How many rounds...

How many rounds to show ammo is reliable?

  • 50

    Votes: 23 22.8%

  • 100

    Votes: 33 32.7%

  • 150

    Votes: 6 5.9%

  • 200

    Votes: 22 21.8%

  • 250

    Votes: 4 4.0%

  • 300

    Votes: 13 12.9%
  • Total voters
    101
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ATN082268

New member
Generally, about how many rounds does it take to show that a particular type of ammunition is reliable with a certain semi-auto handgun?
 
IMO,
When using a proven pistol, 50 rounds should be plenty - If 50 of 50 rounds load/fire/eject without issue, then I call it good.
When using a new gun -- maybe 200 rounds.
 
It's difficult to answer this objectively. I have 1,500 rounds of various ammo types through my latest EDC so far, and since last Dec. It's an HK P30 9mm. No gun related problems to report.
 
I have long recommended firing a minimum of 200 rounds with the carry ammo and, for auto pistols, with EACH carry magazine. And that means with NO failures. If a failure occurs, the cause is found and corrected and the count starts over.

Too often folks practice with "cheap" ammo and find the gun very reliable, but then switch to the "high price spread" for carry without "wasting" expensive ammo to find out if it will even function the pistol.

Jim
 
Stangbangr answered as I would have. Any semi-auto pistol needs about 500 rounds to "settle down". 100 (without any failures) should be of the type you will carry.
 
Just don't forget that the magazine is part of the gun; every time you insert a new magazine you are in effect making a new gun and any reliability testing has to start fresh.

Jim
 
I would say an absolute minimum would be 200 rounds per magazine. I woulds feel better with 300-350 per though.
 
I wouldn't put a pistol in to a defensive role without 200-300 through it without failure, but in my opinion -- the "testing" phase is ALWAYS happening. If I shoot it and find failures, it is NOT viable for social work until it is vetted once again.
 
Years ago several hundred rounds was probably good advice, and still today with some designs. But as long as quality ammo is used I haven't seen a Glock, Sig, Beretta, or any other top tier gun malfunction in so long I no longer see the point of shooting hundreds of rounds to feel confident. If each magazine runs through twice I feel pretty good. At least with with certain guns with a proven reputation.

You can get bad ammo, or old worn out magazines, but that is a different matter. A gun with thousands of trouble free rounds will choke when the magazine fails or if you get bad ammo in it.
 
In a gun that is already reliable I call it good to go at 100 rounds. If the gun is new I break it in with a couple hundred rounds before I check out it's reliability with a specific ammo.
 
If the GUN is reliable and you've already chamber checked to determine max oal of the rounds with that profile bullet.... it shouldn't take many.

I'd spend the rounds checking accuracy.
 
A new in the box gun will get 200 rounds put thru it with its mags in rotation to verify reliability of that pistol. I will then shoot 20-40 of my chosen carry loads to ensure the gun is happy with that ammo

Although i would LOVE to shoot 200 rounds of "carry" ammo that is just cost prohibitive.

If the gun will go 200 rounds of FMJ and a box or 2 of JHP's im comfortable carrying it.

Any NEW mag will get a range session 100-200 rounds before joining the carry group
 
I don't know about proving reliability but I had one brand that took 3 rounds to prove unreliability with a squib load that left a bullet in the barrel.

I haven't seen that particular brand listed anywhere for a long time.
 
....but in my opinion -- the "testing" phase is ALWAYS happening. If I shoot it and find failures, it is NOT viable for social work until it is vetted once again.
Click to expand...

Agree with this statement
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top