New pistol break-in?
 

I just bought a new Ruger Mark lll 22-45 with 4.5" threaded bull barrel. This is the first brand new handgun I have had & I was wondering if there was a specific method to break in the barrel. It says nothing in the manual about it. When I got an aftermarket bull barrel for my 10-22 it said to clean it after every round for the first 10 & then after 5 rds for 10 times & then after 10 rds for 10 times & then after 100 rds for 10 times & then normal maintenance after that. I didn't know if that was a standard formula to go by for this 22-45. I'm going to the woods to shoot it tomorrow & after I get it broke in then I'll get my daughter on it. That's why I got it she's gonna start going to some local matches so I'm looking forward to getting it up & running for her. I know I'm gonna have to do some trigger work on it as it has about 3/16-1/4 Inch of pre travel then it breaks kinda crunchy right at 4lbs but I'm gonna put a couple bricks of ammo thru it & then see where it's at. I've read a lot of things saying they smooth out after a couple 1000 rds or so. So if someone can set me straight on this break in procedure I would appreciate it. Thanks.
Biggjimm

Modern day firearms do not need to be broken in. Most modern day guns are made so well that "breaking them in" has no place.

That practice ceased being necessary a long time ago.

I break-in all my new firearms; its also a good way of getting to know your new gun. Good luck.

Congrats Jim, this is probably the most perfect .22LR pistol, ideal for backpacking.

I am also looking at the "Target" model, due to its heavier longer barrel and its adjustible sights.

Keep us posted on how yours shoots and what you have learned about it.

Here is that "most" would recommend for a new rifle;

http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm....-cleaning.html

So, YOUR choice; after all it's YOUR gun !!!

Thanks for the input guys. I've been doing a little research on the subject & it seems like with any subject the opinions are just as varied as the guns we shoot & collect. and that's what I like about a site like this. It gives me a lot of info to consider to be able to make informed & educated decisions on my part. I've found a lot of barrel manufacturers recomended some sort of process for new barrels & if the only result is I get an excuse to shoot & to become familiar with my new gun & in the process I just might end up with a gun that is a tad bit more accurate, then I guess it's a no-brainer for me. I know I always followed manufacturers recommendations for breaking in & seasoning my muzzleloader bores & I always end up with a superbly accurate & consistent rifle & my buddies stand in line if I decide to part with one because they are such good shooters. Any ways I'm gonna go to the woods & shoot it in here in a bit & I'll post back after. Thanks again. And thanks for that link Sheridan, that's the very type of precise info this simple guy needs.

The reality is, by the time most people shoot a new gun enough to be familiar with it, it's "broken" in.

I bought a Ruger MK III ten years ago that shot just as well brand new as it does now with I don't even know how many hundreds of rounds each year put through it. I typically put 200-300 rounds a year through it, which isn't all that much.

Enjoy your new gun. My MK III has a 5" bull barrel. It's been a fun gun to own. I've taken down a lot of intrusive paper targets and empty pop cans. ;-)

While I agree with you for the most part, there is one exception, IMO. If you are buying a pistol that will be used for self defense, it should be shot several times. In fact Kahr Arms recommends a minimum of 200 rounds for their pistols to be "broken in".

4th question under "Kahr Pistol"

www.kahr.com/faq.asp#q6

Apparently you have never had a new Kimber pistol (I won't be buying another one).

Several of the semi-auto pistol manufacturers recommend running 200+ rounds of FMJ ammo thru before attempting HP or "carry" type rounds. After that, all I ever do is clean, shoot, clean, shoot, ... LOL.

If you don't put at least a couple of hundred rounds through a SD gun, how are you supposed to know it's even remotely reliable? Well, any gun really.

I put just over a couple of hundred rounds through my 7mm08 the first summer I had it. Let's face it, I wanted to be comfortable with the gun. More rounds through different positions makes me a better shooter. I need to trust not only my gun, but myself.

I wish more hunters were that way.

I'm still mad at myself for losing my cool and missing the 7 pointer at 120 yards with the first shot this year. What a bizarre situation it was, but so much fun. Thank the good lord for rut stupid bucks that stay still under fire! My second shot was spot on.

