Years ago I had an Army Command Sergeant teaching a combat driving course. As we were talking about combat he kept repeating “Close and engage” in different contexts. We asked about the phrase and he said “You are either doing it, or someone else is doing it to you. I prefer that it be me engaging”. The fact that he uses the word “close” tells me that distance is not your friend when you want to engage someone. If you are the one being engaged, or fired upon, distance is your friend.
Here is an e-mail sent to an instructor.
“Yesterday I was filling my vehicle with gas at my neighborhood Shell station and out of the corner of my eye I saw an unkempt person lurking around the building and heading to the gas pumps. I lost sight of him for a moment due to vehicles entering and exiting the station. Suddenly, he was on the other side of my pump, headed in my direction.
I thought about what was taught in your class about holding up my hands and issuing a verbal “back off”. I moved around the corner of my car to get an object and distance between the fellow and me. He did not even finish his opening line, he turned and looked for someone else to approach.
I’m so grateful for the training! It was probably just a pan handler, but it could have been anything!”
Note that this was a decision made in advance (to be aggressively uncooperative) and then chosen as a response in the moment. That's the best way.
Remember distance equals time. If the guy has a knife and you've shot him from a distance, you're relying on the time that it take for him to cover the distance to you for that bullet to take effect. In both cases your safety is entirely dependent in what you did effecting your attacker BEFORE he can effectively counter attack whether it is shooting back, or close the distance to injure you.
The bottom line is the closer an attacker is the less you need to be worrying about what you are going to do to him and more about keeping him from doing something to you. Don't fall for the old lie that the 'best defense is a good offense.' Because the closer you are to an attacker the more likely that attitude will turn it into a trading damage contest. Actual defense against a closing attacker is THE most overlooked aspect of self-defense. People are too fixated on what they are going to do to their attacker to make him stop attacking rather than what they need to do to keep his attack from coming in the first place. If both of you go to the hospital or the morgue, that isn’t what I call a win.
I was talking to my good friend Choirboy. We were talking about how most altercations that would involve needing a weapon are usually fast and short. He sent me this YouTube video. If violence makes you squeamish then don’t watch the video.
http://youtu.be/mVDRo7-kwGc
He said that this is a video of Darrell Lunsford, a constable in Nacogdoches, Texas. He was overpowered by three men and shot to death with his own weapon. About 8 months later Trooper Andy Lopez ran into almost the same situation but because of this video, which is still used in training today, he survived. As I watched the video I realized that Constable Lunsford made some fatal mistakes. He didn’t use distance to his advantage.
This is what we were discussing, distance. To keep from being a victim a certain amount of distance is required. I’ve talked about the 21 foot rule. It takes a man 1.5 seconds to cover 21 feet which is also about the amount of time it takes to draw a weapon. So to use distance to your advantage, keep people out of that 21 foot zone around you. Constable Lunsford should have used more distance as he searched the trunk of the suspect’s car. He should have had them sit on the curb or at the least get back in the car. He needed some separation as he put all his attention into searching the trunk. The suspects knew they had marijuana in the trunk and that it would be found, so all they did was wait for the right moment to grab the officer and grab his gun for the fatal shot. At least his death was not completely in vain because that incident happened in 1991 and the video is still being used for training, saving countless law enforcement lives. It’s a lesson you must learn. When someone tries to close on you, and you feel that prompting, then maintain or increase that distance. Don’t let them close so that if you have to engage, it will be at a distance that you control. To use most pepper sprays, batons, stun guns, or knives, one must close the distance gap. You being armed can use a little distance. I’m pretty effective with a handgun at 30 feet. My efficiency only improves if I can close. But don’t ever think a bullet will always stop someone immediately.
This is where your situational awareness and your “spidy senses” will be your ally. Violent people will always go out of their way to give the advantage to themselves. For us sheepdogs, we are not afraid of the wolf like the sheep, but we don’t look for a fight like a wolf. We rely on a strong defense and not an offense. We have to be aware of what is going on and the positioning of others.
