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View Poll Results: When do you become confident your gun is reliable?
1 Magazine 4 2.78%
Box of 50 18 12.50%
100-500 97 67.36%
500-1000 20 13.89%
1000+ 5 3.47%
Voters: 144. You may not vote on this poll

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Old August 28, 2014, 11:16 AM   #26
KyJim
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Depend upon the type of handgun. For revolvers, I'll usually do 50 rounds, and that's as much to familiarize myself with the gun than anything.

For 1911s, I'll shoot 250 to 300 FMJ and then 50 rounds of whatever I'm going to carry. So, it has to be 300 to 350 trouble-free rounds.

I feel okay with a hundred rounds or so in other "modern" semi-autos that are service sized or only a little smaller (like the SW M&P and M&P Compact). I will also follow the manufacturer's recommendation. Kahr recommended 200 rounds for the CM9 and I found that to be good advice.
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Old August 28, 2014, 11:16 AM   #27
DavidAGO
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I voted 100-500, but in practice, if the firearm digests a couple of boxes of ammunition without a hiccup it probably is fine, but if I do have a hiccup in the couple of boxes, I want a couple hundred rounds without a hiccup before I trust it. That said, with my S&W 442 I probably have 3-400 cast bullet rounds through it, but only a full box of the SD ammunition. My LCP has only a couple of boxes of SD ammunition through it without a hiccup, but I do carry it. I guess I should change my vote.

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Old August 28, 2014, 11:48 AM   #28
Cheapshooter
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After 100 rounds of "shake down" rounds fired, usually with lower cost range ammo like Winchester white box, I will run at least one box of various carry choices. That could be another 100 rounds or more depending on how many rounds per box, and how many different offerings I try.
I don't really use the term break-in, because every CCW handgun I have hasn't really needed it to function properly. For my Elsea Pea, Kahr CM9, and Springfield XD40 that 100 round shake down went without a single problem.
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Old August 28, 2014, 11:52 AM   #29
Bozz10mm
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I feel pretty good if I can shoot 100 rounds without a malfunction. I don't get that warm fuzzy tho until at least 500. The thing is, you fire 1000 rounds without a problem, then that 1001st round could malfunction on you.

If the gun were 100% reliable, there is still the ammo to contend with.
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Old August 28, 2014, 12:59 PM   #30
saleen322
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Whatever number it takes to get the shooter where he/she can efficiently clear a stoppage without fumbling and panicking when it happens. ALL handguns have stoppages and when you consider the odds of getting into a gun fight plus the odds of the handgun stopping, it is very remote the two will happen at the same time. It is much more likely that a shooter will miss under stress than the gun fail. IMHO it is better to learn good gun skills to deal with problems when they show up rather than put my faith in the 100% reliable pistol that does not exist. YMMV
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Old August 31, 2014, 07:38 AM   #31
pete2
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My experience is that if a pistol runs 100 straight with good ammo it will usually be ok for carry. Good ammo and good magazines are a must. New/different mags have to pass the same test.
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Old August 31, 2014, 07:53 AM   #32
skizzums
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i must say, i am a bit suprised that most call their firearms good to go after 100 rounds, i do at least 200 in a single session

for a carry gun i think 500 seems like a fair number, enough to test several different types of ammo and diifferent scenarios and grips

i would probably be confident in a revolver after a couple of hundred w/o issue, but i need more from a semi because there is so more that can go wrong

i have had safteys break after 2-300 rounds and cause the gun not feed the next round, ive had light strike issues well into use and other issues; i would need alot more testing to feel comfortable that none of those issues would arise when i actually needed it
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Old August 31, 2014, 11:34 AM   #33
chris in va
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It took over a thousand before my 97b's barrel lug broke. Same goes for the CX4 carbine I bought in April. Now that the glitches are weeded out I have more confidence in both.

It's like a new car. Sometimes it takes 30,000 miles for a defect to show up.
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Old August 31, 2014, 02:20 PM   #34
James K
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I have always used 200 rounds as a benchmark. In a revolver, that is 200 rounds. In an auto pistol, it is 200 rounds from each carry magazine; the magazine is part of the pistol and changing magazines is almost like creating a different pistol.

It should not be necessary to say it, but that is with the carry ammunition. It might not be pleasant to learn that the gun that worked so well with that cheap range ammo fails completely with the high price spread you carry.

I am well aware that with the cost of ammo today, that is a lot, but then how much is your life worth? If your gun can't be depended on, leave it home, or fire it on the range, but don't carry it; a false sense of security is worse than no security at all.

Jim
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Old September 3, 2014, 01:49 AM   #35
Brotherbadger
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For me it's 300-400 rounds of ammo, with at least 100 rounds shot during each range trip. If it can shoot 400 rounds, not only is the gun itself reliable, but the magazine is as well.
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Old September 3, 2014, 02:02 AM   #36
thedudeabides
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I shoot 20-40 carry ammo to make sure it feeds that brand.

I run about 100-200 target just to see how it shoots and behaves itself.

I don't believe in break-in. A gun out of the box should work 100%.

Once I start to carry, I usually shoot 100-150 rounds down the pipe per month to make sure I'm proficient with that specific gun.
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Old September 3, 2014, 10:43 AM   #37
buck460XVR
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To me, there is a difference between platforms as to how many rounds. Autos, being much more finicky about ammo and cleanliness take more than a revolver or since you did not say this was just about SD/HD in the OP, Contenders. The ammo itself in many cases, is the basis of reliable or not, and thus, depending on how many brands you test, can add up to quite a few rounds.
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Old September 4, 2014, 10:50 AM   #38
Spooler41
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When you have spent more on ammo ,than you paid for your gun. If you
have had no major problems,you should be able to trust the weapon.

..........................Jack
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Old September 6, 2014, 04:10 PM   #39
DannyB1954
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Sooner or later most things break. If you spend thousands of rounds proofing a gun, you may have just increased the likelihood of a failure. Stuff wears out.

Even if you replace things like springs, new springs can break. Two guns are not likely to fail at the same time. That is why a lot of professionals carry a back up.
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