How many rounds till I should trust a pistol?

[Standing Wolf]

If it's a revolver, a few dozen rounds will let me know it's good to go. If it's a semi-automatic, it's a .22, so it'll spend its time away from the range in the safe.

[Stevie-Ray]

I went 250 with my last EDC and pronounced it GTG.

[Cheapshooter]

With a semi-auto I run 100 rounds of range ammo first. If 100% reliable then I will go through several boxes of various SD ammo to find what shoots best in it. Total then is probably between 150 and 200.
With a revolver, it's mostly just finding what it likes the best, so probably less than 100.
In addition to the initial "proofing", they get a run through at the range when ever I go. Weather permitting a couple times a month or more. Not always the same one though. Just change them up to keep me fresh with them, and prove they still work 100%.

[El Paso Joe]

If it is my carry gun, I will shoot between 50 and 100 rounds a week. Before it is my carry gun I will have shot it enough to know that I can put a box of ammo in a group that I can cover with the palm of my hand at 7 - 8 yards any time I try. For me it is about knowing the gun and how it works in my hand. The round count isn't really that important...

[9mm]

The correct answer is X

Now to find the sum of X.

You could run 1000 rounds, all run fine, then another 10 and your gun jams out, firing pin breaks, barrel explodes etc.... This is why it's best to have a back up.

Any gun can be 100% after any round count, then another 2 rounds your x breaks....

[WIN71]

I can only comment on what I've experienced. A fairly large police department (+6000 at the time) transitioned from revolvers to semi autos. Individual training consisted of 1300 rounds per shooter. This was mostly to train the members in the use of semi-autos, but also to give some degree of confidence for the new weapons. All ammunition remained the same as it was purchased on a very large contract. There were three magazines issued for each pistol. Almost without exception, any malfunction that did occur, occurred during the firing of those first three magazines. It was easy for the weapons staff to determine where the problem was. Either pistol or magazine. That does not mean there were not malfunctions down the line because of ammunition, and on occasion, an actual pistol part failure, i.e. decocking lever disassembly during firing, or some other major mechanical breakdown. These types of failures were extremely rare and pretty much unpredictable.

Bottom line, I did then and now carry an old S&W 469 9m/m. It came with two magazines. I fired the two magazines loaded twice without any malfunctions. I was satisfied and have carried it for 25 years. I carry the same type ammo that I started with, Win silver tips, and I randomly shoot it throughout the year at least 6 times and I have yet to have a malfunction.

If you shoot all of your loaded magazines at least once and you have no problems, you should be good.

[Eagleks]

I had about 350-400 rds thru a gun I carried. Went to shoot it one day, and failed on every shot. Gun was reworked and has been 100%, but it sure reminded me... "what if " I had needed that gun ?

It's taken me another 500 rounds before I began to trust the gun enough to carry it again, and even then..... I don't carry it very often at all.

It can happen with any gun.

The one's I carry most, have probably had 1000 rounds thru them.

[Cheapshooter]

To carry it further, then your BUG also fails. I think the OP meant something more on the order of "break-in" to assure 100% reliability.

[zxcvbob]

Is it a revolver or a semiauto?

[kmaysob]

well i cant truely answer that question, both of my xds have never once hickuped. ive put close to 800 rounds through the xd9 and a couple thousand through the .45

[rodfac]

Based on your screen moniker, I'd say you've already decided. I can't remember a revolver that failed to fire...can't say the same for my automatics. Rod

[bds32]

I suggest about 100 to 200 rounds of practice ammunition and about 20 rounds of duty/carry ammunition. If all is well, I believe you are good to start carrying it. Of course, the more you shoot it over time, the more you can evaluate it.

[ClayInTx]

Any gun can fail at any time.

I bought a revolver at an estate auction. One of those with a sterling reputation (the gun, not the auction).

Got it home and had some misfires. Checked it out and found a cracked spring. I fixed it but still have in mind that it did fail.

With a new spring? Yes. I’ve seen too many new parts which had a flaw which was not apparent during inspection but soon failed in use. Sometimes a part will last a long time before failing but upon inspection a flaw will be found which just took longer to break.

How long does it take a bad part to break? How long is a string?

I bought a, NIB, light weight, polymer frame, ultra small automatic. Had every kind of failure a pistol could have short of exploding. Found it could be assembled with a small spring out of place. So I then knew how to put it together, but each knew I could have done it wrong.

I’m one of those persons who cleans a gun after shooting, every time. So what can I do? Shoot it to see if I did it right? Clean it? Then shoot it to see if I did it right? Then clean it?

For SD that’s no good.

There are no free lunches but you can buy one.

When some perp comes at you from a dark alley there’s probably not a gun shop handy.
.

[James K]

For semi-auto pistols with the bottom line FMJ ammo, the gun should function 100% out of the box. "Break-in periods" may be justified in extra tight target pistols, but in normal guns they are the maker's way of getting you to use up the warranty so he doesn't have to fix the gun for free.

