The topic of a break in period for a pistol is very controversial today. There are plenty of topics that create controversy in the gun community, but I think this is one of the subjects that EVERYONE who ones a firearm can chime in on. There are a few manufacturers that clearly recommend in their user manual for you to shoot a couple hundred rounds to verify reliability, and then there are individuals who recommend more than a couple hundred rounds. On the flip side of that, you have individuals who believe that all modern pistols should be 100% reliable right out of the box.
NO BREAK IN?
It would seem that the most popular idea today is that firearms manufacturing is so advanced that there is no excuse that pistols cannot be completely reliable right out of the box. The immediate reaction I got when I first heard this was “You know what, this may be a reasonable expectation with today’s’ modern knowledge and technology.” I jumped on that idea almost right away because I figured that if we can manufacture parts with such tight tolerances, then we should be able to find a design that works and replicate it perfectly.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
From my time working around some of the most complex and advanced CNC Machines, which is the standard firearm manufacturing tool today, I know that they are capable of some amazing results. On the other hand, I also saw that there are factors such as tool wear, and the fact that it is almost impossible to have a machine that can get everything perfect on every part made, that are not being considered. So, in my experience, the big machined and cast parts are virtually impossible to hold to certain acclaimed “EXACTING STANDARDS” without living in a perfect world.
The solution alot of companies have in order to get it as close to EXACT in tolerances is to slow down the machining and do some of the finest, detailed and time-consuming machining that they can get away with. As we all know, time is money. Manufacturers of firearms like to create a large number of firearms in order to keep the demand happy. With this demand and the added compromises and attention needed to make a damn near perfect part, it is not unheard of for a company to charge much more. It makes sense and is kind of the reason that many people feel that the most reliable pistols on the market that don’t need a break in, are just going to cost more.
The statement of “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR” is the common saying in the case of a break in requirement. But, why would Kahr, Wilson Combat, and other expensive pistol manufacturers recommend a break in period? Could there be a specific reason for why some pistols absolutely need to have a break in?
There are plenty of expensive and inexpensive pistols out there that do require a break in period, and others that do not. Some of the variables that require you to give your pistol a break in period are fitting and springs. First off, each manufacturer does things for a specific reason. But I think that most people feel that it is an inconvenience to accept the fact that this is the case and pistols are not all made the same.
FITTING
If you look at some of the most expensive pistols on the market, they are custom-made to have the tightest fitting possible. Many pistols these days are assembled to have tight-fitting in their parts due to the popular feeling that tight-fitting equals value and reliability. But most of these pistols are custom-made or fitted and still require a break in period. This whole notion that tighter fitting equals reliability is an interesting misconception for the most part. I will point out that the only things that really need to be tight and well fitted on a pistol is the slide to barrel lockup. This is for the sake of making the pistol capable of reliably and consistently hitting its target. If they were not tightly fit, you would have to rely on luck to hit anything with much precision.
The best example I can find of this is the original GI 1911. Many people use the “rattle” test to judge whether the pistol is good or if it was cheaply manufactured. This is a highly flawed test for the quality of manufacturing because many of the most reliable pistols right out the box actually give off a “rattle” when they are shaken. This is because tight-fitting increases friction and can effect cycling. But this is only one of the possible factors in a pistol needing a “BREAK IN” before trusting it.
SPRINGS
In order to understand what causes a firearm to be reliable, we must first understand the role springs play in the operation of a firearm. The most common springs that will have an effect on the overall reliability of a pistol are the recoil spring, magazine spring, and the extractor spring. The most important thing people need to understand is the fact that springs are very hard to properly manufacture. It takes a precise heat treating process and metallurgy to get the exact tension and fatigue life that you desire.
Often, the springs that cause us gun owners the most grief are the tiny springs like the extractor spring and the trigger return spring. If these springs are not made to the right tension, they will typically give us issues in the first 500 rounds, from my experience. If these springs are just straight up not made right, I have seen them break at round counts under 2000 rounds. Typically, if a trigger spring or extractor spring are gonna give you issues, you will have experienced them within that time period.
I also think it is important to understand the life of a spring as well. To keep it short and sweet, as a spring is used, it goes through a Work Hardening phase and then starts its fatigue life until it finally fails. Think about a paper clip and how you can bend it repeatedly and feel these stages progress since it is a very cheap spring. Eventually after bending it back and forth about 20 or 30 times, it will break at the bend point. Along the way you will most likely feel it starting to get easier and easier to bend back and forth. Heck, some of the paper clips will break very soon compared to others. This is the best example I can come up with to show that not all springs are made the same. Also keep in mind that not all springs are made of the same metals or alloys, and not all metals and alloys have the same hardening and fatigue life cycles. Also, some metals are harder to turn into strong springs, while others are easier but only make good weaker springs. Unfortunately we are still limited by our knowledge of elements and how we can manipulate them and augment them to serve our needs.