My wife and I take care of some vending machines in a mall. My wife was out of town and I had just hurt my foot and was recovering. I had just emptied the machines and had a bag of quarters. I noticed two kids who had paid more attention to what I was doing in the mall than most. One was following me out of the mall. I knew I couldn’t out run him because of my foot. He started to close and I saw his buddy in the parking lot at my 10 o’clock. I turned to face the guy behind me when I got to a car so my back was to the car and put up my hand to stop him. We had some words and he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble I was going to give them. His buddy backed off first and then he retreated. This was in the middle of the day so there was daylight and witnesses to my advantage. Had I been oblivious to the attention they gave me and had I let the guy in back of me close, things might have been different. When someone maneuvers so that they are in a closing position, move. Always watch their hands.
I have a martial arts instructor friend who likes to say “Distance overcomes skill.” This is true in a contact self defense and sometimes applies to gun defense. Like my 21 foot rule, distance equals time.
Most so-called self-defense items have no defensive capabilities at all. By this I mean while they may stop an attacker from continuing with more attacks, they cannot protect you from an attack in progress. If a guy is charging you, a taser, spray or a bullet will not stop his forward momentum. He will still reach you and proceed to do damage to you (e.g. if you taser someone and he slams into you, there's a good chance you'll lose your triggering.) Now you have a guy up close and personal.
That's the fundamental weakness of any distance weapon. If the guy gets close enough to negate the advantage of range, they are useless to prevent damage to you. From a defensive standpoint, you cannot block an incoming attack with these items. Your only hope is to create enough pain and damage to the individual that he is overcome before the damage he does to you overwhelms you.
Distance is usually your friend.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Friday, April 20, 2018
Monday, April 16, 2018
Resist! Nothing Else Is Acceptable!
I've written an article like this one before. But I think it's important.
The debate for gun control rages on. I’ve heard many say that tyranny is over in this world. This is absurd, of course. Tyranny is alive and well. Some say it cannot happen here. I can’t tell you how it would happen, but I can assure you, it can happen. But I don’t worry as much about an open take- over of this country. It is the covert, the secret that I fear. Either way, disarming of the people is eminent. I do believe in conspiracy, because there has been so much of it in history. I’m not talking about Elvis and aliens colonizing the earth, I’m talking about evil men lusting for power, control, and money.
Prior to the 20th Century; 170 million civilians were murdered by their own governments. Historians tell us that during the 20th Century perhaps as many as 200 million civilians were murdered by their own governments.
Some of the Nations where the mass murder of civilians occurred during the 20th Century include Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, The Congo, Uganda, Armenia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Laos, China, Cuba, Manchuria, Iraq, Iran, Biafra, Rwanda and many others. The slaughter of civilians by governments appears to be as common as not.
Most of these slaughters were only made possible by disarming the victims before killing them. Had these people resisted, their fate would have been no worse and perhaps better. Resistance is much more difficult after the government has already taken the means of resistance away from the people. Planned genocide has been the primary reason for weapon confiscation throughout history.
Some would call me paranoid but banning, licensing, registering, and other means of gun control would make confiscation so very easy. The government not knowing who is armed is much safer than trusting that those in government will make good choices and really be looking out for Americans. I think the chances of this are slim, but they are possible. Taking away Americans only means of defense is something the founders would have thought was a grave mistake.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
"To disarm the people...[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788
"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined..."
- George Washington, First Annual Address, to both House of Congress, January 8, 1790
These men knew first hand why the general public should be armed. The 2nd amendment is not about hunting or sport. It’s about killing a tyrannical take-over of our Republic. The founders were counting on revolution if necessary. Revolution is what started this country. It’s not immoral as long as real tyranny is encroaching. The problem is, tyranny doesn’t always wear red coats. Sometimes it’s hard to spot. But every time someone says anything like that they are accused of being an extremist. The naysayers tell you it can’t happen here anymore. I don’t think we’re that far away from it but it’s held at bay until some idiot thinks they can get away with it. This is why disarming the people is so important.
