Do or can revolvers break in?

[redlightrich]

Hello all, last year, I purchased a Ruger GP100 in 22lr. Outside of what I mainly like about it, I thought it would have the added benefit of eating the ammo my semi's won't.

Anyway, last year, I ran about 1800 rounds thru it, and I was never very impressed with either it's accuracy, or my ability to shoot it well.

I took it apart to clean any metal chips from manufacturing out, and I also changed the trigger return spring to a lower weight one. I also bought and installed the hammer shim kit. I installed a Wolff 14# mainspring, which I believe is the factory spec. but I have sometimes found Ruger springs to be higher than rated, so for 3 dollars I thought why not. I also bought a Hogue grip to replace the chubby uncomfortable grip that Ruger supplies. Well worth the 17 dollars. It's not fancy, but man does it change how the gun feels for the better.
Although the trigger felt nicer, and the gun ran very reliably, I still did not get the accuracy I expected, which is to hit 6 inch steels at 50 yds, and 3 inch steels at 25 and 50 yards. A fun plinker, this is what I was after.

Anyway, yesterday, I went to the range with some ammo that my semi's won't digest well. Federal Game Shock, 38g HP HV ammo, and some other brands, such as Aguila 40g HVRN.

I was very surprised to see myself hitting mostly everything I aimed at? Now, I do think I had a good day ( as I bought other guns, and also shot them well), but I shot my Ruger with the same level of accuracy that I get from my 1911, which I have 10s of thousands of rounds thru it.

I did notice that my frame was less filthy than usual. I used to notice a very large build up around the forcing cone, and all around the front frame area. Yes it was still dirty after 250 rounds or so, but not to the degree it used to get.

I also noticed that the crown cleaned easier than it used to.

Is it possible that some sharp areas have simply wore in, and the gun is more accurate as a result? I do not think I improved so much as a shooter. Yes all things equal, people will improve each time they do something, but I didn't do anything special to become a better shooter.

It was almost like shooting a new to me gun. I shot most of the day using single action. In the past, I was feeling as if I shot it better in double action, but that was not the case yesterday. I shot it well double, but very well in single.

Being I can now hit what I aim at, I will use this gun much more. Revolvers will shoot whatever you fill them with. Yesterday, it ate, and accurately shot everything I bought.

Thank you for reading my message and your thoughts.

Rich

[g.willikers]

Did you have less coffee and more protein for breakfast the day your shooting improved?

[Dave T]

22 LR firearms are notorious, at least in my experience and understanding, for being picky about ammo. Not in terms of function (as in your case with a revolver) but in terms of accuracy. Rather than thinking your Ruger is now broken in, I would suggest you have simply discovered it's ammo of choice. (smile)

Dave

[2damnold4this]

+1 on finding ammo the gun liked.

[reddog81]

I'm not sure what the experts will say but i've had similar experiences. I'm not sure if it is a matter of more trigger time, familiarity with the gun, a matter of trying harder after doing modifications, different ammo, breaking in the trigger, breaking in the barrel, but sometimes a gun will seem to shoot better after "breaking in".

On the flip side - I'm not sure 2,000 rounds of .22 lr would be able to "break in" anything on a GP100. Maybe there were a couple of microscopic sharp edges that smoothed out, but surely the metal in the barrel will not be altered in any significant manner after even 200,000 rounds through the gun

[ShootistPRS]

Revolvers do break in or wear in but I believe you just found some ammo that your gun prefers. Each of my 22 guns has a different preference for the ammo it will shoot well. That is always the most "fun" in getting a new 22. All the shooting required to find what it likes.

[ThomasT]

A long time ago when gun mags were worth reading and there was no internet the gun writers were always saying to shoot several different brands of ammo in your gun to see what it likes. So I did that.

I had about 10 different 22lr and 4 22 mags for my old style Ruger Single Six with the plunger behind the trigger. This gun also had adjustable sights.

The 22 mag were real consistant from brand to brand at 25 yards. The 22lr was a whole different story. Some of the rounds were in a 5" circle. The most accurate were 2 brands that would shoot into about 2" at 25 yards. And that was shooting off hand. Thats been 30 years ago at least and I don't remember the brands but they were not the expensive stuff or target rounds I had with me.

Get as much different ammo together as you can and make a day of it testing it in your gun. Be sure and at least brush out the cylinder and barrel between brands. A few rounds will be needed to season the bore to the new ammo you are trying.

When I first bought my GP-100 lead bullets would lead the bore. I shot several hundred jacketed bullets and after that the barrel smoothed up and leads no more. But I probably have 4000-5000 rounds through that gun. It was my falling plate gun for a couple of years and I shot it a lot.

I don't think soft lead 22 bullets will smooth a barrel. You may need one of the lapping kits you roll on your bullets and fire them to smooth the barrel.

[tallball]

The cleaning and springs maybe helped a little.

A few parts may have finally smoothed out.

You might have finally gotten used to it.

It might have finally found some ammo it likes.

The last seems the most likely, but my guess is that it's a combination of more than one of the above.

[oldcabin]

Do you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night? Eh?

I agree trying different ammo and seeing what works best is part of the 22 fun.

[K_Mac]

Were you shooting from a rest? That is only way for most of us to determine how accurate a gun really is. As already said, buy several different types of ammo and spend a little time shooting from the bench. This will likely answer your questions. Enjoy your new found accuracy!

[smee78]

I also agree that it sounds like you found a round your gun likes.

[ds-10-speed]

g.willikers comment may sound strange to some but he makes an excellent point. I have been competing at my club for about 20 years and I found that I do my best shooting if I have a good protein meal 2 hours before I shoot and make sure I have the right amount of caffeine in my system, too little I'm slow and too much I can't hit anything.

