Reliability test

odugrad · April 15, 2013, 10:10 AM

I was just wondering if anyone has any tests of their own to determine reliability? A number of rounds? An amount of time?

What qualifies a handgun as reliable in your opinion?

Mausermolt · April 15, 2013, 10:24 AM

i would say a handgun is reliable if it will go 500-1000 rnds without a FTF or FTE between thorough cleanings. my Makarov is still in its testing phase....and ive had it for 3 years

my 1911 is a bit of a beater so it will go about 250-500 without a stovepipe. but i pack my 1911 everywhere (truck, holstered, ect) so its always got dust and hay on it so i dont really blame it for an occasional hiccup.

kahrguy · April 15, 2013, 01:22 PM

400 rounds of something affordable and 100 rounds of what HP ammo I hope to carry and do that trouble free with out recleaning. Then its ready to carry.

pat701 · April 16, 2013, 09:18 AM

500rds for me.

RickB · April 16, 2013, 10:43 AM

I expect 1000 rounds between failures, regardless of type. A brand-new gun that fires the first 200 rounds without issue would be good to go, but if there's a malf in the first 200, then I'd want it to go 1000 without issue.

Wreck-n-Crew · April 16, 2013, 10:50 AM

400 to 500 rounds of anything, and including Hollow Point. Try to Limp Wrist it.
If I get there, I trust it.

Mr_Jumper · April 17, 2013, 04:05 PM

500 rds w/o issues would be considered reliable for me.

In all honesty, I feel like when the gun runs right, it runs like butter. While racking the slide, pulling the trigger, just all around like the gun is sliding around in butter....

That's really when I know gun is reliable and will shoot in all conditions.

Amin Parker · April 18, 2013, 08:19 AM

Hi Everyone. Constantine its been a while.

Anyways, as for reliability testing, i usually do the following.

I load up ALL the mags i have for that pistol, put up a target and let rip, change mag and repeat until all the mags are empty. Load mags and repeat.

Should i do get a malfunction i will have a careful look at the offending round to see if it is out of spec or the weapon is at fault. I will then keep shooting to see if it happens again which would lead to a full investigation.

I usually do accuracy testing first to determine if the sights are aligned properly, where it prints etc. This will give me a feel for the weapon in during slow fire testing.

20 magazines full of fault free shooting is good enough for me to give the pistol a "reliable enough for self defence" rating.

PS. When it comes to pistols, mark your magazines as they are the first culprits when it comes to malfunctions. Marking them will help you remember the naughty one.

Ben Dover · April 18, 2013, 10:05 AM

The joint services performed exhaustive tests before selecting a new service pistol.

The results were published in "The American Rfileman"

TBT · April 18, 2013, 11:45 AM

500 rounds of range ammunition.

300-500 Rounds of my carry ammunition choice.

Tactical Jackalope · April 18, 2013, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Hi Everyone. Constantine its been a while.

Whoa!!! Look who's back!!!! lol what's happening brother?! If you still have my email, email me. I lost all my contacts.

As for reliability? I run 500 rounds of range ammo. A box or so of my CC ammo of choice.

Do some of you seriously run 500 of your own carry ammo?!

Mosin44az · April 19, 2013, 12:19 AM

My break-in is 200 rounds FMJ, if no problems there I will run 100 rounds of chosen defense ammo. It used to be 200 rounds of defense ammo but it costs too much these days....

Any malfs, the test starts over.....although I suppose I am more tolerant of malfs in those guns that are really range toys.

BuckRub · April 19, 2013, 12:36 AM

Every kind of stance, handhold, grip possible and about 300 rounds of FMJs and hopefully in there 3-5 different manufactures and mabe 100-200 rds of hollow points again hopefully some different manufactures. With not a single malfunction. If any problem I'm getting it fixed and starting tests over or getting rid of gun- man I love my glock gen 4 22

g.willikers · April 19, 2013, 09:25 AM

At least as important as having a good gun, is knowing how to quickly clear the inevitable stoppages, when they do occur.

Tactical Jackalope · April 19, 2013, 09:41 AM

Quote:

At least as important as having a good gun, is knowing how to quickly clear the inevitable stoppages, when they do occur.

