How do You Break in a New Gun??

[BlueSteel]

Im just curious on what you guys feel is appropriate for a new gun in terms of its first time at the range.

["DoubleAction"]

Bluesteel; I usually apply the usual lubrication to the new gun, unless the manufacturers states otherwise, load up standard velosity ammunition, and take it to the range with a bench rest.
I've seen some higher end 1911s break in at 500 rds, and maintain those same close tolerances of fit while applying the proper lubrication after cleaning.
Some will suggest to shoot so many rounds, clean the bore, shoot another volley of rounds, followed by cleaning the bore again, and doing so until you've reach a hundred rounds or so.
Everyone has their own requirements for breaking in the handgun,and it's bore. The most important requirements will be those from the manufacturer, they built the gun and know more about it than anyone else.
Unless any specific instructions are contained in the manual, about the breaking in of a certain handgun, I shoot it as I would any other time , but I'll use standard ammunition.

[9mm]

I'll second what DA said above, a field strip, thorough inspection, cleaning and lubrication.

Some guns come from the factory/importer with extra grease on the parts to avoid rust. That should be cleaned up prior to the first use.

Of the brands I've purchased new:

No clean/lube work necessary: Ruger, Glock
Remove excess grease/lube: Beretta, Sig

Any gun should be thoroughly inspected for missing parts, parts installed backwards or things that have dislodged during shipping, or any foreign material. Test the action and the safeties according to the manual.

[5ontarget]

I am in agreement with the above. Read the manual, strip the gun, inspect it, lube it, etc. I also fire standard velocity rounds initially. I generally don't do any rapid firing of multiple clips initially just to keep temps down initially. I know the metal has been (or should have been) properly tempered and it shouldn't matter...but I still hold off for the first couple hundred rounds.

[KrustyBurger]

I've never heard of a break-in for pistols in terms of the same way match rifle barrel mfgs. recommend a fire/clean/fire type regimen for the first string of 100 rounds. Beyond cleaning & routine inspection, I always fire a minimum of 200 rounds of full metal jacketed ammo through every auto pistol to test basic functioning before trying out hollowpoints for eventual carrying in it. Revolvers shouldn't need a break-in, but it makes sense to know that each chamber fires properly and what its point of impact is with a particular ammo before carrying it. The only make I'd feel confident in using for whatever right out of the box is Beretta.

[tptplayer]

I sometimes think that the break-in period is partially for me and partially for the gun. The first time I shot my Kahr (inexperienced me) I was very disappointed. The trigger pull was very stiff. However, after a few hundred rounds and a couple of field strip and cleans everything was smoother and by then I was beginning to feel comfortable with the gun. With my new S&W 625 there was a similar feeling. It took a few hundred rounds before I was getting reasonable accuracy. It is in getting a trigger job, chamfer and new sight now.

[papercutter]

All new guns are a bit rough, If you shoot target autos / after market springs "slide & hammer " / better magazines / along with a few drops of well placed lube.Cleaning up machine marks on guide rods , rounding off the hammer where it drags on the slide bottom, with help to make it cycle smoothly. If you use a small buffing wheel " cotton - felt " on a dremel high speed hobby grinder , you can smooth up trigger & sear contact areas with anything from chrome polish - auto rubbing compound , try to get a shine a on the metal , ( without changing angles or sharpness of the corners ) if a lighter hammer spring is availibale , you will be amazed what the difference will be. But hair triggers of the sub 2 pound range should be avoided.
Most of the problems come from being able to disassemble the gun , a good trick for this, is to do all spring work with the gun inside a clear dry cleaning bag, with only your hands coming in the end . If you have a spring take off ,it will only go a few inches, instead of across the garage

["DoubleAction"]

Papercutter; Good idea with the bag, I call those little springs "Things That Go Boing". The hardest one to find is the Sear Depressor spring on the Colt Gold Cup National Match, especially on dark carpet. The plunger tube spring on the 1911 has a kink in it to prevent it from popping out, when you remove the thumb safety. Guess what ?, Neither of the Springs on my Wilsons has the kink, and Wolff does not kink their springs either.
Ar-15 Sporters has the Springs that go flying through the room, if you are not prepared. Another real bugger is the magazine release catch spring on the Sig Sauers.
Heck, Now that you brought this up, we need an entire thread on " Springs that Go Boing".
For the final fitting of a trigger shoe, I tack a piece of emery cloth to a board and skate the trigger flat across the surface. If it requires more, I tack a very fine piece of automotive sandpaper, and if it requires a file, I lay the file flat on the table and skate the shoe across the file while holding the shoe flat. I've actually gutted and replaced the factory fire control components out of two Colts, before I even fired them. My favorite trigger is the Dlask, but it's alot of work to fit.

[5ontarget]

In case you don't follow papercutter's advice and a spring goes boing. A relatively easy way to find it is to take a nylon stocking, or very fine cheesecloth, etc; over the end of the vacuum cleaner attatchment wand. It'll suck the spring to the stocking, but not in the vacuum. also works on lost contact lenses, and other small things that are a pain in the butt to find when dropped.

[papercutter]

DoubleAction

I learned the spring trick while working on cameras as a kid, we had the old view cameras at school.Just a bit newer than the guy with flash powder / cover your head with a black cloth.

I started working in the shower to limit my search area, but lost a few over the curtain or down the drain. A pillow case will work for rifle & large pistol spring ,you can feel.

["DoubleAction"]

Yea; If I know one will go boing I'll try to cover up, but most of the time it's by surprise. My hands have spent a little time inside film changing bags when I had to load film reels for developing.