I had a tense moment one time in a South American country where I was with a military unit and we came upon what would be known now as “insurgents”. Neither of us were sure if we wanted to start a firefight. Suddenly the other guys just threw down their AK’s and raised their hands. I was grateful no one on either side was too excited to “get some”.
During the American Revolution 12,000 Colonists captured by the British died in captivity on prison ships, while only 8,000 died in battle. Had the 12,000 who surrendered continued to fight, many would have survived and they could have done great damage to the British and likely shortened the war.
Civil War prisoners were treated so badly that some 50,000 died in captivity. More Americans have been killed by Americans than by any foreign army in any war. Six hundred and eighteen thousand Americans died in the Civil War.
As many as 18,000 captured American and Pilipino prisoners died or were murdered at the hands of the Japanese during the six days of the “Bataan Death March.” Had most of these soldiers slipped into the jungle and fought as guerrillas they could have tied up elements of the Japanese Army for months or years and perhaps more of them would have survived the war.
Of the Americans who actually reached Japanese prison camps during the war, nearly 50,000 died in captivity. That is more than 10 percent of all the American military deaths in the entire war in both the Pacific and European theaters combined.
In addition to the 50,000 captured Americans who died in Japanese prison camps an additional 20,000 were murdered before reaching a prison camp. If those 70,000 Americans had continued to fight, they could have provided time for the United States to build and maneuver its forces, perhaps shortening the war and saving even more lives. Some of them would have likely survived the war. If they had all died in battle their fate would have been no worse.
During the early stages of the “Battle of the Bulge” American soldiers were massacred by the German troops who captured them.
During the Vietnam conflict many American Prisoners Of War were tortured daily for years by the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans died during the process. Only Officers (Airmen) held in North Vietnam were ever repatriated. Enlisted Americans captured in South Viet Nam were routinely tortured, mutilated and murdered by the Communists.
In recent years, American troops captured by Islamic terrorists groups have virtually all been tortured and murdered in gruesome fashion. If I were fighting in the Middle East, I would make a vow and plan to fight to the death. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to be captured by our Islamic enemies.
What about surrendering to criminals?
The “Onion Field Murder” in California was a wakeup call to Law Enforcement Officers everywhere. On March 9, 1963, two LAPD Officers were taken prisoner by two criminals. The Officers submitted to capture and gave up their weapons. They were driven to an onion field outside of Bakersfield.
One Officer was murdered while the other Officer managed to escape in a hail of gunfire. The surviving Officer suffered serious psychological problems, having been unable to save his partner. As a result of this incident, the LAPD policy became, “You will fight no matter how bad things are.” “You will never ever surrender your weapons or yourself to a criminal.”
Consider the Ogden, Utah record store murders. Read the book if you do not know the story. The manner in which the criminals murdered their young victims cannot be described here. Resistance might have been futile. Compliance was definitely and absolutely futile.
The courts in this country have ruled that the police have no legal obligation to protect anyone. Why do Law Enforcement Officials always tell civilians not to resist a criminal, while they tell their Officers to always resist and never surrender? One is guns. The Police have them. Police administrators fear being sued by a civilian victim who gets hurt resisting. Furthermore, the police, like all government agencies derive their power by fostering dependence.
When General Santa Ana (also the President of Mexico at the time) ordered 180 “Texicans” to surrender the Alamo, Col. Travis answered with “a cannon shot and a rebel yell.” Eventually General Santa Ana was able to build his troop strength to ten thousand. The Mexicans then swarmed the defenders and killed them all.
The battle of the Alamo delayed the Mexican Army long enough for Sam Houston to build his Texican Army, which met and defeated the Mexican Army and captured General Santa Ana. General Santa Ana traded Texas for his life and the sacrifices of the Alamo defenders changed history.
