Please test fire the gun before it becomes your EDC.

[88E30M50]

I try to wear out my carry guns.

That should be everyone's goal. Wear the dang thing out through practice, practice, practice. Few ever will, but it is sure fun to try to do it.

 

[jsharmon7]

I don't have any set number of rounds to shoot before I carry it, but there's no way I'd carry a gun I'd never shot. Not only do you need to know that it functions, that it's sighted properly, and that it will feed whatever you plan to carry but I think you just need that confidence in the gun. Heaven forbid you actually end up in a self-defense situation and your first thought is "I hope this thing fires!" Also, I don't buy into the LNIB stuff. If you've carried it, fired it, fondled it, etc. then it's used. I'd always had great luck buying used guns on INGO and other sites until two bad ones within the past year or so. It's starting to be a better deal to me just to buy it new so I know that it will work like the seller says it will, or at least I have some recourse. In that regard, I most certainly won't be paying nearly new prices for a used gun because somebody says it has low round count, hardly carried, LNIB, or whatever else is advertised. I've also run across guns sold on Armslist and similar sites which turned out to be stolen. At this point it's just not worth the risk factor of buying used off a stranger unless it's a heck of a deal or I know the person selling it.

 

[IndyGlockMan]

I like to gun at least 300-500 through anything I carry.
I'm a believer in the need to "break it in" before relying on it to save my life.

 

[ModernGunner]

NOT function testing any EDC is foolhardy, at best. At it's worst, it's a potentially fatal mistake. But, I guess it's just human nature to 'roll the dice' and HOPE one doesn't 'crap out', literally.

Have seen a few 'NIB' firearms being advertised for sale, privately, on INGO.

Unless that Seller is a licensed gun dealer, then that firearm is NOT "New In Box", regardless of how many rounds have or have not been fired through it. It's used, and can only be legitimately sold as used.

Advertising it as such is blatant false advertising and should be addressed as such by the Mods (rather than worrying about something as mundane as the 'Wallet' thread). If INGO allows such advertising (even by ignoring it), it's a nightmare waiting to happen, sooner or later, for the site owner and those who wield the authority to oversee it.

Then again, rarely do any true 'bargains' appear in the INGO classifieds. It's usually used stuff (unless the Seller is the maker or a licensed gun dealer, as noted), and it's only worth 'Used' prices. Since FTF transactions often wouldn't permit test-firing, there's no way to know if the firearm is actually functional, and little to no recourse if a problem is discovered.

Easier to just buy new from a reputable gun shop. And typically (at least for most ads put forth), the small discount simply isn't worth the potential issues.

As always, caveat emptor.

 

[AA&E]

Always shoot 500 rounds FMJ range ammo to check reliability, then at least 250 rounds of whatever I carry for reliability and familiarity purposes.

After cleaning factory gunk and making sure things are in order and lubed properly of course.

Never understood why people would buy a gun to carry, and only fire maybe 100 rounds to check function. How well can you know a pistol in 100 rounds and one range session?

Many people likely don't have $500 in ammo to run through a $350+ firearm as you suggest. I have several firearms that I wouldn't hesitate to carry everyday, that probably don't have 500 rounds through them in their entire lives. I agree with your premise, but I'd say making sure the ammo you plan to utilize for self defense functions reliably is a minimum standard.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

I hope to run 10x what my gun is worth in ammo over its life span

 

[AA&E]

I hope to run 10x what my gun is worth in ammo over its life span

Over a lifespan, sure. But before you ever take it out of the house for protection?

 

[Zoub]

I bet a lot of people who posted in this thread don't own more then 5 mags for their various guns.

Asking the number of mags owned is a backdoor question to determining how a person defines reliability. We ain't all on the same page.

 

[SteveM4A1]

I bet a lot of people who posted in this thread don't own more then 5 mags for their various guns.

Asking the number of mags owned is a backdoor question to determining how a person defines reliability. We ain't all on the same page.

I own exactly 5. Do I win a prize?

 

[Zoub]

Yes you win a prize but only if you were born after August, 1983.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

Over a lifespan, sure. But before you ever take it out of the house for protection?

for me there is no set number...just lots of FMJ and JHP through all of the mags until I'm comfortable with the gun's reliability.

 

[SteveM4A1]

Sweet. Do I win a new magazine? Then I could have 6!

I've carried 3 different handguns, and each one of them had approx. 300 rounds of range ammo put down them and at least 1 box of carry ammo before I started carrying them. Seems like a decent number to me

 

[Zoub]

Sweet. Do I win a new magazine? Then I could have 6!

I've carried 3 different handguns, and each one of them had approx. 300 rounds of range ammo put down them and at least 1 box of carry ammo before I started carrying them. Seems like a decent number to me

Yes Steve, you may have in fact won multiple prizes!

You did not verify that your date of birth is after 8/83.

We also need additional information. Average capacity of your 5 mags. Caliber. Is it a Glock?

 

[Mark 1911]

Good advice. Anyone who does any amount of shooting knows that misfeeds and jams occur all the time. Some firearms have more finicky appetites that others. Sure don't want to find out when your life is on the line that your EDC doesn't like the ammo you just purchased.

 

[INDYFAN]

Since any gun (or other piece of machinery) can fail at any time, maybe we should spend as much time on TAP, RACK, BOOM as we do throwing very expensive o downrange.

 

[SteveM4A1]

Yes Steve, you may have in fact won multiple prizes!

You did not verify that your date of birth is after 8/83.

We also need additional information. Average capacity of your 5 mags. Caliber. Is it a Glock?

It is indeed after 08/83!

Average capacity is 13 rounds of .45 ACP. No, I do not carry a Glock.

Just give me my free mags!

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

Since any gun (or other piece of machinery) can fail at any time, maybe we should spend as much time on TAP, RACK, BOOM as we do throwing very expensive o downrange.

if you wanna work on "TAP, RACK, BOOM" then just randomly mix a few dummy rounds with the good ammo in your mags

 

[Cemetery-man]

Good advice. Anyone who does any amount of shooting knows that misfeeds and jams occur all the time. Some firearms have more finicky appetites that others. Sure don't want to find out when your life is on the line that your EDC doesn't like the ammo you just purchased.

I feel fortunate that out of all my handguns, Only one (LCP) ever had any issues. Until recently, I never had access to a nearby range so I didn't get out a lot to shoot so most of my handguns had less than 500 rounds through each of them until this spring. Now that it's allowed I have been able to get to the local police range a couple times a week so those numbers are quickly going up and I can still happily say they have all performed flawlessly even with my reloads.

 

[BugI02]

I hope to run 10x what my gun is worth in ammo over its life span

The trend in ammo prices makes that easier all the time

 

[88E30M50]

What's a realistic absolute minimum you would recommend someone running through a gun they just bought? We all have the numbers we are comfortable with and since most of us are gun nuts, we're itching to take the gun out and exercise it as quickly as possible after we get our hands on it. But, let's say the non-gun nut next door or at work tells you they are going to save their money to get a gun for home defense. Buying the gun will stretch their budget. In that situation, what would you recomment the minimum number of rounds be? What number would you think they would be better off without a gun than to buy one without being able to shoot that number?