What's the best way to break in a new pistol?

Tool · April 12, 2024, 07:23 AM

Below is what I heard:

1. Wipe off all the factory grease, which is designed for rust prevention instead of lubrication.

2. Lube the slide channel.

3. Shoot a few hundred rounds, using 124 gr bullets.

What else? Does dry-firing help?

jar · April 12, 2024, 07:57 AM

Clean lube, shoot. What type bullets depends on the gun.

The reality is that what you are breaking in is the user. It takes a few hundred rounds to initially get proficient with a new firearm.

Tool · April 12, 2024, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jar

Clean lube, shoot. What type bullets depends on the gun.

The reality is that what you are breaking in is the user. It takes a few hundred rounds to initially get proficient with a new firearm.

Thanks for the good comments.

WmMunny · April 12, 2024, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tool

3. Shoot a few hundred rounds, using 124 gr bullets.

Probably not a good idea unless you're shooting a 9mm ;-)

Shadow9mm · April 12, 2024, 08:39 PM

Read your manual, see if and or where it says to put oil, not just the slide channel. sometimes its the barrel or other places.

More of a concern with rifles, but its advisable to run a lightly olef patch down the barrel to clean out and debri or machining /protective oil from the inside of the barrel.

Clean it
Oil it
Shoot it

Most modern pistols do not need to be broken in, unless you bought a high dollar competition gun that is fitted very tightly. But cleaning the gun, and shooting it to make sure its working properly is reccomended.

Hawg · April 12, 2024, 09:21 PM

Before you do anything tear it completely down and clean off all the packing grease. Oil it up and shoot it.

**JohnKSa** · April 12, 2024, 10:28 PM

Read the manual. Guns aren't all the same. I've learned a lot about guns just reading manuals.

Field strip and clean. During that process:

Remove excessive lube. Some of the lube is there as a preservative, but in some cases, some of it is there to facilitate break in and you don't necessarily want to strip it all off. Had a guy call me from his rental range. He had a new gun that wasn't working. He had used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean the gun and that completely stripped all the lube. Then he re-oiled it, but didn't get all the lube points covered and the gun wouldn't run. I put some oil on the spot he missed and it started working.
Check things over to see if there are any problems and so you will be able to tell if things change after you shoot it.

Shoot it. I've not had issues with ammo preference (in terms of bullet weight) during break-in with centerfire guns, but rimfires may want to be broken in with certain types of ammo.

Sometimes a gun will have some hiccups the first time to the range. I have one pistol where each of the magazines had a weird malfunction the first time they were loaded/shot. The rounds would bind in the magazine and cause a jam. Then they never did it again. That kind of thing is somewhat unusual, but still, I wouldn't freak out if there were some minor issues with the very first time the gun was shot.

Then take it home and repeat the strip and clean. Check for excessive wear, to see if anything changed, and then reapply lube where applicable based on the manufacturer's guidance and based on where you see wear.

Next time at the range I wouldn't expect to see any malfunctions.

Not sure exactly what you mean by the "slide channel", but if you mean the firing pin channel, don't put any lube in there. If you have a dry lubricant, you can apply some to the firing pin channel sparingly, but usually firing pins don't need any lubricant.

**44 AMP** · April 13, 2024, 12:38 PM

Fine advice, though I would raise two points...

Often a beginner will have no idea what is, and isn't "excessive".

At metal to metal contact points, the finish (blue, or whatever) will get worn off. A degree of this is normal and not excessive.

My other point is, that most people who aren't well versed in the terminology think of the "slide channel" as being where the slide fits over (or inside, depending on design) of the frame rails.

Field strip, clean, and properly relubricate is also sound advice for any used (but new to me) gun. This gives you a "clean slate" starting point for evaluating how the gun performs.

Tool · April 13, 2024, 08:52 PM

Many thanks for all the excellent advice.

BarryLee · April 15, 2024, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Read the manual. Guns aren't all the same. I've learned a lot about guns just reading manuals.

