How many rounds for confidence?

[eagle359]

In a new AR or upper, how many rounds would you want to fire before considered GTG?

[PrivateCitizen]

Do you mean for self-defense?

I personally shot about 500 M193 and then 100 Hornady 75gr TAP @ 100% before I made my current goto active.

I have put many through it since and that has been validated.

If you have trouble in an initial period like mine above I'd get it solved and ensure I makes it the whole run trouble free.

[eagle359]

Yes, for self-defense.

[ST911]

Hard to quantify.

A carbine I'm going to bet my life on will have somewhere between 500 and 1000 rounds on it, without stoppage, before it ever sees important work. Regardless of quantity, I won't be truly comfortable with it until it demonstrates consistent function when clean, dirty, hot, cold, with hot and light ammo.

I use only high quality known-good guns for serious things.

[6933]

What Skintop said but I add: The gun must be run hard in these conditions as well. Any gun that I will stake my life on will also have to go through a class with me.

[RogerinTPA]

Most that are interested in training would put 1000 to 1500 rounds through it to properly vett the weapon in it's overall operation and to survive a 3 day carbine course. If you can do it in the shortest time possible, say a weekend, all the better. If anything will break, it can be replaced prior to any training.

[eagle359]

What Skintop said but I add: The gun must be run hard in these conditions as well. Any gun that I will stake my life on will also have to go through a class with me.

I know what you mean. I have taken four handgun classes with two different Glock G17s. When I pick one of those two pistols up I know "yes, this one works". It is a great confidence builder when you see other guy's equipment puke and yours just keeps on working-and when people using the same equipment also have no problems.

Thanks for the input guys.

[wahoo95]

So what happens when your gun decides to ytake a crap at round count 1,501 after running flawlessly for the 1,500 rds prior?

[99HMC4]

So what happens when your gun decides to ytake a crap at round count 1,501 after running flawlessly for the 1,500 rds prior?

Find out why, then go from there....

[RogerinTPA]

So what happens when your gun decides to ytake a crap at round count 1,501 after running flawlessly for the 1,500 rds prior?

Repair/replace the broken part, and drive on.

[Gutshot John]

When you buy a new car, how many miles do you drive before you trust it out on the road? If it seems to run with your chosen fuel than you trust it until it doesn't.

Chances are pretty damn good you'll shoot far more in practice before you have to use it to defend your life.

Same with a gun, things break, parts go bad and you deal. Some guns also need a bit of a break in but if a gun runs with my chosen ammo I don't get too wrapped up in a specific round count as it will depend on the gun. If a Glock seems to run just fine out of the box than I'm comfortable. If you're talking about a kel-tec than I'd probably wait a bit.

[markm]

Hard to quantify.

Indeed. Depends on the gun. I'm running a BCM middy right now that I'd have trusted after my first range session of 180 rounds.

We tried several ammo/buffer combos and it didn't miss a beat on anything. You kind of just know when a guns is running right.

[ST911]

So what happens when your gun decides to ytake a crap at round count 1,501 after running flawlessly for the 1,500 rds prior?

Stuff happens, but most manufacturing or assembly defects will usually materialize within a relatively short period period of time thereafter.

Unfortunately, it's at least impractical, if not impossible, to hold a gun into the mid-service life to ensure the bugs are gone. I've always been most confident in guns, and most in tune with them, at that point.

[markm]

So what happens when your gun decides to ytake a crap at round count 1,501 after running flawlessly for the 1,500 rds prior?

You dump that 1911 and buy a Glock! :D

[Iraqgunz]

Personally I feel that the minimum should be around 500 rounds trouble free. It should include various types of ammo.

[Jerm]

My amatuer method...

I usually run about 300 rounds of cheap(usually dirty) range ammo followed by 200 of my "serious"(read:expensive) ammo.If there are no signs of problems I consider it "GTG".

[subzero]

When you buy a new car, how many miles do you drive before you trust it out on the road? If it seems to run with your chosen fuel than you trust it until it doesn't.

This. Exactly. I don't know why we overcomplicate things so much. We as consumers expect things to work out of the box. When they don't, we return them or find a replacement.

I'm not saying I take a brand new car off the dealer's lot on a 1000 mile trip, but I know it should be capable of that. I'll drive around town, take a few spirited corners and make sure it's not grossly out of whack. It's reliable until proven otherwise.

I expect the same thing out of my guns.

So to the OPs question, how many rounds before I'm confident in it...a box? Maybe two. Enough to prove there are no broken parts from the factory. Otherwise I'm just putting wear on it that means it'll reach the other end of it's bathtub curve faster.

[rychencop]

run a few hundred rounds of crap ammo. if it runs without a problem, then you're GTG.

[Stickman]

Hard to quantify.

A carbine I'm going to bet my life on will have somewhere between 500 and 1000 rounds on it, without stoppage, before it ever sees important work. Regardless of quantity, I won't be truly comfortable with it until it demonstrates consistent function when clean, dirty, hot, cold, with hot and light ammo.

I use only high quality known-good guns for serious things.


My thoughts exactly.

For duty use, I put 500-1000+ through it before I'll carry a weapon or upper receiver. I'm looking to see how it does when it gets hot and dirty, which is when you are going to see how it really runs.