Thanks for all the replies & opinions. I took the 22-45 to the range today & in total I put 550 rds thru it & while the shoot & clean, shoot & clean thing was a little laborious after I got thru with that I stripped it down & cleaned it real good then mounted my rail & my red dot & really started having some fun. I knew the trigger would probly need some work to get it where I want it, but it was actually better than I thought & the more I shot it the better it felt. I'll run a few more bricks thru it & then I'll probly get a hammer & sear for it. It is a very accurate & smooth gun. It never jammed & cycled flawlessly every squeeze of the trigger except for two duds out of a whole brick of ammo. All in all I'm very pleased with this gun & I can't wait to get it in my daughters hands & see how she likes it. I have a lil sterling .22 that she loves to shoot even though you have to clear at least 1 jam out of every 10 so I think she will really enjoy shooting this ruger. I am supposed to pick up my new shooters ridge 18.5" fluted stainless bull barrel for my 10-22 from my gun guy tomorrow so after I get it together & go down & shoot it I'll probly start running some good ammo thru the pistol & see how it does. If I can figure out how to post pics I'll include some of both guns. Well it's getting late so I better get to bed. Be safe & shoot straight. Biggjimm.

Well took my daughter to shoot her new pistol today & I might say she loved it. I thought it was a tack driver in my hands, but it's downright scary accurate in her hands. She ran about two mags thru it just getting the feel of it then she started cracking every thing I set up for her to shoot ending up shooting a quarter & then a nickle at about 20 yds offhand with a cheapo red dot sight. I was looking into the reflex style sights so my buddy let me test one of his lower end ones just to see how we liked that style of sight before I spend good money on one & I have to say that is the way to go if quick target acquisition is what you're after & you don't need the magnification of a regular telescopic scope. So I'll be looking in to getting a better quality reflex setup for her. My barrel for my 10-22 didn't come in like expected today. Apparently somehow FedEx got the shipping address goofed up & they tried to deliver it to someone's house. I'm just glad they were honest instead of just signing for it & enjoying my new barrel. So sometime next week on that one now. If any one is looking into getting a .22 auto pistol I highly recomend the ruger mark lll. Mine is the 22-45 model with 4.5" threaded bull barrel w/ fixed front & drift adj rear sights in matte black w/ replaceable 1911 style grips. It is drilled & tapped & comes with a nice weaver style scope rail. The only thing not on this model that I would like to have is the underneath side of the barrel drilled & tapped for an accessory weaver rail. I'm going to check into sending it back to Ruger & have that done. It is an excellent performing gun. We've put about 1200 rds thru it & it has cycled smoothly every time except for two bad shells that failed to fire. Thanks again to everyone who replied to this thread. You've been a big help.

I'd ultimately STILL believe that there IS a "break in period", even for modern weapons (arguably, moreso now than ever). For most production pistols/firearms, the springs will "work in", the trigger will smooth out, the action will smooth out, etc etc through the first few hundred rounds. But, comprehensive cleaning during this time isn't necessarily critical, other than standard cleaning between sessions to keep things from building up grit in the action and marring moving parts.

Now, on the other hand, there are few things in life that I hate more than spending time cleaning guns, especially scrubbing the bore of a short little barrel. For whatever reason, I can tolerate scrubbing out a rifle MUCH moreso than handguns.

I AM, in this case, a firm believer in properly breaking in barrels. No, this doesn't mean that I detail strip every new gun I own after every shot for the first 100 shots, but YES, it does mean that I do clean the bore and chamber after every shot for the first 50-100 shots. No, it doesn't turn a factory barrel into a "one-patch" clean job, on a few of the rifles that I have replaced barrels for, there is a distinct difference in cleaning time between barrels that were broken in properly, and barrels that weren't. Spending an extra couple minutes/hours pushing a rod through the barrel during the first 100 shots will save you a lot more time cleaning in the next 1,000-10,000rnds, so it's absolutely worth the extra effort for me.