ANY THOUGHTS?

[Lou629]

Hello to all, i'm new here and i have a question which may sound 'dumb', but i'm curious enough to ask if anyone has experience with this or not:
I am wondering what the 'average' useful life of a good handgun that is well cared for is in terms of 'shelf life' and number of rounds fired.
Case in point is my Browning 9mm hi-power. I've had this baby for about 15 years now. In all that time it's never gotten really heavy use, i'd say that i've put maybe 1,000 rds. through it in all these years. It always gets cleaned up well after each outing, and is kept partially wrapped in a silicon wipe rag inside a cloth case when it's not in use.
My 870 is over 33 years old and still going strong, and several guys i know seem to think that things will last forever, but in my experience with any other mechanical device, nothing lasts forever, 'yaknow? Anyone have any thoughts on this, or for the factory magazines that came with it?

Thanks!
Lou629

Personal 'Arsenal':
Browning hi-power 9mm auto.
Ruger GP 100 .357/.38spl. rev.
Mossberg 500-Pursuader 12 ga.
Rossi Puma-92 .357/.38 spl. rifle
Remington 870 wingmaster 12 ga.

[TallPine]

The vast majority of people will never shoot their guns enough to wear them out. Rust due to poor maintenance and storage probably ruins more guns than anything.

The exceptions would be clay shooters' shotguns, folks who practice a lot with handguns, and some of the .22xxx centerfire varmit rifles.

After all, a box of 20 rifle cartridges equals 20 deer, right ...? ;)

[chas_martel]

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I have guns that see ~10K rounds a year with no ill
affects.

I've seen a glock go for about 5K rounds before being cleaned.

Are you worried about your grandkids being able to use 'em?

[BigRobT]

Tall Pine, you mean YOU don't miss?!?!?!? Alrighty then........... :D

[middy]

Handguns and shotguns can last a LONG time, depending on the model.

High-powered rifles can lose accuracy after several thousand rounds due to bore-wear.

I'd expect a BHP to last at least 25,000 rounds with regular cleaning and spring replacement. Probably double or even triple that or more.

[Standing Wolf]

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

I have a couple High Standard match pistols that have worn out. The barrels are still amazingly accurate; the guts, however, are another story. They were reasonably well designed several decades ago, but not made with the tip-top best materials, nor to the best tolerances.

[KriegHund]

No experience with hanguns, however-

I own a 80 year old rifle that works just fine. My brother owns a 112 +- year old rifle that works dandy.

[f4t9r]

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

I have a couple High Standard match pistols that have worn out. The barrels are still amazingly accurate; the guts, however, are another story. They were reasonably well designed several decades ago, but not made with the tip-top best materials, nor to the best tolerances.

so how long did they last and approx. # of rounds
Must have seen alot of action

[Sinsaba]

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. ...

You weren't by any chance in the Navy were you? I saw that on a sign above the entrance to the submarine school in New London.

[walw]

When I went through training the range guys said they've got Glocks with over 100,000 rounds through them with no problems. On the other side Beretta 92's locking blocks were seizing on occasion at around 10,000 rounds. And SIG 229's developing slide cracks under 10,000 rounds.

[Standing Wolf]

You weren't by any chance in the Navy were you? I saw that on a sign above the entrance to the submarine school in New London.

I don't mean to tell you I wasn't Navy material, but it's only the past few years I've been able to take showers without putting on a life jacket.

so how long did they last and approx. # of rounds
Must have seen alot of action

Actually, I should have clarified. My best High Standard, an East Hartford Trophy I bought new in 1978, was working fine until about a year ago, when I dropped my gun box. The trigger felt sticky, so I turned it over to my local gunsmith, who butchered it.

My newest High Standard, a Hamden Victor that may well have been owned by the fellow who introduced me to bullseye shooting and sold me my first High Standard, is older than the Trophy, and has been shot long and hard. It's currently in the hands of the good folks at http://www.cylinder-slide.com and may end up being a competitive gun again—or maybe not: original Connecticut factory parts are hard to find, and Texas "High Standard" parts are junk.

My other two East Hartford Victors have always been problem children. I bought both used. One's gold-plated and mainly a safe queen, although I may end up cannibalizing it for parts. The other was a pretty reliable shooter for several years, but is showing signs of age: unreliability, parts that don't still exhibit proper tolerances, and the like.