Surrender is not an option. Resist those home invaders. Resist that robber. Fight for your freedom. Fight for your life instead of begging for it. Be prepared to resist. Have the knowledge, the training, the tools, and the preparedness to resist. As a famous ancient Chief Captain named Moroni once wrote: “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children”. This is what we fight for, our God, our religion, our freedom and our families. Never retreat, never surrender.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
The debate for gun control rages on. I’ve heard many say that tyranny is over in this world. This is absurd, of course. Tyranny is alive and well. Some say it cannot happen here. I can’t tell you how it would happen, but I can assure you, it can happen. But I don’t worry as much about an open take- over of this country. It is the covert, the secret that I fear. Either way, disarming of the people is eminent. I do believe in conspiracy, because there has been so much of it in history. I’m not talking about Elvis and aliens colonizing the earth, I’m talking about evil men lusting for power, control, and money.
Prior to the 20th Century; 170 million civilians were murdered by their own governments. Historians tell us that during the 20th Century perhaps as many as 200 million civilians were murdered by their own governments.
Some of the Nations where the mass murder of civilians occurred during the 20th Century include Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, The Congo, Uganda, Armenia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Laos, China, Cuba, Manchuria, Iraq, Iran, Biafra, Rwanda and many others. The slaughter of civilians by governments appears to be as common as not.
Most of these slaughters were only made possible by disarming the victims before killing them. Had these people resisted, their fate would have been no worse and perhaps better. Resistance is much more difficult after the government has already taken the means of resistance away from the people. Planned genocide has been the primary reason for weapon confiscation throughout history.
Some would call me paranoid but banning, licensing, registering, and other means of gun control would make confiscation so very easy. The government not knowing who is armed is much safer than trusting that those in government will make good choices and really be looking out for Americans. I think the chances of this are slim, but they are possible. Taking away Americans only means of defense is something the founders would have thought was a grave mistake.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
"To disarm the people...[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788
"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined..."
- George Washington, First Annual Address, to both House of Congress, January 8, 1790
These men knew first hand why the general public should be armed. The 2nd amendment is not about hunting or sport. It’s about killing a tyrannical take-over of our Republic. The founders were counting on revolution if necessary. Revolution is what started this country. It’s not immoral as long as real tyranny is encroaching. The problem is, tyranny doesn’t always wear red coats. Sometimes it’s hard to spot. But every time someone says anything like that they are accused of being an extremist. The naysayers tell you it can’t happen here anymore. I don’t think we’re that far away from it but it’s held at bay until some idiot thinks they can get away with it. This is why disarming the people is so important.
I had a tense moment one time in a South American country where I was with a military unit and we came upon what would be known now as “insurgents”. Neither of us were sure if we wanted to start a firefight. Suddenly the other guys just threw down their AK’s and raised their hands. I was grateful no one on either side was too excited to “get some”.
During the American Revolution 12,000 Colonists captured by the British died in captivity on prison ships, while only 8,000 died in battle. Had the 12,000 who surrendered continued to fight, many would have survived and they could have done great damage to the British and likely shortened the war.
Civil War prisoners were treated so badly that some 50,000 died in captivity. More Americans have been killed by Americans than by any foreign army in any war. Six hundred and eighteen thousand Americans died in the Civil War.
As many as 18,000 captured American and Pilipino prisoners died or were murdered at the hands of the Japanese during the six days of the “Bataan Death March.” Had most of these soldiers slipped into the jungle and fought as guerrillas they could have tied up elements of the Japanese Army for months or years and perhaps more of them would have survived the war.
Of the Americans who actually reached Japanese prison camps during the war, nearly 50,000 died in captivity. That is more than 10 percent of all the American military deaths in the entire war in both the Pacific and European theaters combined.
In addition to the 50,000 captured Americans who died in Japanese prison camps an additional 20,000 were murdered before reaching a prison camp. If those 70,000 Americans had continued to fight, they could have provided time for the United States to build and maneuver its forces, perhaps shortening the war and saving even more lives. Some of them would have likely survived the war. If they had all died in battle their fate would have been no worse.
