Recommended procedure for revolver break in?

[Verndog]

I'm picking up my first NEW revolver tonight, a SP101 .327. Security six I've had for over 20 years and bought used, so I'm not sure what is recommended to do before first range trip. I'd like to dry fire and take 1x to the range before I field strip and clean / polish it if possible so I can see any areas that need extra attention right off the bat. I know thats not recommended on a semi-auto but what are others doing first time with revolvers?

 

[e3mrk]

The first thing You should do when You get it Home is to give it a real good cleaning and Oiling.
I may be wrong but I believe that about 500 rounds is the break in period.

 

[Verndog]

The first thing You should do when You get it Home is to give it a real good cleaning and Oiling.
I may be wrong but I believe that about 500 rounds is the break in period.

Thank you, so when you say real good are you talking about taking it all the way down including removing hammer, trigger assembly, and cylinder before I ever fire it?

 

[COR]

How about just shooting it?

I don't put any type of OIL inside my revolvers, that just attracts dirt...I also don't clean them very well according to some of the "neat freaks"...an oily rag on the outside and a bore snake through the bore, that's it for me.

ALL guns smooth up with SHOOTING, and in most cases you'll naturally get better with the gun.

Don't over think this.

 

[Gutshot]

SP101, dry fire that puppy a couple thousand times. THEN take it apart and polish up the areas that need it.

Jeff

 

[Rclark]

Make sure the bore is clear of obstruction and the chambers too. I normally clean them before I take mine out the first time for this reason and see the bore condition. Rarely do I break the gun down before the first trip IF the revolvers seems to function okay. Check each of screws to make sure they are 'present' and tight. Then just go shoot it !

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I always like to clean guns first before shooting them. With a Ruger revolver there is often crud inside the gun. Take the grips off and remove the mainspring and hammer as well as the cylinder crane. If you are familiar with removing the trigger group do that otherwise leave that for another time. Flush all the internals with a solvent like Break-Free CLP, Hoppes #9 or even kerosene. This should flush out any shavings, dirt, grease or what-have-you. Lightly oil with a good gun oil like Rem Oil, just a few small drops on the workings. Re-assemble.

You are now ready for dry-fire and familiarization with the gun. Do both single-action and double-action dry fire about 50-100 times. Note for smooth operation and good lock-up. Dry-fire slowly and don't over do it. Note any sharp edges around the trigger, trigger guard or the hammer spur for later work. Note the trigger pull will be heavy but the trigger break should be crisp not gritty.

Run about 500 rounds of jacketed ammo through the gun. Clean it often. Try different ammo. Evaluate if you want to smooth the action or the edges on the gun or replace the springs. Give it a fair break-in before doing anything to the gun. That's what I do. 8) 8)

...Jimbo

 

[CraigC]

I've bought and sold over 100 guns in my lifetime and have never gone through any extensive ritual before shooting one the first time or breaking one in. Some are packed in too much oil and need to be wiped off but that's about it. Check the bore for obstructions/debris.

Just shoot it.

 

[cellar701]

What Jimbo said - is what I do. You might be surprised at what shavings, etc comes out from flushing the internals.

One modification/ or perhaps clarification on cleaning it often: I clean the cylinder and bore often, but I don't often take the grips off or trigger group out to detail clean - I do that part pretty infrquently/ as needed.

Important part of breaking it in: shoot it and have fun!

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

I do a thorough cleaning. I want to remove any factory lubes/perservatives. Action cleaner/brake cleaner to the mechanicals I don't take apart. I have found metal bits in some guns' nooks and crannies.

I eyeball places where there might be later wear to make sure I know about any tool marks so they don't get misidentified later as abnormal wear, peening, or flame cutting, etc.

My experience is somewhere between 250 and 500 rounds, groups settle down. I take a jar of JB's to the range for this period and clean out all copper residue every 50 rounds.

 

[TiteGroups]

Parts have to rub together to break in, oil is designed to keep them apart with a film to stop them from wearing. By all means check the gun over before firing but don't oil everything thinking this will help break it in. Coating the points of contact with valve grinding compound or toothpaste will break it in very quickly and smooth its operation. Once the parts are worn together then use oil to prevent further wear. Something to think about.

 

[GP100man]

I dry the barrel with brake kleen & run a patch thru if it snags I polish it with flitz on patches wrapped aroud a brush until snags are smoothed out .

Did this on the last three & never had a problem with leading from the get go !

 

[SAJohn]

I agree with Jimbo and IMG. You would not believe the crud that will come out during the initial super cleaning. I then put at least 200 rounds of jacketed ammo through the gun to smooth things up before going to semiwadcutters.

Rather than a lot of dry firing, I hone/polish the important contact surfaces.

John

 

[Verndog]

Well, looks like there are 2 camps,1) it's likely fine shoot and see, 2) take the precautions and go through and thoroughly clean.

Since I lean more toward caution, and like to tinker with cool things, I went thru it tonight after dry firing 100 or so times. Worked pretty good, I could spot a few rub spots that told me where contact points were and I broke quite a few edges that were in contact areas. I found very little crud inside, so it was pretty clean, but after polishing and putting back together it was a bit smoother. Trigger in double action is heavy but good, single action excellent! Only thing I noticed odd was a slight pause then "drop" as the cylinder locked up, that also got better after breaking edges and cleaning.

All ready for the debut Saturday.

Thanks all for the advise.

 

[powder smoke]

There are 3 steps to breakin IMO

1. Clean it
2. Shoot it
3. Enjoy it !!
ps

 

[Lloyd Smale]

About the only thing i do with a new ruger is give it a close look over to see if theres anything blatently wrong with it, make sure its oiled and shoot the snot out of it.

 

[Big Stu]

When I purchased my GP100 I made a call to Ruger CS to ask a few questions and I asked about break-in and/or cleaning. The rep told me to dry fire a few times to make sure everything was ok and then just go shoot it. It was good advice. I had no problems at all and still have had no troubles with it. Best of luck with your new "little friend"

 

[Rodfac]

two of my last 6 Rugers in the past two years have had extensive crud in the works on arrival...one had manuf. machining chips down in the hammer recess...that said, I'd clean the innards out thoroughly before shooting...then lightly lube them. BTW, all six were remarkably accurate out of the box, all were BH's, all shot 2" or better gps at 25 yds with good handloads. As to break in, the dry fire technique will help with trigger smoothness, and a box or two of jacketed generally makes lead alloy bullet shooting a bit smoother..ie, less leading. That's about it...Rod