That being said, and because the gun is not the only factor, I always recommend at least 200 rounds, no problems, with the carry ammo and EACH carry magazine. Too many folks buy expensive ammo for carry, then don't fire it because of the cost.

I can't forget the man who posted that his gun was totally reliable, having gone a thousand rounds of practice ammo with no problems, but that his carry ammo was too expensive to shoot. I strongly suggested he fire some of the high-priced ammo, since that was what he was betting his life on. He got five failures in the first magazine, and 4-5 in each magazine after that. But he had stated that his gun was totally reliable!

Jim

[dalegribble]

cheap 9mm is about $200 per thousand thats $400 for 2 thousand. that probably equals the cost of most 9mm handguns. it probably approaches the time when springs might need to be replaced and parts start to wear. so basicaly with 2 thousand rounds you have doubled the cost or your firearm and made it into an old half worn out gun. does that make you feel more secure?

the ONLY handguns i have ever owned that had ANY issues out of the box were my springfield 1911's and most of those could probably be classified as "limp wristing" and my fault.they went away after a box or so of ammo and when i learned to properly grip the gun. my other amt, colt, ruger, taurus and smith and wesson handguns have always worked perfectly since day one.

whenever i get a gun i learn to strip, clean and reassemble it properly before i fire it. if it shoots a box of ammo without problems i'm willing to bet my life on it. if you are going to have a problem most of the time it will be a bad magazine. if it's anything other than that it is probably a bad or broken part but i have lever experienced that personaly.

[scottycoyote]

a revolver id would probably put 50 rounds thru and if no problems id carry it. A semiauto i like to put about 200 rounds thru....any gun can fail but i feel like youre most likely to have the failures in the beginning (with a new gun) and as you shoot it, its breaking in. If i get thru 200 i call it gtg.

[MR.G]

A revolver, couple of cylinders. A S/A, I will fire at least fifty rounds with each carry magazine.

[Erikbal]

I've got 109 flawless rounds through mine and I trust it to carry, that is with 3 different kinds of ammo as well including Hornady hollow points (which is what I carry). Some may think that's not enough but I am shooting it every chance I get. It seems some of my friends forget how exciting it is to have a new gun you want to shoot a lot.

[Craig623]

Keep it clean and very lightly oiled. Most of the problems I hear about end up being too much oil and not enough cleaning. I think the 500 round break-in period is more about the operator than the pistol. I'm continually surprised about the problems with functionality, reliability and shooting skills that disappear after after 400 rounds or so.

[Craig623]

P.S. Good Luck!!!! You seem to be on the right track.

[ClydeFrog]

2 important points that have come up here to me are;
To understand that most common jams/problems with modern semi auto pistols come from the pistol magazine. To clear these jams and reload a different mag solves many problems.
The other point is to check or inspect the handgun ammunition. Even "top brand" handgun rounds fresh from the factory can be sub-standard.
I purchased a new box of 9x19mm JHP +P from a "major" firm and saw a few of the 9mm cartridges were dirty, had wierd stains or looked like #+=•.
I put the rounds that didn't have any flaws or problems in my duty-carry 9mm pistol magazines. I'm not going to risk my safety or have a malfunction due to pistol rounds that I knew were crap.

As a teen, in the 1980s, I read of how US combat troops in SE Asia & later many spec ops(ForceRecon, Rangers, SEALs, SF) would check each milspec 5.56mm round in their issue CAR-15s/M-16a1s before a big mission.
This made a lot of sense and is a good habit to get into if you carry a firearm for duty or protection.

Clyde

[MrDontPlay]

With my revolvers, one box. With my SR40 a couple hundred rounds of practice ammo and a couple boxes of SD ammo. I'm nearing 1000 rounds now with zero malfunctions. I just took it completely apart to install a ghost trigger so I'll test it again the same way.

[KyJim]

Most handguns manufactured today don't truly need a beak-in period before working reliably. Some do, however. Check with the manufacturer. The break-in helps the parts mate together for a better fit and smoother performance.

Kahr recommends about 200 beak-in rounds on the CM9. The Dan Wesson manual recommends 300 to 500 for their 1911s. Keith, who runs the 1911 production line has verbally indicated about 200 rounds. Les Baer recommend break-in rounds for their 1911s but I don't recall the exact amount (maybe 300 to 400). Some posters may argue they are cutting corners and the shooter shouldn't have to do this. Fine, don't buy the guns. More for me.

Now, even if a gun doesn't truly need a break-in, I still believe in shooting a semi-auto for 200 to 300 rounds before depending on it. This serves a dual purpose. First, if there are any defective parts, they are more likely to show up early (not always, of course). Second, it gives me familiarity with that specific gun. As a side benefit, all guns do seem to run a bit better after some rounds through them.

For revolvers, I'm usually happy with anywhere from 25 to 50 rounds through them.

[BIG P]

How long till YOU trust your wife? Noone knows but you.

[SIGSHR]

I think a certain amount of breaking in for a NIB is a wise idea, like driving a new car around town to break it in rather than on the highway. Also the real weakness of most pistol is in the magazines.