I’m looking at getting a VP9. My one nag with it is that I am a South Paw and the mag release lever on the right side of the gun seems very stiff. I don’t have the greatest of strength in my left thumb and could barely get it to release the slide. Does the control loosen up some after usage?
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I’m not sure I follow. I have the VP9 Tactical, which has the ambi mag release at the bottom of the trigger guard. It doesn’t feel any different on one side or the other, but then, I’m not using my dominant hand if I try it left-handed. Either way works easily enough.
If you mean the slide release on the right, I don’t use that either, honestly, I slingshot it. I should probably practice one-handed slide releases with both hands, now that you mention it.
edit: OK, I just unloaded it to try it with the index finger of my right hand. It has more travel but also more leverage, so it works easily enough. But then, I never tried it before…
If you mean the VP9SK, I can’t really help there.
@Jeffrey77, looks you are in the same place I was year ago. PPQ vs VP9. For the same reason you have just described, I went with PPQ.
PPQ is 100% ambi
VP9 is 95% ambi… just because of not symmetric slide stop / release lever.
Do not expect easier control after some time. PPQ, VP9, M&P9 have ambi slide stop/release… they have never loosened up.
PPQ - left hand lever fully operational
VP9 - left hand lever almost fully operational
M&P9 - left hand lever non operational at all
If she is interested, she will be more tolerant of your expenditures.
Many of the manufacturers recommend anywhere from 150 to 250 rounds through a gun to break it in. Some formally, others by inference. Think about it. Most anything all steel or mix of poly and steel would be a little smoother with warm up. Don’t have to beat it just smooth it out. Very few guns are"test fired" more than one or two rounds. This would be more important in a carry gun. Most serious shooters recommend one or two magazines of the ammo they intend to use in their carry gun shot through it before they load it for carry. Personal confidence alone would make that a good practice. Always a personal preference and practice. Take care.
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Yea that is what I meant - slide release. I was on a work call and trying to multitask too much today. I’m going back to my store on Friday to give it another feel and most likely fill out the paperwork. Thanks for confirmation.
I think you are right. 95% ambi is a good description. I honestly use the slide release on the PPQ may 30-40% of the time, so its not a deal breaker. It was just more of a surprise.
I love the way the PPQ works with either hand and the lever is identical with the same amount of force needed to operate. Something I’ll just have to get used to I suppose. I really like the mag release on the VP9. I tried to find an M1 PPQ, but couldn’t. I switched the button on it, but it seems to be a little heavier then factory installed. Not a huge deal as well, I’m just sensitive I supposed and like consistency.
Gosh I do love shooting the PPQ though!
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She’s already asked me twice this week if I’ve purchased it yet, so I see nothing but green lights ahead.
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I loved my PPQ. Actually I owned M1 with paddle mag release, which was a little bit bigger and easier to operate than on VP9.
Now my son is enjoying it 
From shooting perspective - both PPQ-M1 and VP9 are the same… I couldn’t find any differences (just slide stop lever).
I suspected they were designed by the same guy 
So ya all my weapons are for conceal carry. I believe the break in process is a mind set,‘trust’. So I just purchase a G26 but only had a chance to put 200 rounds through it. So it did jam a few times so it’s not ready for me to carry. Still needs a break in, 'trust’s factor
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You have good taste. 
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I keep trying to do the “break-in” but have a hard time sticking to it. Maybe it’s because I’m a curio and relic collector and most of my guns are at least 50 years old.
Absolutely. I break in my pistols and rifles. I’ll fire 200 rounds or so for a break-in period; cleaning the bore as often as practical. This will smooth out all the microscopic rough spots on the lands in the barrel.
Depending on the type of gun (pistol, rifle, semi-auto, revolver, bolt, lever) and the barrel (stock, match, stainless, chrome-moly or chrome lined) the method and amount of break-in can change.
A custom, hand-lapped barrel may not require that much break-in but the idea behind it is still the same.
It’s a bit more evident with a rifle at 100 yds or so, but the group size will shrink as the barrel break-in progresses.
Firing off 200 rounds in a new gun will also help smooth out the trigger and action. They’re both almost always smoother after that many cycles.
I don’t believe that you really hurt or damage most modern guns by NOT breaking them in, but I think you can make almost any gun shoot better and more accurately by doing so.
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Just like many have said, the pistol should be shot and prove it’s reliability. In my mind this is like a shakedown period before I can trust it. Some pistols don’t like certian ammo, so make sure the weapon is good with your choice of carry ammo. Clean it, lube it, run it again. If all is well then you can feel better trusting it. I do the same thing with new magazines. They have to be checked out too.
Rifles? Different deal with them. Especially for a precision, long-range rifle.
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Jerzy, my Kimber manual recommends a break in period. I’d say tight 1911’s (high end) will probably benefit from one.
As far as other guns, I’d agree-but I do think it’s important with a gun to find out which ammo/weight/velocity/bullet shoots and feeds the best–accuracy and reliability.
I’ve also had some guns that performed quite poorly with cheaper mags. All good stuff to check out with new gun.
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@Aaron25, I agree, we have to spend some time to learn the firearm.
But I still don’t consider this time as a “break-in” period.
Good quality handgun is ready out from the box. It shoots the same after first and one thousand first round.
The only difference might be what you have mentioned: we shot first round with some ammo, we shot one thousand first round with the best ammo. 
Of course, that is only my opinion and I also agree that some handguns need "break-in"period.
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That is the break in that I was taught also and it was only on rifles,I think it was something about the barrel flexing when fired,and the barrel after break in would flex the same way so the round was more accurate.
I have a Kahr 9mm that recommends a 200 round break-in period. First time I’ve ever seen it. One of these days, I’m going to take to the range and do that. It is a safe queen right now.
From an engineering standpoint, there is no reason to have to break in a gun. None of the mechanical parts are designed to perform differently after extensive use. I would just go shoot it to see if I need to break myself in (to borrow the phrase) to different sights and any different characteristics of the gun. If the gun doesn’t perform flawlessly out of the box, it is worthless.
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My “break-in period” is more for me to get used to the gun more than the gun itself operating. I just bought a new pistol today, as a matter of fact, and I’m expecting it to do fine right out of the box. Just got to get those first few hundred rounds through it to get used to how it handles and how I need to handle it to start carrying it. By the way, I got a Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P Shield M2.0 9mm!! Hope to be able make that trip to the range this weekend to start putting those rounds through it!!
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I have the S&W 1.0 PC shield. I love that gun. I bet the 2.0 is even better with the new aggressive grip texture.
Random FYI: I did have the front site fiber optic piece fall put on me (not saying yours will), took it to the gun smith and he just super glued it in for free. So if that happens, super glue is an option 
)
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