I just picked up a Glock 43. I honestly do not know when I will be able to make it to the range to test it out. Im debating if I should just give it a cleaning and start carrying or if I need to do a range trip to make sure everything is working properly. I know the gun was test fired at the factory.

Lets take getting familiar with the gun out of the equations. Im strictly talking about the ability of the gun to go bang every time.

Question:
Would you carry a gun without testing it out at the range?

Choices:
Yes. Its good to go.
No. Test that baby out first.

 

IMO: Even a Glock needs a hundred rounds of FMJ and a couple of mags of your chosen defensive ammo.

In a perfect world, I would want to fire at least 100 rounds through any firearm before carrying it. But we don’t live in a perfect world.

What are your other options? Do you have another firearm you can carry?

Never thought that I would ever say such a thing, but, if I was going to carry a gun without shooting it it first, I would not hesitate to do it with a Glock.

I don't even know 1 person who ever had a problem with one.

If you haven't shot a G43, how can you be certain you'll put rounds on target and not bystanders when your world comes unglued? Wouldn't you want to be proficient with it first?

I want to know that it will work with the ammunition I'll be carrying. I want to know that it will keep functioning, that my grip won't interfere with its operation, that I can clear a malfunction, reload effectively, manipulate it without error or hesitation, and that I know where the sights will put rounds. I need to know that pistol, and I can only do so much dry firing.

How much is my life worth? How much is yours worth? Certainly the time it takes to get to know that weapon, and if you don't take the time to do that and end up defending the shot you put into the 45 year old new grandmother crossing the street behind your attacker, how will your life change after? Take the time to get qualified, familiar, proficient, and to ensure the weapon will work.

It's a deadly weapon. Treat it accordingly.

I frequently see shooters show up at the range to re-qualify with a new gun and they have problems right out of the gate.
I would not even think of carrying a gun for personal protection that didn't have at least 50 rounds down range.
MANY shooters don't have a clue as to ID malfunctions and cure them,especially under pressure.
Pulling a handgun to protect yourself or others and hearing it go click or malfunction is a good way to get yourself or others killed,the bad guy will shoot you as soon as they see that gun come out, they will not let you off because your gun does not work.

I prefer to get some range time in on a new gun before carrying it, although I have had to carry take a gun straight out of the box and put it into service before.

Doing quals for LEOs who had just been issued new Sig P220s, I saw several that would fire in double action, but would not release the hammer to fire in single action. Only shooting these guns before carrying them exposed the flaw.

With a Glock, I would not hesitate to do so. But I wouldn't make a habit out of it, though.

It’s your life......

I don’t think it’s wise to carry an untested gun. You don’t even know if it’s reliable, what ammo it likes, and so forth.

Not a good idea. Carry your old gun until the new one is proven to be reliable.

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With a Glock, I would not hesitate to do so. But I wouldn't make a habit out of it, though.

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Well I guess you never owned a Glock 42. Jam o Matic if I ever saw one. Made the slogan Glock perfection laughable. The guys at the range would say you have a Glock that is not a Glock. Two trips back to the factory. After the first trip, they fixed the ejection problem but the slide would not lock back. They finally fixed it. They wanted me to send back the mags and they replaced all six of them. It was a soft shooter, but my Kimber 380 was more reliable.

quote:

Never thought that I would ever say such a thing, but, if I was going to carry a gun without shooting it it first, I would not hesitate to do it with a Glock.

I don't even know 1 person who ever had a problem with one.

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I know several besides myself who owned the Glock 42. I had multiple people shoot my gun and ALL had the same problem.

Nope. Stick with your old carry gun until you get a chance to test it out. Maybe it is a dog. Maybe it is a great gun for someone else but you can't hit a damn thing with it. Maybe you just don't like it. Try it first. Then trust it.

Test every gun before it's a carry. If Glocks are 99.5% ready to go yours could be the .5%. It's a bad gamble no product is 100% reliable.

My 43 has a horrible trigger that is very different from my other Glocks. It takes getting used to and maybe I'll never really get used to it.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

With a Glock, I would not hesitate to do so. But I wouldn't make a habit out of it, though.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well I guess you never owned a Glock 42. Jam o Matic if I ever saw one. Made the slogan Glock perfection laughable. The guys at the range would say you have a Glock that is not a Glock. Two trips back to the factory. After the first trip, they fixed the ejection problem but the slide would not lock back. They finally fixed it. They wanted me to send back the mags and they replaced all six of them. It was a soft shooter, but my Kimber 380 was more reliable.

Just out of curiosity, how many 42s have you owned? “JAMOMATIC” does not describe the 50 or so I’ve seen rounds go down range from.

Personally, I’ve loaded pistols in a gun store parking lot and carried them home. Hasn’t happened in years, but I’ve done it. The whole “fire 121 rounds of ball and pi squared the number of carry rounds minus six” to determine “reliability” is awful silly. If anything, disassembly and proper lubrication before carrying is the smarter move. Removing the gold packing grease prior to shooting a Glock is important, according to Glock, and they do require lube.

There’s best practice, and there’s reality. Often the two don’t cross paths.

It's not just "testing it out", it's checking the sights and building some confidence. I hate jumping on the big liability bandwagon, but could you imagine trying to justify a shooting with a gun you've never fired if something went sideways?

It’s a mechanical tool assembled by humans. There is the possibility of mistakes/errors. Carrying without more than one cycle of shooting/cleaning is just daring for that mistake to show up when you don’t need it.

Let me ask you this... Do you ever clean a gun without checking that it’s unloaded? If your answer is no, then the same reasons apply here.

I did this once when I was young and dumb. Bought a brand new Interarms Walther PPK/S. Carried it for a week before I was able to hit the range.

Well range day came, loaded it up, took aim, pulled the trigger and click, no fire. Pistol didn't work, period.

Ever since then, any carry gun must fire 500rds without issue and at least 100 rds must be my carry load.

Clean it. Lube it (magazines, too). Inspect carefully. Off to the range, shoot a box or two of target ammo. Sights all good? Shoot some carry ammo. All good? Back home, clean, inspect. Still all good? Then I think it's ready to go into service.

Additional practice and/or training is probably the most important part of switching up a carry piece.

I guess if it was carry that or carry nothing I might risk it. If you have other options that you know work, then what's the rush?

This is not playing with your latest toy. This is carrying a weapon for the very serious purpose of defending your life.

quote:

Just out of curiosity, how many 42s have you owned? “JAMOMATIC” does not describe the 50 or so I’ve seen rounds go down range from

One. Mine works fine now. It is one of the early ones. I own about six Glocks of varying calibers. Never had a problem with ANY of them. I had friends at the range shoot my 42 before I sent it back. ALL had the same problem. I guess you have been lucky. I ALWAYS make sure it is not OPERATOR ERROR. Maybe LEOs get special deals.