The frames and many internal parts were never heat-treated, which means they don't wear well. The good folks at http://www.gunsprings.com still make replacement springs, which are better than factory original springs ever were, but the High Standard design isn't self-evident enough that I've ever felt comfortable taking the guns all the way apart and tinkering with them. Qualified gunsmiths are almost impossible to find any more: High Standards have become artifacts of history.

All that said™, the vast majority of American-made guns are much more rugged than these finicky match pistols. I know a fellow who regularly carries a model 1911 with well in excess of 100,000 rounds through it, and one of my favorite Pythons has obviously sent lots of rounds down-range.

[rangerruck]

"rust never sleeps" this is what gets guns, you can shoot them since Jesus was a corporal, and they should still work fine.

[Taurus 66]

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I have guns that see ~10K rounds a year with no ill
affects.

I've seen a glock go for about 5K rounds before being cleaned.

Are you worried about your grandkids being able to use 'em?

Actually, these should never wear out so long as you change the oil and filters every 3,000 miles as recommended by manufacturer. ;)

[cracked butt]

Not sure about the highpower, but you'll wear out beforethe 870 does. I've put well over 100K rounds through one and its still going strong, though they were trap loads and not magnum field loads. There's a guy I used to trap shoot with who was in his late 90s that had used the same winchester model 12 for at least 50 years for trap. I wouldn't want to even begin to guess how many rounds he had through it.

[MadMercS55]

I only have a few first-hand experiences. One was an OLD P220 9mm that my friend's dad bought new back in the early 80's. He put 4k thru it the first year, and just over 10k the second. He kept details in a log. It sat for about 2yrs in storage while he was in the military. Put something like 3500 rnds thru it that year and had the roll-pins in the slide start walking out. Trip to SIG and it came back re-pinned and re-sprung. They found nothing else wrong with it. I went to the range with him and his son last week and he's still using the same old P220. It's had about another 12k through it. The finish is pretty much gone on the slide and the frame has seen better days as well. It's still accurate and reliable, and the rifling looks perfect too. He has no plans to replace it either.
Personally I think that most modern made, quality brands should last several lifetimes with proper maintenance.

[woerm]

um I have a 1910 production .32 Colt 1903

still shoots nicely with both it's type I slide and a later typeIII

I've put 500 or so rounds through it (total both slides):uhoh:

It may well have had 10k plus through it in it's 90 odd years.:what:

I keep it clean and oiled it and it goes bang when I pull the trigger.:eek:

It will probably do all of the above for as long as I'm around then the kids get to fight over it.:evil:

I have a mid 50's .22 that is in about the same part of the spectrum.
properly maintained modern firearms/smokeless ammo combos are virtually indestructable.:D

r

[C-grunt]

I have a friend with a colt pocket auto that his great great grandfather shot a robber with in 1905....still shoots great.

I have another friend who has his great X4 grandfathers winchester from the 1890s that he still shoots.....I keep telling him he is a moron as this rifle is in very good condition.

[jmorris]

It comes down to care. How long do your cars last you? There are still more than a few model T's driving around the country.

[Biker]

Very true. I ride a 1949 Harley and play old Gibsons, Fenders and Dobros. I like the ol' stuff. They just require a bit of TLC.
Biker

[Trebor]

Take care of them and they'll last a long time. You might not wear them out, but it should be fun trying.

[The-Fly]

I've got about 5k rounds through each of the following guns

Glock 17 - purchased this in April of 05 - I use this for matches and general practice.

Bushmaster AR15 - purchased on Oct of 05 (yes i shot the hell out of it the first month)

Ruger 10-22 - purchased in march of 05 (my first gun btw), 22 is cheaper then hell to shoot, so i blaze through ammo in this like no one's business.

None of the above guns show any signs of wear other then dings on the furniture due to the owner's clumsiness.

I also got a Mosin Nagant made in 1952. While the furniture is well worn, the internals look wonderful, espcially given the gun's age.

[JohnKSa]

WARNING! BEFORE reading farther, please read the disclaimer at the end of the post.

Put a buck in a jar every time you finish a box of ammunition. By the time you wear out a decent quality firearm, there should be more than enough money in the jar to replace it.