Break-in of a new 45c

[Daebur]

I just purchased a new M&P 45c. I am excited to get it to the range. I've ordered some snap caps and am shopping for a holster for CCW and a good polymer-safe cleaning kit. However, my primary question is this:

What do I need to do to properly break in my new 45c?

I've been told to give it the "shoot one round, full clean" treatment for the first 10-50 rounds. I've been told to clean it before I take it to the range to get the factory materials out and then clean after every 50 rounds at the range. What is the best approach? I am just getting into this sport and am open to any and all advice, especially from fellow M&P owners. Any pointers on cleaning kits and holsters would be welcome too.

I look forward to becoming part of this great group of people that I've seen in the posts that I have read already. Thanks for your time and attention here.

[Pisgah]

Clean it first, following the owners manual (oh yeah -- need I say READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL?), because you will sometimes find tiny metal chips in odd places, too much lube, etc. Then re-lube it in accordance with the instructions you'll find in the owner's manual, and go shoot it. 50 rounds or 500 -- it won't matter. Once you're done shooting, you don't need to be in a goshawful rush, but clean it again at your leisure.

[Daebur]

I think I've read the owner's manual 3 times already I will certainly be cleaning it before it goes to the range.
Is Hoppe's 9 safe around the polymer or should I pick up something else?

[magnum12pm]

Originally Posted by Daebur

I think I've read the owner's manual 3 times already I will certainly be cleaning it before it goes to the range.
Is Hoppe's 9 safe around the polymer or should I pick up something else?

I like the foaming cleaners for the barrel, however most approved cleaning agents will work. I don't really think you need something special for polymer guns, its mainly marketing to get more of your cash. I have had mine since they came out. It has about 10K of ammo on it, cleaned it with about everything out there, it still looks like brand new. I like to use the spray cleaners like Remington or a host of others make to spray out the crud after foaming. But long story short most approved gun cleaning agents will not harm the weapon.

[Slowroller78]

I think I would have to go along with what Pisgah and magnum12pm said. I carried Glocks for a number of years, if I only shot a few round, I just ran some CLP through the tube. On qualification days, we sometime shot as much a 400 to 500 rounds. The gun would be filthy. I used Hoppe's #9 and it worked fine, no discoloration of the polymer frame if it got on it.

So, as Pisgah said, read the manual; clean the metal flakes, factory gunk, and excess grease out of it, relube and shoot the heck out of it.

And, enjoy that new shooter. BTW, the shoot one, clean, shoot one, clean, that OP was talking about is probably more appropriate to precision rifle barrel break ins. I have read stuff by bench rest and tactical shooters that do this. But they need a very precise cold bore zero, so they try to remove as many variables as possible. With a pistol, the ranges are so much shorter, I am not sure anything much is gained by the procedure. YMMV

[firearmsunlimited]

Originally Posted by Daebur

I just purchased a new M&P 45c. I am excited to get it to the range. I've ordered some snap caps and am shopping for a holster for CCW and a good polymer-safe cleaning kit. However, my primary question is this:

What do I need to do to properly break in my new 45c?

I've been told to give it the "shoot one round, full clean" treatment for the first 10-50 rounds. I've been told to clean it before I take it to the range to get the factory materials out and then clean after every 50 rounds at the range. What is the best approach? I am just getting into this sport and am open to any and all advice, especially from fellow M&P owners. Any pointers on cleaning kits and holsters would be welcome too.

I look forward to becoming part of this great group of people that I've seen in the posts that I have read already. Thanks for your time and attention here.

The shoot one clean, shoot two clean, etc. up to 50 rounds came from the bench rest shooters where our barrels are air gauged match grade costing $500 -$700 just for the barrel and chambering costs. Actually no one has ever proven that old break in forumula to be better than any other method. Revolver are different. I concur 100% with what the other guys have already posted in reply to your question. Another good rule to remember is to remove any oil from inside of the cylinder chambers before shooting. An oiled chamber will allow the case to recoil rearward and can raise chamber pressures and also allows the case head to beat up the flash plate.

[Daebur]

Thanks for the great responses. I appreciate the amount of experience that backs the advice here. I'm also glad to hear that some of the advice I had gotten that sounded a little ridiculous for a non-performance center pistol, indeed, did not apply.

Any specific recommendations on ammo types? Should I shoot lighter loads during a break-in period? FMJ vs lead vs JHP? Does the round even make a difference?

[firearmsunlimited]

Im not sure that it matters if you use jacketed or lead. You will probably want to stay away from the truncated shape bullets as they may cause feeding problems. If you go with lead it help to keep lead fouling to a minimum if you shoot a clip full of jacketed after maybe 5 clips of lead. For target I like lighter loads as they are just a little easier on the gun and shooter. Have fun.

[SonnyCrockett]

If a gun requires some sort of baby treatment its a gun you don't want for protection...
M&P is ready to shoot out of the box,buy it load up 250 rounds of ammo and go blast away....
M&P is one of those guns that can shoot thousands of rounds without requiring anything ......
Thats a gun you can bet your life on


good luck!

[Kanewpadle]

Originally Posted by Pisgah

Clean it first, following the owners manual (oh yeah -- need I say READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL?), because you will sometimes find tiny metal chips in odd places, too much lube, etc. Then re-lube it in accordance with the instructions you'll find in the owner's manual, and go shoot it. 50 rounds or 500 -- it won't matter. Once you're done shooting, you don't need to be in a goshawful rush, but clean it again at your leisure.

+1. ALWAYS clean a brand new gun. Used one's too when you buy them. New guns never seem to have enough lube from the factory with the exception of Glock's.

Clean before your first range visit. Then shoot the **** out of it and enjoy. When you get home or at your leisure, inspect and clean the gun.