Question about 'breaking in'semi autos.....

[rwsmith]

This question is really general question, but I thought this forum might be the best place to post it. It concerns a question about semi's of S&W or any make or type.

Sometimes people say that they have to fire their semi several hundred times to 'break it in'. I have a method of doing the same, IF it works. Can you break in or help break in a pistol quickly 'by hand?

I take out the magazine so as to inactivate the slide stop. I rack it cross body (not sling shot as that would wear my hand out) and rapidly work the action all the way back in bursts of about 10 at a time so as not to wear myself out. Does racking by hand do the same thing to break in a pistol as if it were firing as long as you slam the slide all the way back??? I try to hold it without pressing down on the slide as that would be different from firing.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Since breaking in a pistol includes rounds moving through the chamber and barrel I don't think your method will work. Assuming a pistol needs to be "broken in", which may not be true but let's assume it, the whole mechanism needs to run so all parts get their chance to "break in" by moving in the correct fashion.

Back in the day, I am not sure about modern cars, we have all heard that to break in a car you need to stay under X miles per hour for 1000 miles, or 500 miles, etc. How successful would the break in be if you put the car on a rack and simply spun the wheels the equivalent of 500 miles?

Jus' sayin'...................

 

[Arik]

I go to the range and shoot. Call it whatever you want. I guess every time I shoot I'm breaking it in. Either way I'm shooting my gun. If it fails I have no interest in figuring it out. There are plenty of other ones out there.

 

[JJEH]

Back in the day, I am not sure about modern cars, we have all heard that to break in a car you need to stay under X miles per hour for 1000 miles, or 500 miles, etc. How successful would the break in be if you put the car on a rack and simply spun the wheels the equivalent of 500 miles?

Plus you had to run a special engine oil for the break in process. At least Mercedes-Benz in Germany required that. That included factory overhauled engines.

Anyway, I recommend the "break in" period of a pistol with a few hundred rounds of target ammo after cleaning and lubricating it. Then use a hotter ammo (a few boxes) and then try hollow points. This has worked very well for me.

 

[NEURON]

Take it to the range and shoot it. If it functions OK good, if it doesn't send it back.

 

[Laketime]

All autos run smother and settle in after a few hundred rounds.You cannot simulate that on your own without firing.Some novices feel a hiccup during the first few hundred rounds are a sign of poor quality though.

 

[18DAI]

I think the "break in period" for guns was coined by Kimber to excuse their lack of QA/QC and shoddy workmanship.

The break in period for a 3rd gen S&W ends when you remove it from the box. Regards 18DAI

 

[wheelgunguy]

First let me state this is a gross over simplification:

"Part of breaking something mechanical in is causing wear."

I don't say this as something that is necessarily bad.

My advice is a better use of your energy and would cause wear would be to get some snap caps and practice malfunction drills.

Of course shooting it a lot is a better way to break it in and a whole lot more fun.

 

[petepeterson]

The break in period for a 3rd gen S&W ends when you remove it from the box. Regards 18DAI

I was going to say The same thing. The only breaking in you do with a 3rd gen is snapping the two tabs open on the plastic box.

 

[Laketime]

I think the "break in period" for guns was coined by Kimber to excuse their lack of QA/QC and shoddy workmanship.

The break in period for a 3rd gen S&W ends when you remove it from the box. Regards 18DAI

Break in periods have been around since the original Colt 1911,Browning High Power,Walther PP,PPK,PPKs and the list goes on.And just so that you know,after shaking up the 1911 world raising the bar for everyone.Kimber did suffer some QC issues trying to keep up with the insane demands for them.

 

[Barrie]

I usually consider a gun broken in after around 500 rounds. They start to loosen up and perform quite well after that point. I generally see a difference by the 200 round mark and they usually only get better. If I have encountered any small glitchs I will use a drop of oil on the top round in the mag until the problem clears up. That usually works very well with any stovepipes or FTE's.

 

[MichiganScott]

Take it to the range and shoot it. If it functions OK good, if it doesn't send it back.

Say you've got a police force of 1000 patrol officers you want to arm with the latest and greatest polymer pistol. The manufacturer tells you that each officer must shoot 500 rounds through his gun to break it in thoroughly before he/she can trust it. You thank the manufacturer for his time and give the contract to the guy that says their guns will run out of the box.

Civilian pistols should be procured with the same results in mind.

 

[Laketime]

Say you've got a police force of 1000 patrol officers you want to arm with the latest and greatest polymer pistol. The manufacturer tells you that each officer must shoot 500 rounds through his gun to break it in thoroughly before he/she can trust it. You thank the manufacturer for his time and give the contract to the guy that says their guns will run out of the box.

Civilian pistols should be procured with the same results in mind.

I would hope those 1000 patrol officers shoot at least 200-300 rounds out of their service weapons before hitting the streets.Even if they are revolvers.


Break in periods..where the gun smooths out after a few hundred rounds.( most likely no hiccups )

Mandatory break in period. Tight tolerance 1911 ,500 rounds to get the bearing surfaces to finishing matting.Required in Wilson,LB's ,Ed Brown,Kimber.

 

[lhump1961]

I'm sure a short "break in" period is good in some cases especially the tight tolerance stuff. Of the six new S&W's I've bought (the majority of my stuff is older and not new when I bought it) all of them performed well out of the box. 3 M&P's, 2 1911's and a 22a-1. One FTFeed from one of the 1911's one time early on...perfect since then and the rest have been 100% from day one. I just purchased a new 9c and the first 200 rounds have been flawless.

On the other hand I think that if a gun is a bit stubborn out of the box there is a good chance it will be fine after some range time. Many little variables that can cause a gun to hiccup that may smooth out after some shooting. I've not seen much need for "break in" among my stuff. JMHO.

 

[Sevens]

Like many have detailed, I don't think there is one easy answer that covers it all. To the OP -- your routine sounds to me like something that won't (or shouldn't) hurt anything and if you enjoy that and feel that it helps, I think it can't hurt.

Also agree that Kimber deserves to be name-dropped here simply because they've become infamous for telling customers to try harder to make their pistols work.

In the end though, if the pistol is going to be placed in any manner of a defensive role -- I think it would be foolish to place it in such a role if you haven't personally put at least a few hundred flawless rounds through it. I believe that I am worth that much.

 

[DanP7]

Just shoot it.

Guns don't need rituals.

 

[CaptRon956]

I have never met a firearms instructor who didn't recommend a break-in period before carrying a gun for self-defense.

Keep your pistol cleaned & lubed at all times & shoot the thing. It is not uncommon to have a minor malfunction such as a failure to feed on occasion, that is normal during the break in period. To believe otherwise is just plain naive.

 

[Barrie]

I have owned many different makes and models of semi auto handguns. Dosen't matter what caliber they have been as I have owned them all at one time or another. They should have at least 200 rounds thru them to loosen them up. Some take up to 500 rounds to fully break-in. Every gun has been different. Thats the way it is I have discovered.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I'm not that much of an auto type of a guy, but I do have a few.
The last one I bought a new auto was a Runt Kahr.
They say shoot it 200 rounds. So I shot it 200 rounds.
Got one failure to return to battery, corrected by the fat thumb.
So there to the folks who say I don't follow directions or own autos.
Asking directions? Thats a whole nother thread!

 

[Jamesatrange]

I bought a Kahr Cw9 and the manual and dealer both told me to shoot it to wear it in. I must admit I was about to send it back because it felt off and the trigger was not to my pleasure but it definitely got better with shooting and racking it back and dry firing to wear all the parts together for a fine function.