine release, slide catch, decocker, safety lever, etc.
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You're kidding right? Its a tool that has been designed and engineered to function. Inspect for issues and clean if you like then shoot the f*cking thing and stop worrying about it. Barrel break in is a MYTH!!! Wearing surfaces will "wear in" with use so I guess you could call that break in. Furthermore, if your gun fails out of the box, you likely bought a lemon.


Dr.K said:
Sort of like breaking in an engine. Lots of theory's and speculations. Some people clean after a handfull of rounds some clean when it gets so dirty it functions poorly. I personally clean every 100 rds the first 3 times. Then i beat on it. A good tip as well is load single rds for the first few shots. If the gun is going to f**k up its better it does without a full mag
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate as to how and why a full magazine makes a difference?

TDC
 
Normaly I clean it, oil it and go to the range.

I've also bought a handgun and shoot it straight out of the box. No problems on the long term. Do what you want. I don't think you can Hurt a handgun by shooting it :)
 
TDC said:
Could you elaborate as to how and why a full magazine makes a difference?

TDC
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Maybe he's talking about the pistol going full auto. I suppose it's a reasonable precaution, especially with a used purchase. Except, for that purpose, you should load two rounds.

To the OP - Break-in, no, not really. But it IS a good idea to make sure there is nothing wrong with the pistol before firing it. Barrel obstruction, dirty diaper inside the frame, who knows? I've seen some pretty dirty actions straight out of the box. So, a clean and a bit of lube is good, but only as necessary.
 
TDC said:
You're kidding right? Its a tool that has been designed and engineered to function. Inspect for issues and clean if you like then shoot the f*cking thing and stop worrying about it. Barrel break in is a MYTH!!! Wearing surfaces will "wear in" with use so I guess you could call that break in. Furthermore, if your gun fails out of the box, you likely bought a lemon.

TDC
Click to expand...

Nope, I'm not kidding. When I get a new gun, I'm going to inspect it and clean it; I'm going to verify for myself that the gun is good to go. Just like handling a firearm that somebody else handed over to you, you're going to assume it's loaded until you PROVE it safe.

Likewise, I like to be systematic in terms to evaluating the gun's performance and reliability. If you trust that your brand new gun has been 'designed and engineered to function' then feel free to go to war/police duty/competition with it right out of the box. Me, on the other hand, I'd like to shoot several thousand rounds through it and see if I can trust it first.
 
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