# How Many Rounds?



## hunter27 (Jul 7, 2009)

How many rounds do most of you put through a gun to classify it as "reliable" for concealed?


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## Tuefelhunden (Nov 20, 2006)

I think the general rule for "break in period" seems to be anywere from 200 to 500 rounds. Preferably the majority of those rounds being the brand and type you intend to use for defense purposes. I admit I don't go that far for shake down purposes but agree it may be a good idea in some cases and may be representative of the "ideal" scenario. Tight 1911's or others that may be giving some occasional fail to feed fail to eject issues right off the bat I would consider exceptions. Personally if I can put a 50 box of FMJ and then 20 rounds of each brand of various hollow point I intend to use through it without any problems then I consider it good to go for my purposes. More important for me to test with the ammo I intend to use than just feeding it random ammunition in quantity.

It can happen that out of the box reliability is good but deteriates over time in later round counts but most problems are evident right away. My 50/20 drill as I coin it works for me. If I have some issues then it's time to figure out the problem, fix if I can and then duplicate the round count process to make sure my fix worked. What I do being said, I think each individual needs to make thier own determination on what is enough to satisfy thier comfort level. I expect guns to work out of the box if I do my part and have a pretty low tolerance for bobbles. On the rare occasion I get a habitual choker it doesn't stay in the stable very long unless I can wring it out.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

For me, it's 200 rounds for autoloaders, and 100 rounds for revolvers, of the load I intend to carry. If there are any functional failures with that load, then corrective action is taken (if warranted), and I re-set the counter to zero and start the testing over. During this time, other ammo may also be fired through the weapon to get it dirty or hotter than normal. For autoloaders, I also must have 50 rounds (or about 3 mags) of the intended carry ammo run successfully through the gun in sub-zero temperatures (I load the mags and the gun and mags in the vehicle overnight when it's coldest, then shoot as early the next day as possible). I've seen too many guns run perfect all summer long, then begin to choke when the temps dip below zero. That's probably not a factor for many of you folks. :mrgreen:

I suspect that with the ammo cost increases and shortages, then a lot of people may be making changes to their previous reliability test procedures. 15-20 years ago, ammo was plentiful and cheap, and I had a lot more disposable income. If I had to do it nowadays, then I might consider modifying it a bit; heck, I think it might take me 6 months just to FIND 200 rounds of my current carry loads! Still, reliability is THE critical aspect of a defensive weapon. Just like a parachute -- if it doesn't work when you really need it, you won't ever need it again!

Boring reliability is one of the primary reasons I like Glocks, by the way...


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