I agree..Malfunctions happen. Rather than making sure the gun is 99.9% reliable. Make sure you're 100% reliable to clear malfunctions and continue to engage.

dayman · April 19, 2013, 12:24 PM

With a new gun I usually put 200 through it to test it's reliability, and to get use to it. If there are no flaws, I put a box of my carry ammo through it, and if there are no flaws I assume it's good to go.
I have a range at the house, so I tend to shoot frequently but not a lot of rounds in any one session. So, 200 rounds out of a given gun generally takes a couple weeks.

I shoot all my guns fairly regularly, and practice clearing drills. Also, I find cleaning my guns as cathartic as shooting them, so I clean them pretty regularly. So, since any gun I'm carrying going to been fired and cleaned fairly recently, I'm unconcerned with my guns passing any sort of a marathon torture test.
However, I pretty much only buy well-researched, new guns from quality manufactures. IMO 200 rounds is enough to determine if I've gotten a lemon, and 20 rounds should be enough to discover an ammo problem.
If I were buying used, or buying from a hit-or-miss company, I might extend the testing.

If a gun does fail I generally try to identify the source of the problem and fix it. It's never actually happened, but if I couldn't identify the problem I'd probably chalk it up to gremlins, and start over with the 200 rounds.

I don't think there's one right answer though. Just test until you feel comfortable trusting it.

hemiram · April 21, 2013, 04:14 AM

I will put a couple hundred through it, usually 50 rounds from 4 different manufacturers, changing my grip to make sure it doesn't "limp wrist"(If it does, and it can't be made not to, usually by changing the recoil spring, it's gone, I had one recently with an aftermarket spring that was much stronger than stock, causing all kinds of problems) and if it's made it that far without issues, I clean it up and figure it's pretty trustworthy. Lately, every one of my guns has passed my test.

thedudeabides · April 21, 2013, 06:08 AM

I will have to run whatever carry ammo I shoot, at least 50-100 rounds. Which tends to get expensive because that crap comes on 20 round boxes.

Range guns don't count. Malfunctions aren't a big deal there.

April 15, 2013, 10:10 AM	#1
odugrad Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2013 Location: The East Coast Posts: 477	Reliability test I was just wondering if anyone has any tests of their own to determine reliability? A number of rounds? An amount of time? What qualifies a handgun as reliable in your opinion?

April 15, 2013, 10:24 AM	#2
Mausermolt Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2007 Location: Ory-gun Posts: 508	i would say a handgun is reliable if it will go 500-1000 rnds without a FTF or FTE between thorough cleanings. my Makarov is still in its testing phase....and ive had it for 3 years my 1911 is a bit of a beater so it will go about 250-500 without a stovepipe. but i pack my 1911 everywhere (truck, holstered, ect) so its always got dust and hay on it so i dont really blame it for an occasional hiccup. __________________ Molon Labe

April 16, 2013, 10:50 AM	#6
Wreck-n-Crew Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,820	400 to 500 rounds of anything, and including Hollow Point. Try to Limp Wrist it. If I get there, I trust it. __________________ If you ever have to use a firearm, *you don't get to pick the scenario!*

April 17, 2013, 04:05 PM	#7
Mr_Jumper Member Join Date: October 11, 2012 Posts: 76	500 rds w/o issues would be considered reliable for me. In all honesty, I feel like when the gun runs right, it runs like butter. While racking the slide, pulling the trigger, just all around like the gun is sliding around in butter.... That's really when I know gun is reliable and will shoot in all conditions. __________________ Let's wait until we actually see concrete legislation before we go off half-cocked. ~ Tom Servo

April 18, 2013, 08:19 AM	#8
Amin Parker Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2010 Posts: 1,118	Hi Everyone. Constantine its been a while. Anyways, as for reliability testing, i usually do the following. I load up ALL the mags i have for that pistol, put up a target and let rip, change mag and repeat until all the mags are empty. Load mags and repeat. Should i do get a malfunction i will have a careful look at the offending round to see if it is out of spec or the weapon is at fault. I will then keep shooting to see if it happens again which would lead to a full investigation. I usually do accuracy testing first to determine if the sights are aligned properly, where it prints etc. This will give me a feel for the weapon in during slow fire testing. 20 magazines full of fault free shooting is good enough for me to give the pistol a "reliable enough for self defence" rating. PS. When it comes to pistols, mark your magazines as they are the first culprits when it comes to malfunctions. Marking them will help you remember the naughty one. __________________ Every shooter should know what it feels like to hit a Bowling Pin in the sweet spot and see that sucker fly. Consider a CZ pistol before you decide.