During the early stages of the “Battle of the Bulge” American soldiers were massacred by the German troops who captured them.
During the Vietnam conflict many American Prisoners Of War were tortured daily for years by the Communist North Vietnamese. Many Americans died during the process. Only Officers (Airmen) held in North Vietnam were ever repatriated. Enlisted Americans captured in South Viet Nam were routinely tortured, mutilated and murdered by the Communists.
In recent years, American troops captured by Islamic terrorists groups have virtually all been tortured and murdered in gruesome fashion. If I were fighting in the Middle East, I would make a vow and plan to fight to the death. Under no circumstances would I allow myself to be captured by our Islamic enemies.
What about surrendering to criminals?
The “Onion Field Murder” in California was a wakeup call to Law Enforcement Officers everywhere. On March 9, 1963, two LAPD Officers were taken prisoner by two criminals. The Officers submitted to capture and gave up their weapons. They were driven to an onion field outside of Bakersfield.
One Officer was murdered while the other Officer managed to escape in a hail of gunfire. The surviving Officer suffered serious psychological problems, having been unable to save his partner. As a result of this incident, the LAPD policy became, “You will fight no matter how bad things are.” “You will never ever surrender your weapons or yourself to a criminal.”
Consider the Ogden, Utah record store murders. Read the book if you do not know the story. The manner in which the criminals murdered their young victims cannot be described here. Resistance might have been futile. Compliance was definitely and absolutely futile.
The courts in this country have ruled that the police have no legal obligation to protect anyone. Why do Law Enforcement Officials always tell civilians not to resist a criminal, while they tell their Officers to always resist and never surrender? One is guns. The Police have them. Police administrators fear being sued by a civilian victim who gets hurt resisting. Furthermore, the police, like all government agencies derive their power by fostering dependence.
When General Santa Ana (also the President of Mexico at the time) ordered 180 “Texicans” to surrender the Alamo, Col. Travis answered with “a cannon shot and a rebel yell.” Eventually General Santa Ana was able to build his troop strength to ten thousand. The Mexicans then swarmed the defenders and killed them all.
The battle of the Alamo delayed the Mexican Army long enough for Sam Houston to build his Texican Army, which met and defeated the Mexican Army and captured General Santa Ana. General Santa Ana traded Texas for his life and the sacrifices of the Alamo defenders changed history.
Surrender is not an option. Resist those home invaders. Resist that robber. Fight for your freedom. Fight for your life instead of begging for it. Be prepared to resist. Have the knowledge, the training, the tools, and the preparedness to resist. As a famous ancient Chief Captain named Moroni once wrote: “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children”. This is what we fight for, our God, our religion, our freedom and our families. Never retreat, never surrender.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Monday, April 9, 2018
Breaking In A Gun
Finally the day has come! I open the case, and there sits my new gun! I’ve waited for a while for this moment. My wife doesn’t understand yet she does. You make it safe and then feel it a little bit. It feels good in your hand and you can’t wait to get it into action! We live on a acreage away from civilization so I go into my back “yard” or what I call the “South 40.” I first clean the gun noting the take down and reassembly of the gun. I lube it as per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Then I go outside and shoot! The exhilaration is palpable. I do love a new gun! As Humphrey Bogart says in Casablanca,
“…I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
How long should I let a gun go before it is broken in? 100 rounds? 500 rounds? 2000 rounds?