How does this all wrap up into springs being a part of a break in? Well, if you remember me talking about the hardening stage, it takes a little bit of compression in a freshly made spring to get to the peak of its’ potential hardening. If the manufacturers completed the hardening phase themselves, it inadvertently lowers the life span of the springs. The Work Hardening phase is something you experience in magazines quite often when you have issues fitting the last round or two into a magazine. Usually this is an issue for a while until you use the magazine many times or leave the mags loaded for a while. This is an example of going through the hardening phase and starting the fatigue life.
Springs are an interesting thing when you consider how the metallurgy is so reactive to the environment it is operating in. The life of a spring is effected by the speed of compression, the time under compression, operating temperatures, etc. Needless to say, there are a lot of things that will affect a springs’ life span, and the best you can do is to do your best to understand how they work so you can learn how to give them the longest lives possible, for the sake of the reliability of your pistol.
Some of the failures you experience in the first few hundred rounds of a pistols life are caused just by the springs getting to their peak hardness and starting their fatigue life. Understand that engineers most likely designed this pistol to work with certain spring weights that work in harmony with each other for reliable functioning. But, as I have tried to convey, springs are one of the hardest things to get right every single time.
FINISH
Today, there are several methods that are used to protect the metal on our pistols from corrosion. One of the things I think people do not realize is the fact that sometimes, the friction and abrasive properties of these protective finishes can have an adverse effect on a pistols reliability. This is one of the reasons why we should be cleaning and lubricating our pistols before shooting them for the first time. We need to make sure that the metal on metal friction points are as smooth as possible. One of the areas on a 1911 that often has issues is on the feed ramp. Often I hear people talking about how a quick polishing of the feed ramp can make most of your failures to feed disappear. This can also be fixed by just lubricating the feed ramp with grease. Though, I have found that there are many manufacturers who polish their feed ramps from the factory to ensure proper and smooth feeding. It can only help, I imagine.
Lubricating the contact surfaces where the slide rides on the frame can facilitate smoother functioning and optimal slide velocity, facilitating proper function. Typically if both the slide and frame rails are full length, it would be wise to lubricate the rails completely since the contact surface is larger and can have more friction and influence on the reliable function of the pistol. As your finish wears off and the metal surfaces wear more and more, you may find that less and less lubrication is really necessary for the pistol to function reliably.
And lastly, extractor springs that are weak can often fail to latch onto the rim of a cartridge with conviction. And conversely, if the extractor is too tight, it can cause dreadful feeding issues that even a polished feed ramp will be challenged to alleviate.
LUBRICATION
I know that there is a huge crowd of people who absolutely believe that any pistol worth owning should be ready to shoot for thousands of rounds right out of the box, and dry. I have always found this to be an interesting requirement for people to have. When I ask, the usual answer is sourced in this idea that if they needed to, they could slam thousands of rounds through a pistol that has no lubrication. The fascinating thing is that these pistols are being judged on this standard before they have even worn to the point of being trusted to perform in this manner. I am not sure when you are going to take a random gun and trust it to keep you alive, but it sounds like sensational optimism. Also, who is going to fire thousands of rounds without at least wiping down the pistol. I can understand not lubing the pistol, but not even wiping it down? That is creeping into the realm of extreme expectations, in my view. The average person carries one extra magazine of ammunition for their carry pistol. But thinking that challenging the pistol to handle a hundred magazines, without so much as a wipe down or a drop of lubrication, is kinda out there.
MY RECOMMENDATION
In my limited experience as a firearms owner, I have seen $1000 pistols fail within 2000 rounds from a broken trigger return spring or out of spec extractor tension. It can happen to any pistol, and what I think should be done about this is to give your pistols an amnesty period as I do. Instead of thinking of it as a break in period, I would just think of it as a minimum number of rounds you are going to fire in order to give it a reasonable chance to show any weaknesses that the manufacturer may need to correct before carrying and trusting it. Use your warranty and get your pistol taken care of by the folks who made it in the first place.
Realistically, don’t we tend to take our pistols out for a test drive once we get them anyways? I don’t know about you, but I like to spend some time getting used to the manual of arms and shooting characteristics of a pistol before I carry it. Typically this can take anywhere from 500 to 2000 rounds. In my experience, most pistols will have malfunctions and breakages within this time if there is going to be any issue with them at all. For example, my CZ P-07 had a trigger return spring break at around 1800 rounds. Then I had an H&K USP9 trigger return spring break at 1500 rounds. Granted, I practiced a lot with these pistols between my range sessions, and I got them hot when I used live ammo. But I tend to push my pistols and get them hot when I test them. This, as we discussed earlier, can have an effect on the longevity of certain parts. But this is why I do what I do. I have a specific process for testing pistols I am going to carry, and it involves only firing them as I will fire them when my life depends on my ability to use them.
THOUGHTS
I understand that the gun community is growing and that people are looking for a quick and simple answer to things. People tend to rely on the experiences and failures of others in order to determine their future decisions. All I can tell you is that I have experienced that every pistol can fail and that they need an amnesty period to ensure everything is up to spec and good to go. You can have whatever standards you wish, but I feel that some of the more extreme standards are unreasonable. But then again, I am just going off my own experience. You should make these determinations and standards for yourself. I just hope these standards are rooted in reality, and not in something completely unrealistic.
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