April 15, 2013, 01:22 PM	#3
kahrguy Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2012 Posts: 561	400 rounds of something affordable and 100 rounds of what HP ammo I hope to carry and do that trouble free with out recleaning. Then its ready to carry.

April 16, 2013, 09:18 AM	#4
pat701 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: South west Missouri Posts: 315	500rds for me.

April 16, 2013, 10:43 AM	#5
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	I expect 1000 rounds between failures, regardless of type. A brand-new gun that fires the first 200 rounds without issue would be good to go, but if there's a malf in the first 200, then I'd want it to go 1000 without issue.

April 18, 2013, 10:05 AM	#9
Ben Dover Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2013 Location: High up in the Rocky Moun Posts: 665	The joint services performed exhaustive tests before selecting a new service pistol. The results were published in "The American Rfileman" __________________ The soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as the prisoner's chains. Dwight Eisenhower It is very important what a man stands for. But it is far more important what a man refuses to stand for.

April 18, 2013, 11:45 AM	#10
TBT Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2005 Location: Pittsburgh Pa Posts: 971	500 rounds of range ammunition. 300-500 Rounds of my carry ammunition choice.

April 19, 2013, 12:19 AM	#12
Mosin44az Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2006 Posts: 2,585	My break-in is 200 rounds FMJ, if no problems there I will run 100 rounds of chosen defense ammo. It used to be 200 rounds of defense ammo but it costs too much these days.... Any malfs, the test starts over.....although I suppose I am more tolerant of malfs in those guns that are really range toys.

April 19, 2013, 12:36 AM	#13
BuckRub Junior member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,046	Every kind of stance, handhold, grip possible and about 300 rounds of FMJs and hopefully in there 3-5 different manufactures and mabe 100-200 rds of hollow points again hopefully some different manufactures. With not a single malfunction. If any problem I'm getting it fixed and starting tests over or getting rid of gun- man I love my glock gen 4 22

April 19, 2013, 09:25 AM	#14
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	At least as important as having a good gun, is knowing how to quickly clear the inevitable stoppages, when they do occur. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

April 19, 2013, 12:24 PM	#16
dayman Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2011 Location: The Woods Posts: 1,197	With a new gun I usually put 200 through it to test it's reliability, and to get use to it. If there are no flaws, I put a box of my carry ammo through it, and if there are no flaws I assume it's good to go. I have a range at the house, so I tend to shoot frequently but not a lot of rounds in any one session. So, 200 rounds out of a given gun generally takes a couple weeks. I shoot all my guns fairly regularly, and practice clearing drills. Also, I find cleaning my guns as cathartic as shooting them, so I clean them pretty regularly. So, since any gun I'm carrying going to been fired and cleaned fairly recently, I'm unconcerned with my guns passing any sort of a marathon torture test. However, I pretty much only buy well-researched, new guns from quality manufactures. IMO 200 rounds is enough to determine if I've gotten a lemon, and 20 rounds should be enough to discover an ammo problem. If I were buying used, or buying from a hit-or-miss company, I might extend the testing. If a gun does fail I generally try to identify the source of the problem and fix it. It's never actually happened, but if I couldn't identify the problem I'd probably chalk it up to gremlins, and start over with the 200 rounds. I don't think there's one right answer though. Just test until you feel comfortable trusting it. __________________ si vis pacem para bellum

April 21, 2013, 04:14 AM	#17
hemiram Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: Toledo, ohio Posts: 762	I will put a couple hundred through it, usually 50 rounds from 4 different manufacturers, changing my grip to make sure it doesn't "limp wrist"(If it does, and it can't be made not to, usually by changing the recoil spring, it's gone, I had one recently with an aftermarket spring that was much stronger than stock, causing all kinds of problems) and if it's made it that far without issues, I clean it up and figure it's pretty trustworthy. Lately, every one of my guns has passed my test.

April 21, 2013, 06:08 AM	#18
thedudeabides Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2012 Posts: 1,031	I will have to run whatever carry ammo I shoot, at least 50-100 rounds. Which tends to get expensive because that crap comes on 20 round boxes. Range guns don't count. Malfunctions aren't a big deal there.