quote:

Originally posted by SigFan:
I mainly test new guns out first and foremost to make sure I can hit with them, and secondly to ensure it’ll feed my preferred carry ammo. I don’t go nuts with the round count, though. In my experience modern guns are pretty reliable, so I accept the calculated risk that if it’ll feed a magazine or two it’ll feed 20 mags full. And yes, I understand that anything that’s mass produced can have bad examples, so I think a thorough examination by way of cleaning and lubing is in order. Stay safe!

That's my line of thought.

Just remembered that a friend I've shot with occasionally, bought a Coonan Arms 357 auto a few years ago. Got it at a great price as it was one of their (Coonan's) demo guns.

He took it to the range and "click". Here it was a gun show (like shot show) display gun and they "forgot" to reinstall a correct firing pin.

quote:

Originally posted by Marcushoss:
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.

The only pistol I’ve ever had problems with was a Glock. A brand new G29 and it wasn’t reliable in the slightest. I’m not knocking Glocks at all, but any gun can fail. Always test it before you carry

I would at least put a mag through it. Yea a it's a Glock, but anything can have an issue.

No. I shoot it first, it's just common sense. I would carry before shooting if I was in some kind of zombie apocalypse or never owned a gun before and just bought my first one because I was worried about an ex trying to kill me. Or maybe some other outlandish situation I can't think of.

Other than the crazy situations above, why wouldn't I wait til I have tested it out and use my normal carry weapon until tested?

I'd go a step further, I no longer buy spare magazines before shooting the gun. Recently bought a piece of shit CZ and decided to hold off on my normal extra half dozen mag and holster purchase until I shot it. It's a total piece of shit, set it back to CZ once already, going back for round two. I have wasted a bunch of money on ammo testing the stupid thing. Thank goodness I have a friend who is willing to trade me for it once it gets back from CZUSA.

I know a guy who bought a brand new rifle, mounted a scope on it, then took it hunting without ever shooting it. He killed a nice buck with it, but it was very short range with a lot of luck involved as well. Who knows it may have been shooting a foot high and foot left at 100 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by jaybirdaccountant:
I know a guy who bought a brand new rifle, mounted a scope on it, then took it hunting without ever shooting it. He killed a nice buck with it, but it was very short range with a lot of luck involved as well. Who knows it may have been shooting a foot high and foot left at 100 yards.

My neighbor did that with a muzzleloader. Dumbest thing I've ever seen. He also killed a giant buck. We took it to the range and it wasn't on the paper.

Sorry, I always test all my firearms. I had a Glock 27 a long time ago that I wanted so badly to be my ccw but it would jam regularly. I sold it. Now I carry a Glock 23 that’s been thoroughly tested.

Bought a used P226 that kept jamming until I changed the springs. Now it’s GTG.

My first production run Sig GSR 1911 jammed once a mag until I got 1500 rounds through it. Now it’s super reliable after 8000 rounds.

My savage would have light primer strikes and misfires until I changed the bolt which had a new firing pin and spring.

Test before you trust.

Tony.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: benny6, January 01, 2019 06:46 PM

Be mighty embarrassing to discover that yours was the one that shipped with the broken striker...

Do you have any other options or is this the only gun you have? If you are already carrying something that works, why switch to a different gun until your sure it functions properly and that you are comfortable with how it shoots? I get the excitement of owning a new gun, but this is one of those times that patience is the better option.

However, if this new gun is the only one you've got, all that goes out the window...any gun is better than none.

It sounds like the root of the problem is that you need easier access to a place to shoot. I struggled with that for years. My wife even got on me about it, telling me it made no sense to keep buying guns that I rarely shot. I finally bit the bullet and joined a private club. I now get out at least once a week, usually more. Best decision I ever made.

I wouldn't trust any gun without shooting it first. You just never know. Even if 999/1000 of their guns are perfect, you might get the 1 that is not.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
I have carried w/o some range time but it was with revolvers. I wouldn't do it with a semi auto pistol.

Ditto

I would say it’s preferable to shoot your gun. You want to make sure that it functions and that you can hit with it.

Having said that, I have done it before in the past at least a couple of times that I can think of.

You must check it first if it will fire. Back in the 80's I purchased a nib S&W 357 magnum. brought it to the range and all I got was "click". It ended up being the pin was too short, the LGS swapped to another. It was quite a surprise to not have a bang, but a click.

I wouldn’t even trust a Glock without trying it out first. At least 50 rounds of the type of ammunition you would be carrying, and a 100 if possible.

I would if I had to but shooting it would be high on my priority list. God help you if you needed to use it and you should left or right of target and hit something else. It’s not just about the hardware itself, it’s about you, maybe you need acclimation. An example I like to use is sportbikes or sports cars. Some times at the track, an acquaintance or friend will throw me the key to their bike or car. Sometimes it’s inexpensive, sometimes it’s 100k+ vehicle. I don’t hop in it and just start going wfo. I spend a number of laps in it getting to know it, building my confidence, before I ever start pushing. Kind of the same thing with firearms. And there are too many caveats. Maybe you’ve owned it before so you’ve got through the whole process prior. Maybe it’s also well known to be extremely reliable. I’d still recommend shooting it, at least a mag with your preferred carry ammo.

Since you’re on this forum, my assumption is that you already have something you can use until you test the 43. I bought a 43 about 6 months ago and it was dead nuts reliable and accurate out of the box. I’m glad I tested it before carry so there would be absolutely no doubt rattling around in the back of my mind.

I cannot imagine carrying it without shooting it first. What were you carrying last week?

The first time I took my P238 to the range! I swore the sights were off... The third mag I shot off a bench rest and it shot perfectly. The first two mags were total user error. I had to learn how to pull the trigger on a much smaller "1911" than I was used to shooting.

Good luck if you carry without shooting it. Oh yeah, if you have to use it, the civil trial will most likely include all of the posts in this thread.

As horrific a prospect it seems, to carry a gun I’ve never shot, there’s one possible scenario where that might possibly be less than completely out of the realm of viability.

Both my HK P7M8’s came with test targets. Combined with a pencil test of the striker, and mainstream ammo, I suppose that would be better than carrying a pistol with no evidence of functionality.

But generally, no way I would ever do that except in some kind of extreme situation.

quote:

Originally posted by armedprof:
I cannot imagine carrying it without shooting it first. What were you carrying last week?

The first time I took my P238 to the range! I swore the sights were off... The third mag I shot off a bench rest and it shot perfectly. The first two mags were total user error. I had to learn how to pull the trigger on a much smaller "1911" than I was used to shooting.

Good luck if you carry without shooting it. Oh yeah, if you have to use it, the civil trial will most likely include all of the posts in this thread.

So, I’m dying to know. What’s going to happen at the “civil trial”?

This should be good, no doubt. From actually investigating shootings, and standing in courtrooms in the aftermath, the guys that are insistent on the 167.5 rounds of ammo are in much larger trouble because of their desire to practice killing people and ensure that they are ready to kill people because they have a ritual they engage in before they go out looking for trouble. And they ridicule others for not having the same pre-kill planned ritual....

The actual truth is that if you live in an area that the mere act of carrying a gun is frowned upon, you’re fucked no matter what you do. If you live in a free state, it’s likely not going to matter despite these types of scare tactics and USCCA type fear mongering.