Please test fire the gun before it becomes your EDC.

[1775usmarine]

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

I guess I win then. I have 5 or more for all my pistols and 7 for a full combat load for my AR per our SOP's while in theater. 6/7/86 S&W's 5906 5 15rders, 4506 16 8 rders, 3906 5 9 rders, 3913 5 8 rders, 92f 5 15 rders, cz85 5 17 rders, I have know idea how many rounds I have put through each of my guns since I started to reload but have the confidence in each and every one to perform if carried.

 

[croy]

I put at least 100 rds through a gun before I carry it, then a mag or more of hollow points.

My latest purchase I put 2 boxes of hollow points through it. No reason why, but I had a lot of hollow points that were getting old so I shot em up and replaced it with new.

 

[singlesix]

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?

min number = rounds to become proficient.

 

[rosefarm10]

I try to wear out my carry guns.

Yup. The uglier mine gets....the more I love it! 50 rounds a week just to make sure we are still playing well together

 

[AA&E]

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?

If a firearm ran 100% without a single misfeed, failed extraction, etc... and it cycled through 50 rounds of what I planned to feed it while carrying. I'd be comfortable with it. Now, if it was stove piping 1 out of 10. Or fail to extract.... that completely changes things. I personally wouldn't carry anything I couldn't run through 50 rounds without an issue.

 

[gglass]

No need to test fire...

I knew a lady who's boyfriend at the time carried a gun that he knew didn't function. His reasoning was that the sight of his gun in hand would be enough to end any bad situation in which he might find himself.

 

[SteveM4A1]

No need to test fire...

I knew a lady who's boyfriend at the time carried a gun that he knew didn't function. His reasoning was that the sight of his gun in hand would be enough to end any bad situation in which he might find himself.

Odds are he could be correct. The stats I have seen show well above 50% of self defense gun uses never involve a shot.

 

[Zoub]

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!

I am sorry Steve but based on poor life decisions you made prior to this thread you have only qualified for the free advice prize.

There was a time when 13 rd capacity and .45 meant only one thing, G21.

Now go hold one of your mags and imagine selling it for 10x what you paid for it. In my case, when you might have been out of diapers but still in the thumb sucking stages of your life, I paid $13 for a mag and sold them for $130. This was from the gift we call the AWB. Since you have decided 5 is the number you need, you actually need 15. You use 5 in your daily life so you need 5 to back those up and 5 for the range. Any additional mags after 15 are for SHTF, the next generation or profiteering...................or God forbid another gun. The AWB and the recent scare in NY are two great examples you need to keep in mind. Buy mags now. Learn to predict the firearms market years in advance and plan your purchases. I have not bought ammo in years but I have bought mags cheap in the past year.

If you did in fact own a Glock of .45 or 9mm caliber, I would have offered to sell you some of my range mags (and any Korean mags) at half price once I replaced them with Magpul mags later this year.

Well Steve, I hope you have enjoyed your prize?!



PS my current range mags are pretty nice because I sold all my original ones for a nice profit, then replaced them with 3-4x as many mags with the money I made.

 

[SteveM4A1]

I am sorry Steve but based on poor life decisions you made prior to this thread you have only qualified for the free advice prize.

There was a time when 13 rd capacity and .45 meant only one thing, G21.

Now go hold one of your mags and imagine selling it for 10x what you paid for it. In my case, when you might have been out of diapers but still in the thumb sucking stages of your life, I paid $13 for a mag and sold them for $130. This was from the gift we call the AWB. Since you have decided 5 is the number you need, you actually need 15. You use 5 in your daily life so you need 5 to back those up and 5 for the range. Any additional mags after 15 are for SHTF, the next generation or profiteering...................or God forbid another gun. The AWB and the recent scare in NY are two great examples you need to keep in mind. Buy mags now. Learn to predict the firearms market years in advance and plan your purchases. I have not bought ammo in years but I have bought mags cheap in the past year.

If you did in fact own a Glock of .45 or 9mm caliber, I would have offered to sell you some of my range mags (and any Korean mags) at half price once I replaced them with Magpul mags later this year.

Well Steve, I hope you have enjoyed your prize?!



PS my current range mags are pretty nice because I sold all my original ones for a nice profit, then replaced them with 3-4x as many mags with the money I made.

5 is a good number for me. I only carry 2 mags on me at any time, so I have 3 that sit around and only get used at the range. I don't need dedicated range mags or back up mags or SHTF mags for my daily carry. And at $26 a pop, I have no desire or need to buy more mags unless one of my mags starts to get unreliable. Realistically, I would be ok with 2 mags. Sure, range time would not be fun reloading even more than I already do, but that is hardly a necessity.

This idea that you need X number of mags is fairly amusing. The 5 I have now have enough rounds through them to convince me of their reliability, and I don't have the cash to go buy X more mags and ammo to run through them.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

...but if, say, on the off chance that one did have a few extra bucks to buy some extra mags then the benefits are obvious.

 

[SteveM4A1]

...but if, say, on the off chance that one did have a few extra bucks to buy some extra mags then the benefits are obvious.

I'd buy ammo before I bought mags...doesn't matter how many mags full of ammo I have if I can't hit what I'm aiming at!

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

I'd buy ammo before I bought mags...

for sure

 

[dsol]

My EDC is a revolver... ran a few hundred through it with no problem. No tap/rack/bang to worry about either. Misfire you say, meh... pull the trigger again, easypeasy. My biggest issue is reloading quickly. I practiced it over and over, and still need to practice. Got to get the muscle memory wound up night and tight. If you are not shooting, you better be moving... and reloading a revolver on the move is not a easy thing to perfect.

 

[Bennettjh]

Before I carry anything, I'll shoot it until I feel comfortable with reliability and proficiency. YMMV.

 

[Cemetery-man]

I don't need dedicated range mags or back up mags or SHTF mags for my daily carry. And at $26 a pop, I have no desire or need to buy more mags unless one of my mags starts to get unreliable. Realistically, I would be ok with 2 mags. Sure, range time would not be fun reloading even more than I already do, but that is hardly a necessity.

This idea that you need X number of mags is fairly amusing.

I agree. One in my gun and a spare in my pocket. The rest just sit in the safe waiting for the next range trip.

 

[Zoub]

...but if, say, on the off chance that one did have a few extra bucks to buy some extra mags then the benefits are obvious.

Or maybe arriving at the range with 10-20-30 mags already loaded and ready to go? You know, so you can test that gun AND develop skills.

nobody needs more mags until they are banned, want to add more guns or their Mom tells them can't buy them.

 

[Zoub]

I'd buy ammo before I bought mags...doesn't matter how many mags full of ammo I have if I can't hit what I'm aiming at!

Get a .22. Back when all ammo was cheap I had maybe 20k rounds through a Ruger MKII target during college. When I went to bigger calibers I already had my technique developed. It allows you to focus on aim small, hit small and correct your mistakes without fighting the gun. Muscle memorization kicks at 2k reps. Now with ammo costs up, .22 makes sense for many reasons. Of course I have not needed to buy .22 ammo since maybe 2007, except for specialty ammo like Gemtech. I keep the ammo I don't need right next to the mags I don't need either. The $10-$12 bricks of .22 and the $8 mags.

Someday today's prices may seem low.

 

[familyevents]

A warm gun is a happy gun...