[Meeteetse]

Have any of you ever put a gun, any gun in use without first taking it to the range for some sort of a break in?

The reason I ask is because I have, at least as one of my home defense guns. I have also qualified at the LE department I worked at and for a CCW with a brand new out of the box Glock.

I don't make this a habit, but the circumstances dictated and the Glocks never let me down. Was I lucky? Perhaps, but I think Glocks are as reliable as they claim. Does anyone else have a similar experience??

[lyodbraun]

Yup did it with my old G22 I had bought and used during the academy, shot well over 1000 rounds thru it to qualify and never once cleaned it untill the end of the academy.. worked like a charm and never had one problem with the gun... the only problem I ran into was a primer that was in backwards...

[Bruce M]

Sometime in the 90's I got a P226 that was new that I lubricated and carried for a few weeks before I got to shoot it. I guess I got lucky. I would be more reluctatnt to do that now. Of course I have a few more guns now than I did then, so
in theory there would be no good reason to consider doing that now.

[barth]

Originally Posted by Meeteetse

Have any of you ever put a gun, any gun in use without first taking it to the range for some sort of a break in?

Not so much break in, but as a function check.
The answer for me is no.
Not even with a revolver.

I have to fire some rounds out of any firearm before I'll trust my life with it. And that includes after gunsmith work
and/or various modifications that could affect reliability.

Extreme? Yup.
But I'm worth it.

[stolenphot0]

I did with my 27. I have a few Glocks and carried my 27 for 3 days before I got to the range and it functioned as normal.

[SCmasterblaster]

Originally Posted by Meeteetse

Have any of you ever put a gun, any gun in use without first taking it to the range for some sort of a break in?

The reason I ask is because I have, at least as one of my home defense guns. I have also qualified at the LE department I worked at and for a CCW with a brand new out of the box Glock.

I don't make this a habit, but the circumstances dictated and the Glocks never let me down. Was I lucky? Perhaps, but I think Glocks are as reliable as they claim. Does anyone else have a similar experience??

Not me. It makes sense to try out a gun before carrying it. The only gun that I would even think about carrying straight out of the box is a Glock Model 17 or 19.

[NCHeel]

I have carried a brand new G26 without firing it. Had plenty of other choices but I did a manual function check and saw no problems so I was not worried.

[cowboy1964]

I wouldn't do it unless I had no choice. It's just not smart. Though I would definitely feel more comfortable doing that with some brands vs others.

[cciman]

Not sure what the purpose of this question is. Can you, or should you? You certainly can.

You shouldn't.

Having some experience at the range gives you valuable info as to how the gun functions, and feedback on how to shoot the gun (trigger feel, recoil behavior, hand placement not to interfere with the slidestop, shell ejection etc), as well as developing familiarity so you actually shoot at what you intend to (not good hit unintended targets).

[Police305]

ask yourself..."would I trust a pistol that I've never fired with my life?"...in other words, its better to be safe than sorry. Glocks are very dependable, but NOTHING in this life is fail-proof.

[X-Centric]

I wouldn't worry about test firing it if I absolutely knew I would never use it. So therefore if I wasn't going to keep it as a show piece, I'd fire it. Come to think of it, I don't think i would buy an umbrella with opening it.

[MajorD]

actually a few times in the military it has happened to me. you have an issue with your rifle or pistol and turn it in and they give you a replacement until yours is fixed, or you go on a short tour/short recon to a war zone and they give you a rifle/carbine/pistol for the trip. certainly would much prefer to function fire the weapon prior to depending on it, but sometimes it is just not possible.

[TxGlock9]

I have on several occasions. Not only with glock but other brands as well..

[ctfireman]

I've done it before.

[John Biltz]

Yeah, happens all the time. A lot of times you get issued a pistol for some kind of duty that requires an armed guard, ammo draw is probably most common. That MP that made a 60 yard shot to stop an active shooter a few years ago. Was carrying a replacement pistol that he had never fired before.

Originally Posted by MajorD

actually a few times in the military it has happened to me. you have an issue with your rifle or pistol and turn it in and they give you a replacement until yours is fixed, or you go on a short tour/short recon to a war zone and they give you a rifle/carbine/pistol for the trip. certainly would much prefer to function fire the weapon prior to depending on it, but sometimes it is just not possible.

[tuica]

Pretty much my thoughts. Cheers

Originally Posted by cowboy1964

.I wouldn't do it unless I had no choice. It's just not smart. Though I would definitely feel more comfortable doing that with some brands vs others.

[dango]

Originally Posted by barth

Not so much break in, but as a function check.
The answer for me is no.
Not even with a revolver.

I have to fire some rounds out of any firearm before I'll trust my life with it. And that includes after gunsmith work
and/or various modifications that could affect reliability.

Extreme? Yup.
But I'm worth it.

Yup , you are worth it !

[RWBlue]

Glocks are one of the few firearms I think I would feel comfortable doing this with. I could do some basic checks, load a mag and be sure the first round fed and .......

I know I wouldn't do this with an AR-15. I have had a couple which required a little break in before they were reliable and some didn't like certain ammo during the break in time.

[poodleplumber]

I have never carried a pistol or placed it in my home for defensive use without a function check at the range. I have never put a magazine in service without proving it. I am glad it has worked out for some of the other guys, and I haven't had one that failed, but a mechanical device as important as a defensive firearm has to earn my trust.

FWIW, I am not one of those who buys a new car right before a long trip, either. Mechanical device, trust, all that stuff.

[Yertology]

Never! Would you wipe BEFORE you poop?

[pizza_pablo]

Originally Posted by barth

not so much break in, but as a function check.
The answer for me is no.
Not even with a revolver.

I have to fire some rounds out of any firearm before i'll trust my life with it. And that includes after gunsmith work
and/or various modifications that could affect reliability.

Extreme? Yup.
But i'm worth it.

^^this^^

[johnson8861]

I still have yet to fire fire my 20C, and only have 2 shots out of my 29.

[Merkavaboy]

IMO, NEVER trust a SD firearm until you have shot it extensively and until you've shot a minimum of 200 rounds with your SD ammo with zero malfunctions.

[Lockback]

I would never, EVER carry a gun I hadn't fired. I would have very limited faith in it.

[Meeteetse]

Originally Posted by cciman

Not sure what the purpose of this question is. Can you, or should you? You certainly can.

You shouldn't.

Having some experience at the range gives you valuable info as to how the gun functions, and feedback on how to shoot the gun (trigger feel, recoil behavior, hand placement not to interfere with the slidestop, shell ejection etc), as well as developing familiarity so you actually shoot at what you intend to (not good hit unintended targets).

------------------------------------------------------
My question was neither "can" or "should", it was "have you"? As far as feedback is concerned, in my case there was nothing new to learn because the gun I chose to use untested was a duplicate of my usual carry gun. I did not indicate it was a smart thing to do, but at the time, a necessary thing to do.