Yes, purchased a 1911 a couple of years ago and the manufacturer specially said to shoot 300 to 500 rounds before cleaning.

April 12, 2024, 07:23 AM	#1
Tool Member Join Date: April 4, 2024 Posts: 29	What's the best way to break in a new pistol? Below is what I heard: 1. Wipe off all the factory grease, which is designed for rust prevention instead of lubrication. 2. Lube the slide channel. 3. Shoot a few hundred rounds, using 124 gr bullets. What else? Does dry-firing help?

April 12, 2024, 07:57 AM	#2
jar Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2001 Location: Deep South Texas Posts: 1,674	Clean lube, shoot. What type bullets depends on the gun. The reality is that what you are breaking in is the user. It takes a few hundred rounds to initially get proficient with a new firearm. __________________ To be vintage it's gotta be older than me!

April 12, 2024, 08:39 PM	#5
Shadow9mm Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 3,980	Read your manual, see if and or where it says to put oil, not just the slide channel. sometimes its the barrel or other places. More of a concern with rifles, but its advisable to run a lightly olef patch down the barrel to clean out and debri or machining /protective oil from the inside of the barrel. Clean it Oil it Shoot it Most modern pistols do not need to be broken in, unless you bought a high dollar competition gun that is fitted very tightly. But cleaning the gun, and shooting it to make sure its working properly is reccomended. __________________ I don't believe in "range fodder" that is why I reload. Last edited by Shadow9mm; April 12, 2024 at 10:15 PM.

April 12, 2024, 10:28 PM	#7
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 25,021	Read the manual. Guns aren't all the same. I've learned a lot about guns just reading manuals. Field strip and clean. During that process: Remove excessive lube. Some of the lube is there as a preservative, but in some cases, some of it is there to facilitate break in and you don't necessarily want to strip it all off. Had a guy call me from his rental range. He had a new gun that wasn't working. He had used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean the gun and that completely stripped all the lube. Then he re-oiled it, but didn't get all the lube points covered and the gun wouldn't run. I put some oil on the spot he missed and it started working. Check things over to see if there are any problems and so you will be able to tell if things change after you shoot it. Shoot it. I've not had issues with ammo preference (in terms of bullet weight) during break-in with centerfire guns, but rimfires may want to be broken in with certain types of ammo. Sometimes a gun will have some hiccups the first time to the range. I have one pistol where each of the magazines had a weird malfunction the first time they were loaded/shot. The rounds would bind in the magazine and cause a jam. Then they never did it again. That kind of thing is somewhat unusual, but still, I wouldn't freak out if there were some minor issues with the very first time the gun was shot. Then take it home and repeat the strip and clean. Check for excessive wear, to see if anything changed, and then reapply lube where applicable based on the manufacturer's guidance and based on where you see wear. Next time at the range I wouldn't expect to see any malfunctions. Not sure exactly what you mean by the "slide channel", but if you mean the firing pin channel, don't put any lube in there. If you have a dry lubricant, you can apply some to the firing pin channel sparingly, but usually firing pins don't need any lubricant. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

April 13, 2024, 12:38 PM	#8
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,892	Fine advice, though I would raise two points... Often a beginner will have no idea what is, and isn't "excessive". At metal to metal contact points, the finish (blue, or whatever) will get worn off. A degree of this is normal and not excessive. My other point is, that most people who aren't well versed in the terminology think of the "slide channel" as being where the slide fits over (or inside, depending on design) of the frame rails. Field strip, clean, and properly relubricate is also sound advice for any used (but new to me) gun. This gives you a "clean slate" starting point for evaluating how the gun performs. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

April 12, 2024, 09:21 PM	#6
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,191	Before you do anything tear it completely down and clean off all the packing grease. Oil it up and shoot it.

April 13, 2024, 08:52 PM	#9
Tool Member Join Date: April 4, 2024 Posts: 29	Many thanks for all the excellent advice.