Years ago, the rough rule-of-thumb for handgun break-ins was 100 rounds for a revolver, and 200 rounds for a pistol - and then you were advised to have them inspected by a 'smith for signs of unusual wear, overall function and safety. Of course, I’m going to consult my dealer, and keep a range-log on each handgun I have for reference, but does anyone have updated info regarding this? Does SAAMI touch on this subject?
I don’t know people who actually really do that.
IME, anybody who shoots enough that their modern firearms actually need inspecting, learns very quickly on their own how to inspect the firearm themselves.
I don’t know what SAAMI does or does not have, but would guess the best (only truly useful?) would come direct from the manufacturer or from an actual experienced gunsmith (not just a certified armorer, more than that…although said person may also be a certified armorer)
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Just like a car - or any other mechanical device - there’s obvious and hidden wear or damage. One incident that brought this to mind was watching a video of a college basketball player having a sudden, fatal heart-attack during a game - a hidden condition was the cause. Just getting out of bed is a risk you take every day - and at my age, sometimes waking up is a SURPRISE!
I go over mine pretty close evetime I clean them. I also depend on experience with each one. If it seems to be acting different I look closer. Example, last week I took my Kimber to the range, four or five times the ejected brass hit me in the face, that was very unusual so I bagged it and shot something else. Upon further investigation, I found crud build up around the ejector. Cleaned it up seems to have solved the prob.
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One case to qualify this topic regards the Colt “Python”. This was - in its time - the most “fussed over” handgun in manufacturing history - Colt had even created its “Royal Colt” finish initially just for this gun. Only Luger’s “P-08” rivaled the amount of precision machining, tight tolerances, and hand-operations required for it. This led to timing problems, because of the more-than-usual wear from extended shooting, which affected the bullet “jump” from the cylinder-face to the forcing-cone. I’m not a fan in any way of the .357, but the one innovation (?) in the design was its shrouded barrel, which led to the creation of the “Smolt” in PPC shooting, and eventually to Smith’s “L-frame” Model 586.