How to break in new pistols?

I've gotta agree, just shoot em' and don't worry about round count. I think the clean and lube thing really gets blown out of proportion. I clean my guns, but only every now and then. Some folks really get too worried about that stuff. It they work reliably that's all that counts.
 
I never shoot a new handgun without first cleaning out all the crap left behind from manufacturing. I don't believe barrel break in is as important as breaking in everything else. I won't consider a gun ready for EDC until I've run at least 300-400 rounds thru it, tried various ammo's to see what it prefers, given time for everything to wear in a little, and can go thru 200 rounds without a failure. Range guns however, I clean, lube, and shoot the bejesus out of, with less care or concern for round count.

PS...I think Kahr used to say 400 rounds was their minimum before they considered their guns broken in and safe to carry.
 
1. Clean
2. Oil
3. Shoot
4. Repeat

There's nothing to it. If you were thinking about rifles and complicated "shoot this many rounds then clean for so many rounds" break-in schedules, it won't make any difference at all for an ordinary pistol.

If we're talking something particularly cheap and terrible or fancy and expensive, there might be a little more to it. But otherwise not.
 
Clean the factory rust preventative coating, lube it as per manufacturer recommendations in the owners manual. Some gun companies mention a minimum number of rounds for break in. Land says 200. Again, consult the manual.
My personal procedure is 100 rounds of rang ammo, unless like Kahr more is suggested. Then 50 of my chosen carry ammo. All trouble free of course. Otherwise I start all over again. Note, I haven't had to start over. All, including my Kahe CM9 passed the 100/100 test.100 rounds/100% reliable.
 
With a brand new pistol I usually rack the slide 200 - 300 times before I get to the range. I have some pistols that are known for being a little finiky before break in (CM9, DB9, Desert Eagle L5, R51) and all of them have been trouble free from their first shot... after racking the slide repeatedly.
 
Depends on the gun,Glocks can be taken right out of the box and shot with no ill effects,Sigs need to be cleaned of preservative.
Use your discretion
 
I don't know how many shots to break in. I do know that I clean all guns new
or used before I shoot them. You never know what kind of particle might be
hanging out in the bore.
 
I do the same as pretty much everyone has already said. I will inspect, clean, and lubricate the pistol and examine the magazines.

I usually dry fire a pistol multiple times before testing it in live fire, check the trigger reset, etc. If it has an external safety I will function test that. of course, check the slide lock, etc. I usually also examine the barrel rifling with a bright light.

One thing I try to make a habit of with any new or used pistol I have not shot before, or any pistol that has been disassembled, reassembled, or had the action parts worked on is to first load only a single round in the magazine and fire it. This checks magazine function, feeding, extraction, and ejection as well as confirms that the slide locks back on an empty magazine. If the gun passes that test, I will load 2 rounds in the mag and shoot them to confirm that the pistol does not double.
 
Generally speaking.

-clean, lubricate and inspect out of the box
-I tend to dry fire a bit before first range trip. Not specifically to break in more to get a feel but the act of working slide, trigger, mag release, hammer etc. is going to start to loosen stuff up.
-first box or three at the range is usually hotter or heavier ammo. Really more of a 9mm thing with me. I prefer 124 grain NATO spec stuff in general but tend to like to get some of that or 147 grain or defensive ammo before I run powder puff 115 grain. Not really an issue in .40/.45.
-Run a mix of defensive ammo to test for reliability. Usually a mix of 100 rounds and another 100 or so of what I settle on for primary SD ammo. I really am just looking to see if there is a particular shape or brand that causes an immediate issue. (Never happened yet)
-Run all mags topped off plus one to test that
-Run any different mag options (Glock 19 mag in a 26 for example)
-Run a few rounds weak hand etc.

I just generally run 300-400 rounds or so and have fun while doing the above.

I have found some HK 9mms need a little heavy or hot ammo for a box or three to loosen them up for the cheap stuff

I have found the micro/small 9mms to be similar to the above more so because they are more susceptible to bad holds and become more tolerant as the Gun loosens up.

I have never had a gun that NEEDED a break in beyond a box or three of ammo. My Walther PPS classic was one of the most tightly fitted guns I have ever seen out of the box. Took 2 boxes of NATO Spec and a handful of HST to loosen it up enough to run 115 grain plinking stuff, has hummed along ever since.
 
test firing & reliabilty

I always field strip and inspect a new gun and clean it and lube it, the owner should know how to do this before firing.

You dont need to fire a 1000 rds to see if it's reliable, if you can fire 200 rds without a problem that should be fine, your never going to fire a 1000 rds during a gun fight / Home Defense situatiuon

just test a box of the ammo you plan on using for defense

I hear a lot of people say they wont trust a gun or use it as a carry gun unless they shoot at least 3,000 rds through it first, etc, in my opinion this is not necessary, your wasting your money, thats a lot more than the cost of the gun

I consider a gun to be very reliable if you can fire 500 rds of various types with no problems, just a few trips to the range.

you probably wont even shoot one magazine for defense.

I also try several types / brands of ammo to test reliability & function with different brands

most of my new handguns have been tested with at least 12 - 15 different types of ammo, different bullet weights, steel cased, aluminum, brass, JHP defense loads, reloads.

Im confident my guns will take just about anything I use in them.

and always make sure to test a new gun on paper targets first to check the sight alignment & accuracy at various ranges, in case it might need some adjustments.
 
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Range use only handguns don't need a break-in. If they jam a little very early in their lifetime (and I've run into more than one or two that have) it's not a problem since they're just being shot for fun.

Working handguns need to be shot enough to establish familiarity with the gun and reliability with the chosen ammunition. That should take care of break-in requirements in virtually all situations.

Other than that, I don't do break-ins unless the manufacturer recommends additional procedures.
 
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