How to break in new pistols?

i don't clean before i shoot, i see it as way to test the factory setting and capabilities. i put two clips through it, clean and head back home.
 
"...i don't clean before i shoot..." Your shift key is defective. All new firearms are shipped coated in a rust preventative coating that needs to come off before shooting. That includes the magazines.
There is no need to "break in" any firearm. As mentioned, field strip, clean, load or buy some ammo and go shooting.
 
So how many rounds is the min. # you writers feel comfortable shooting when you determine the gun is reliable??

Many people on these forums refer to 100 + rounds. My local Sheriff Dept. says 50 rounds.

Anybody have an opinion?
 
Most sources I've seen say a minimum of 500 rounds with no stoppages is the criterion for establishing reliability if the gun will be used for carry/personal defense.

For a range toy? Whatever floats your boat.

But there's a big difference between "break-in" and establishing reliability. Some of the premium 1911 makers (yes, I'm talking about Les Baer) won't talk to you about malfunctions unless/until you have put at least 500 rounds through the gun. To me, that's unacceptable. If I buy a new car and it keeps stalling every half mile going down the road, I'm not going to wait for 500 miles to show on the odometer before I take it back the dealer to fix it. I buy a car to take me from point A to point B. I buy a gun to send a projectile in the general direction I'm aiming when I pull the trigger. Both are machines. If either machine doesn't perform the intended function, it's defective and should be repaired or replaced by the maker.
 
Establishing reliability might take many rounds - it will depend on how many different types of ammo you intend to try to see which ones function best and give you acceptable accuracy
 
As everyone else has said. clean and lube it. But I personally wouldn't consider a gun reliable unless it can shoot 1000+ rounds without a stoppage for nightstand/carry. a couple hundred rounds is plenty reliable for a range gun. That may be excessive but many guns iv had experience with could easily do that.
 
I just put 150 rounds thru the newest SD9VE last weekend. From experiences with the other three, I deem this one ready to go.
 
Reliability

Reliabity testing. It is a pipe dream. Test a gun all you want....two magazines, two boxes of ammo, ten boxes of ammo.....a firearm is a mechanical device. A mechanical device will fail sooner or later. There is no predicting when only that it will.
Shoot 500 trouble free rounds through your gun. There is no guarantee that the gun will not malfuncton on the 501st. In fact, the more trouble free rounds that you shoot the more lkely the gun is going to fail on the next shot (whenever that is)
 
I dont think I've ever cleaned a gun before shooting it, maybe I should but I probably wont start now. I just clean after shooting and if I wont be shooting for awhile i put it away a little wet. Never had any problems.
 
Some guns are shipped dripping oil/preservative;
others not so much: some are dry as the
proverbial bone.

Recently took in a Beretta 92FS. It was dry.
I lubed it a bit and now believe it's ready for
testing, extensive shooting.

When the gun comes dripping wet, I'll wipe
the goo/oil off and relube it, oil it.

Since revolvers don't actually need a lot
of oil to run, I'll sometimes shoot them
for a bit while dry.

P.S.: I always check the barrels to see
how they look and might run a patch
through them.
 
Thoroughly clean pistol to remove all preservatives. Oil about 10 times more than normal. Reoil after each and every mag. Lots of oil helps wash away any small machining burrs / chips that will come loose while shooting. Thoroughly clean again after range session. Done.
 
Shoot the Gun!

Then shoot it some more!
Shoot it
Shoot it
Shoot it
Shoot it until you have tried all the typical ammo you plan to use and have not had any hiccups.
One you have made sure the gun is going to run.
Clean it
Oil it
Keep it someplace safe.
 
Ammo and reliability

I can see testing a new firearm in order to find out what type of ammo functions the most reliabiy. That is a bit different than testing the reliability of the gun itself.
 
RC has the answer, don’t worry about counting rounds just shoot the beans out of it until you are comfortable with the firearm’s performance.
 
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