I just bought a new GP100 10 shot recently and had to do a lot of action work to get it good. The more I shoot it the better I seem to get with it. Just using it more makes you more confident in your ability to hit your target.

[redlightrich]

I didn't drink less coffee, I drink 2.5 cups a day, any more and I get, well shaky. However, I did feel more relaxed that day. I have had days where I am "shaking" more than others, and it is evident in the shooting. I was shooting my other guns well too that day though.

Now for ammo, I would agree, as I tried to "use up" some of my Federal 38g HP ammo, and yes the gun seems to like it, but it was accurate with the Aguila 40g HVRN, which I have used in the past, with less than stellar results.

I guess the proof will be the next time I take it out. Maybe I did just have a good day, but in the past, I am sure I have had a hard time with this gun. I have taken it to the range, become frustrated that I can't hit, take out another gun, and do fine?

Like I said, the next outing will tell the story. Maybe it is a combination of good things all lined up at once?

I will update everyone the next time I get to the range. Hopefully before Saturday!!! I hope it ( or I ) am able to repeat this last outing, then this gun will move up the ranks into the regular rotation!!

Thank you all for your input!!!

Rich

[Hal]

I believe both of those rounds are HV & use a fairly heavy coat of copper plate.

Perhaps the other bullets you tried before were unplated lead.

I have noticed in the last 15 to 20 years, that, most manufacturers have become very lax at producing nice smooth barrels.

I believe they do this as a cost cutting measure, figuring that the average shooter is going to use plated or jacketed ammunition anyhow, so why waste money on a production barrel that will be "shot smooth" anyhow?

I noticed that trend some 20 years ago that all my "new" guns had to be either lapped or have metal plated or jacketed bullets run through them before they would work with lead.

[AzShooter]

I've been shooting a lot of Aguila 40 grain ammo and find that it shoots O.K. but is a bit dirty. Federal bulk works great and so does CCI Blazer. With both I can shoot a lot without having to clean the cylinders out. With the Aguila I have to brush the cylinders often or bullets stick.

My best amo is Federal AutoMatch or CCI Mini Mags. My 617 loves them.

A revolver will break in after many rounds. I use anchor bolts or snap caps and dry fire my gun hundreds of times to help smooth out the trigger. Don't dry fire a .22 without snap caps.

[CDR_Glock]

When I get a new gun, I try different ammunition to see what mine likes. Particularly in 22 LR, there are only a few that are consistent from one gun to the next, such as Eley, CCI standard, Aguila, RWS, and Wolf Match.

As for revolvers breaking in, yes. After a few hundred rounds your gun will feel smoother.


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[Slamfire]

I think you were just shooting better. While there are huge differences between the accuracy of 22lr, I don't know how much you will see that in a pistol. At the Nationals I talked to a 22lr vendor who had machine rested target pistols with match ammunition. The tester told me the groups out of target pistols was about twice the size of the same ammunition in a match rifle. In my experience, even cheap 22 lr will group about an inch to 1.5 inches at 50 yards in a Ruger 10/22. In a match rifle, about the same with cheap ammunition but the good match stuff will all hold dime sized groups.

I have been shooting in a number or Regionals and State Championships so far this year, it is always a lesson in humility to examine the targets of National Champions and learn just how awful you are compared to them. These guys clean the 50 yards targets with high X counts. The fifty yard targets have four record bulls at which you shoot five shots for record each. The ten ring is about nickel to dime sized, and to see five shots inside the X ring, not touching the ring, is a memorable experience. I think the X ring is around a quarter of an inch.

Anyway if you shot very well with the same ammunition, and gun, its not the ammunition, it is not the gun, it is you.

[Mr. Hill]

The revolver didn't get broken in, you did! Good job! Now shoot the heck out of that thing.

[Bluecthomas]

I agree with ammo choice. Even the same make and model may have different best choice.

Thankfully .22 is cheap enough that dumping a 100 plus rounds of each type doesn't require a 2nd mortgage...

I've a got a rifle I'm still testing. It likes the .35 per round bulk stuff from Walmart, but loves the $1 a round Hornady. Hoping to find something in between. Thankfully it fires anything. But tight groups are spendy.

[tallball]

I'm glad it's working for you now. I almost got one and was kicking myself for not pickling it up. My LGS had one, but the owner wasn't ready to dicker. I figured afyer a month or so he'd be ready to come down on the price. I was wrong. It didn't even last a week. It was used and had a very nice trigger.

[SIGSHR]

In all my years of gun buying I have bought only one NIB revolver-my Charter
Arms Bulldog-don't recall it requiring any breaking in. I bought my S&W M639 NIB, it required no breaking in.

[redlightrich]

Hello all, and thank you all for your insights. I now believe, after today's session of another 250 rounds ( again various types) that perhaps, my trigger is getting worn in, and I am getting accustomed to the gun. I do now feel comfortable enough with it, that I can tell when I am on or off. I am actually just shooting it better.

This is one of the curses of the blessing of having many pistols. It takes time to learn them all!!! Sometimes, I will put one down for a bit, and when I take it back out, I need to re-learn it, sort of.

Now that I am starting to shoot this one well, I really like it. There is something about the very mechanical nature of a revolver. I love all the clicks!!!

Thank you all again

Rich

[ShootistPRS]

Glad it's working out for you! I too have to "get used to" a new gun. It is one of the trials and tribulations that I enjoy about my guns.

[Model12Win]

Yes my GP100 has many pulls and has been smoother since purchase due to so many of the pulls.