HK45 break-in, control levers

IMO you can feed anything into an HK45. I started with 185 Gold Dot and have shot everything from 165 Cor-Bon to 230 Grain Ball. I am not a fan a SWC so I can't speak from that point.

Thanks for the reply. Just to be clear, I know that most HKs will fire just about anything, but I also know that some of them cycle more consistently at first with hotter stuff, until the recoil spring is broken in a bit. I just want to make sure that the HK45 doesn't need anything hotter than cheap, light bulk practice rounds at the start.

I have fed my 45's my reloads that are around 775-800 f/s from the beginning, with no issues. The 45's ran great on these lighter loads and needed no real time with hotter ammo. The P30LS on the other hand was another story...

To my knowledge...there is NO break in period for the HK45.

I put the cheapest factory ammo through my HK45 for the first 2050 rounds. The first 600 rounds were WWB 230gr FMJ. The next 1000 rounds were Federal (not American Eagle) 230gr FMJ. The next 200 rounds were Remington UMC 230gr FMJ. The last 200 rounds were Remington 230gr JHP. Somewhere between the last 300 rounds, my friend shot 50 rounds of ammo that he brought with him, which was WWB 230gr FMJ. In the end, I didn't really do anything special to break it in. I didn't really feel that the HK45 needed break in. I will be reloading from here on out now that I have a good bit of spent 45 casings.

I think "break in" is usually code for make sure my pistol functions flawlessly, I like to put 200rds at minimum through my pistol before I carry it
for self defense. I have put hundreds through my HK45C with absolutely 0 malfunctions of any kind. From cheap Wolf, SAfrican, Blazer brass to
Win Ranger, Fed Hshock and Speer+p, no hiccups whatsoever.........

fifthward said:

To my knowledge...there is NO break in period for the HK45.

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HKs have a tendency to be rather boring and uneventful in terms of reliability - you stick in a magazine, pull the trigger until it's empty, and reload. No mess no fuss no drama - just a bang when you pull the trigger. My first range day with my new HK45C was spent feeding it a mix of carry ammo, factory FMJ practice ammo and some reloads that were always problematic in my 1911 and the only excitement was watching three holes magically appear at POA on my target - touching each other.

Any break-in is more for the shooter than it is for the HK45 - to get you familiar with how it feels, train your muscle memory where the trigger reset point is and where the controls are so they become second nature, and have one whale of a good time doing all this. If you feel a need to build confidence in your pistol by firing a certain number of rounds through it then this is also part of the process - but I think it's needed more for you than it's needed by an HK45.

Thanks folks, that's just what I wanted to hear. =)

I know of no need to "break in" any HK pistol. These are not made by Kimber, afterall.

I prefer to have a few hundred rounds downrange to "prove" the pistol, but these can happen at your next good 3-day pistol course.

None of my HK pistols have control levers. I shoot 230gr thru the HK45C exclusively and usually shoot 124gr thru the 9mm versions.

-- Chuck

chuck s said:

I know of no need to "break in" any HK pistol.

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Have you read up on the P30L? Some people can run relatively anemic loads from day zero and be fine, but many folks here have reported needing to start with stronger stuff. Again, the known issues with the P30L are the primary reason I made this thread to begin with.

chuck s said:

None of my HK pistols have control levers.

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Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone LEM. Anyway, my DA/SA model has a decock lever, which I'm referring to as a control lever. In the absence of that, it makes even more sense to extend the slide release lever. Or not: people complain that they accidentally actuate the P30's long slide release lever but I like being able to use it with my strong hand thumb without shifting my grip.

curby said:

Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone LEM. Anyway, my DA/SA model has a decock lever, which I'm referring to as a control lever. In the absence of that, it makes even more sense to extend the slide release lever. Or not: people complain that they accidentally actuate the P30's long slide release lever but I like being able to use it with my strong hand thumb without shifting my grip.

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You can always convert your P30 DA/SA to LEM. But you can't convert a LEM to DA/SA.
A decocker is a decocking lever. A control lever is what people usually call the safety lever. I think. :wink:

Sorry, I should have been clearer. The DA/SA HK45's control lever is a combo safety/decocker by default.