Well as I mentioned above, when you get a new gun you should first clean it. Follow the instructions in the manual. Check your owner's manual for any special instructions for the first time shooting, because the manufacturer may have some recommendations. Additionally, there are different procedures for breaking in a rifle and breaking in a handgun. For now, we will concentrate on the latter. There are a couple different schools of thought. First is you start by loading one round, and fire it. Then you clean the barrel. Load two rounds, fire them both. Clean the barrel, then load three rounds, repeat, then four, followed by five. Clean the barrel again, and commence to shooting however you want. The other school of thought is once you get it cleaned and lubricated, you shoot as many rounds as you can as soon as you can. The first shooting session with a new pistol should be used for several purposes, first of which is break-in. Second is to determine accuracy, and specifically how it shoots. Does it shoot a little low? The front sight may need to be held under the target. If hitting high, just over the target. To the right or left? You could need more dry fire practice or you may need to adjust the sights. This process also, as you've likely guessed, lets you zero the pistol, which is just as important.
When a gun is broken in is the subject of debate. Some people feel differently, and popular lore holds that some pistols break in very quickly and others may need a bit more. For the garden variety gun, you're mostly likely going to get there after 100 to 200 rounds, so 2 to 4 boxes of 50. After this amount of shooting, you should notice the action will get a little smoother, the trigger should break a little easier and travel a little smoother as well. Again, some guns may need a bit more "break-in" than others. A lot of people in the 1911 community insist 500 rounds are needed at least. Often enough, though, the owner's manual will tell you what the break-in period will be.
A break-in period is a vital step and should be a key focus when getting a new gun you intend to carry or serve in a self-defense role. When you get a new pistol, rifle or shotgun, you are getting a freshly finished product made of metal, wood, polymer, or some other material shaped by man to serve a purpose. These guns are mostly designed with exacting tolerances and springs designed to provide the perfect tension needed in order to make the gun work when the user calls for it to. When being made, gun manufacturers have stages of QC where they inspect a few guns from each batch, or may even inspect them all. The problem is that in some cases, not all problems that can show up will be evident from a visual inspection. The most stress you can put on these guns in order to uncover issues is to shoot them. This does not mean that the factory test fire is good enough, but rather that it is a verification of functionality, not integrity. What I am referring to is running your gun for several hundred rounds, if not a couple thousand before trusting it to function perfectly every time you call for it to.
I prefer to use a longer break-in time for all my guns than is normal. I found that this number works best, no matter the caliber, unless otherwise specified. People today want a gun that can be 100% reliable and ready to carry out of the box. This is not always a reasonable expectation for many guns, since some of their tolerances can cause failures to feed from stiff extractor springs, failures to extract/eject due to weak extractor springs, etc. Some issues like parts breakages could crop up in only 100 rounds. This has happened to me plenty of times, and I accept that as a possibility for all guns.
Guns that have early breakages are not crap, but just have manufacturer defects. If your car broke down ten miles out of the dealership parking lot, are you going to stay away from that whole brand? You can, but that isn’t good judgement unless it becomes a pattern. If you have a problem that keeps happening over and over again after sending it back to the manufacturer for warranty repairs, that may be a sign that the gun is a Lemon and should be replaced. But don’t bash the company for the pistol being a Lemon. If the next one also gives you a hard time, then I say it is up to you to decide the next course of action and I will respect your judgement of the company’s product.
My advice is to use a safe and well tested break-in period of 2000 rounds. I found this to work best because I have had issues crop up at almost every round count, even past 1200 rounds. Some components may not get molded just right or heat treated poorly. Heat treating properly and with precise timing and temperatures can make a huge difference in a spring fatigue life. Metal recipes may have gotten diluted, which can cause metals to become brittle and crack very easily under pressure. The first thing to give problems in my experience is springs. Just be mindful if you have one gun you run a lot and want it to continue to run, get extra springs and be ready to have to replace them. This is the best advice that I can give. Be ready for something to give out and remember that it is better to happen now than when you need it to work.
Breaking in a mechanical item is important for most things. A gun is no different. Take care of your gun and they will take care of you!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
“…I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
How long should I let a gun go before it is broken in? 100 rounds? 500 rounds? 2000 rounds?
