Weekly Newbies & FAQ Thread - Post your questions here for PAL/RPAL application, timelines, CFSC/CFSRC, references & requirements, or general new to firearms ownership -type questions

[u/AutoModerator]

This thread will be used for the "new"-type questions, PAL/RPAL applications, references, CFSC/CFRSC requirements, storage/transport, or other general "new-to-me" firearms ownership questions.

In response to this thread, the community was quite positive for a thread to cover these subjects.

These threads will be stickied for a week, renewing every Sunday @ about 0600 AST. Previous threads here. Take a look, your question may have been answered!

If you have any suggestions for this thread, please feel free to ask here, or send the Mods a message.

Thank you!

[u/CanadaGunsMod]

PSA to everyone who went out and bought new handguns this week:

CLEAN YOUR GUNS BEFORE SHOOTING THEM. READ THE MANUAL.

New guns are coated in a preservative grease/oil. This is not a lubricating oil. You need to tear the gun down and flush it all out. All of it. Then re oil with a proper gun oil.

New guns require break-in. This can be a hundred rounds or a thousand rounds. Follow the manual. 22 semi autos might take ages to properly break in.

We are removing literally dozens of posts that are "my new gun doesn't work" and literally the answer is "I didn't clean it or oil it."

[u/knine71551 → u/CanadaGunsMod]

And by flush doesn’t mean run it under the tap read the manual pls

[u/CanadaGunsMod → u/knine71551]

Correct. Spray with a degreaser/solvent. Lots of gun sprays are CLP and will do it all in one.

[u/LostStand6573 → u/CanadaGunsMod]

I didn't need to do that with mine.

Just used pads of nice absorbent patches, wiped every area I could reach. Re-oiled with some Hoppes stuff.

Went to the range, shot 100 rounds with no cycling issues. Came home, cleaned it up, cleared out the barrel, put a little oil through the barrel and at the moving parts.

Not to say that every handgun is the same, but not every handgun needs to be doused/sprayed to function fine.

[u/CanadaGunsMod → u/LostStand6573]

No, but many of them do. If you're getting function issues, best to clean/break in.

[u/LostStand6573 → u/CanadaGunsMod]

Yeah perhaps I got lucky with mine, but it didn't seem hosed with oil. Just a little here and there that I scrubbed down.

Went through 100 rounds within an hour. I know, probably not the smartest but it was fascinating to do so.

[u/CanadaGunsMod → u/[deleted]]

Lots of cheaper firearms will paint surfaces on things. So on the bolt, on the frame, on the slide. As you shoot it, you'll see this paint wear off and smooth. As this happens, the action will smooth up considerably.

It's a big problem with things like GSG 16's or other cheaper 22's. The friction from this coating is enough to cause function problems. Over time, as the coating wears, it will be much more reliable.

For things like a GSG16 I recommend shooting 1k rounds through it before deciding whether it's not working right. Just mag dump and clean. It will get way more reliable over time.

For more expensive firearms, they are not as mass produced and have greater attention to detail, and won't need this kind of wear-in.

[u/CanadaGunsMod → u/[deleted]]

Also: if the idea of $500 worth of ammunition scares you, you may want to reconsider the hobby. It's not cheap to shoot a lot. You can mitigate the cost by shooting things like .22LR, but even 9mm is upwards of $0.30/round these days.

[u/CanadaGunsMod → u/[deleted]]

Dry fire or you can polish it. After a couple hundred rounds you'll start to see where the wear points are. You can use a super high grit polishing stone (4000+) to remove some more, but I would advise against it unless you know what you're doing. The best thing to do is let the parts wear in together.

[u/CanadaGunsMod → u/[deleted]]

For any new gun? Yes. But a Glock =/= cheap knockoff. They tend to be pretty good out of the box.

Always follow the manual. There will be a break-in procedure.