Well as I mentioned above, when you get a new gun you should first clean it. Follow the instructions in the manual. Check your owner's manual for any special instructions for the first time shooting, because the manufacturer may have some recommendations. Additionally, there are different procedures for breaking in a rifle and breaking in a handgun. For now, we will concentrate on the latter. There are a couple different schools of thought. First is you start by loading one round, and fire it. Then you clean the barrel. Load two rounds, fire them both. Clean the barrel, then load three rounds, repeat, then four, followed by five. Clean the barrel again, and commence to shooting however you want. The other school of thought is once you get it cleaned and lubricated, you shoot as many rounds as you can as soon as you can. The first shooting session with a new pistol should be used for several purposes, first of which is break-in. Second is to determine accuracy, and specifically how it shoots. Does it shoot a little low? The front sight may need to be held under the target. If hitting high, just over the target. To the right or left? You could need more dry fire practice or you may need to adjust the sights. This process also, as you've likely guessed, lets you zero the pistol, which is just as important.
When a gun is broken in is the subject of debate. Some people feel differently, and popular lore holds that some pistols break in very quickly and others may need a bit more. For the garden variety gun, you're mostly likely going to get there after 100 to 200 rounds, so 2 to 4 boxes of 50. After this amount of shooting, you should notice the action will get a little smoother, the trigger should break a little easier and travel a little smoother as well. Again, some guns may need a bit more "break-in" than others. A lot of people in the 1911 community insist 500 rounds are needed at least. Often enough, though, the owner's manual will tell you what the break-in period will be.
A break-in period is a vital step and should be a key focus when getting a new gun you intend to carry or serve in a self-defense role. When you get a new pistol, rifle or shotgun, you are getting a freshly finished product made of metal, wood, polymer, or some other material shaped by man to serve a purpose. These guns are mostly designed with exacting tolerances and springs designed to provide the perfect tension needed in order to make the gun work when the user calls for it to. When being made, gun manufacturers have stages of QC where they inspect a few guns from each batch, or may even inspect them all. The problem is that in some cases, not all problems that can show up will be evident from a visual inspection. The most stress you can put on these guns in order to uncover issues is to shoot them. This does not mean that the factory test fire is good enough, but rather that it is a verification of functionality, not integrity. What I am referring to is running your gun for several hundred rounds, if not a couple thousand before trusting it to function perfectly every time you call for it to.
I prefer to use a longer break-in time for all my guns than is normal. I found that this number works best, no matter the caliber, unless otherwise specified. People today want a gun that can be 100% reliable and ready to carry out of the box. This is not always a reasonable expectation for many guns, since some of their tolerances can cause failures to feed from stiff extractor springs, failures to extract/eject due to weak extractor springs, etc. Some issues like parts breakages could crop up in only 100 rounds. This has happened to me plenty of times, and I accept that as a possibility for all guns.
Guns that have early breakages are not crap, but just have manufacturer defects. If your car broke down ten miles out of the dealership parking lot, are you going to stay away from that whole brand? You can, but that isn’t good judgement unless it becomes a pattern. If you have a problem that keeps happening over and over again after sending it back to the manufacturer for warranty repairs, that may be a sign that the gun is a Lemon and should be replaced. But don’t bash the company for the pistol being a Lemon. If the next one also gives you a hard time, then I say it is up to you to decide the next course of action and I will respect your judgement of the company’s product.
My advice is to use a safe and well tested break-in period of 2000 rounds. I found this to work best because I have had issues crop up at almost every round count, even past 1200 rounds. Some components may not get molded just right or heat treated poorly. Heat treating properly and with precise timing and temperatures can make a huge difference in a spring fatigue life. Metal recipes may have gotten diluted, which can cause metals to become brittle and crack very easily under pressure. The first thing to give problems in my experience is springs. Just be mindful if you have one gun you run a lot and want it to continue to run, get extra springs and be ready to have to replace them. This is the best advice that I can give. Be ready for something to give out and remember that it is better to happen now than when you need it to work.
Breaking in a mechanical item is important for most things. A gun is no different. Take care of your gun and they will take care of you!
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)