How to estimate round count on used guns?

[joepa150]

I was looking at a used handgun. It looked to be in good shape but I ended up buying a new one for $30 more.

When I was looking at the used gun, I asked the sales associate if he thought that this handgun was fired a lot. He examined the barrel and chamber and said it was fired less than 500 rounds.

So is there anyway to accurately estimate how many times a gun has been fired?

Estimate meaning to get without 100 round accuracy.

 

[ball3006]

Yes there is but I would have to dig the formula out of the file and I have not had my coffee yet. chris3

 

[303tom]

Look at the feed ramp.

 

[forindooruseonly]

Estimate meaning to get without 100 round accuracy.

I doubt it. But keep in mind, very, very few people shoot their guns enough to actually wear one out. If you are concerned, buy a new spring and start your count at that.

Guns are incredibly durable. When I look for a gun, I look more at if it has been abused or treated roughly rather than how many rounds it has through it. If I'm really concerned, I check the rifling of the barrel and the usual spots of wear. And I never believe what someone says is the round count anyway.

 

[rcmodel]

He examined the barrel and chamber and said it was fired less than 500 rounds.

Store clerk BS!

There is no way possible to look at a barrels bore or feed ramp and say with any certainty whether it has been fired 100 rounds or 2,000 rounds.

It is simpler with many guns to look at the recoil shield in a revolver, or breech face on an auto.

A shiny case head impression in the finish will start to show up after not too many rounds, and is a good indication of how "used" the gun actually is.

Serious finish wear on the outside of an auto pistol barrel where the slide and barrel bushing rubs can also give some indication.

rc

 

[Trent]

Not really, unless you measure throat erosion (for rifled barrels), and even that isn't an accurate indicator, without a "base point of reference" (although it might tell you if it's seen a lot of action).

The thing of it is, # of rounds through a firearm doesn't really devalue a firearm if it's been cared for and maintained properly. Exterior wear, mechanical wear (looseness of mechanical parts), and so on are all devaluating factors.

Trading guns in is like trading cars in. People selling used guns will usually give them the cleaning of a lifetime to make sure they get top dollar. It's a safe bet if you shine a light down the barrel and see lead and / or copper deposits, or look in to the action and see grit, that the previous owner didn't take good care of the weapon.

Things that wear on semi-auto handguns are numerous. But I've got two specimens here which have OVER 30,000 rounds through them (I know, because I shot all of them). The handguns still look new. And they still feel new, because I have replaced worn parts along the way - main springs, trigger springs, worn extractor, worn mag release springs, etc. (One is a Glock 21 in 45ACP, the other a Ruger P95 DC 9mm).

Some people will look at the barrel (chamber end) and on the top of the barrel, where the barrel and slide interact, will see wear, and think it's a reliable indicator of # of rounds fired. It's not. I've had brand-new Springfield XD's have top of the barrel ( exterior of the chamber) get noticeably worn prior to sale just by working the action / dissassembling!

So when buying a semiauto handgun, check;

Is the action tight (does the slide wiggle excessively, if so someone did a bad "tune" job or shot the heck out of it without regularly oiling it)

Are the springs strong? (Springs will wear out over time, good idea to have an armorer regularly replace mainsprings, trigger springs, and any other "consumables")

Does everything that has a function, function properly (mag release, safety, decocker, etc)

Is there excessive finish wear? (i.e. does it look like someone has scrubbed rust off in the past?)

Are the sights secure? (I've seen sights on Glocks and other firearms get "loosened" over time, not always an easy problem to fix)

Is there excessive leading and or copper deposits in the barrel?

Just a few things, but some of the key ones above.

 

[shooter_from_show-me]

Store clerk BS!

There is no way possible to look at a barrels bore or feed ramp and say with any certainty whether it has been fired 100 rounds or 2,000 rounds.

It is simpler with many guns to look at the recoil shield in a revolver, or breech face on an auto.

A shiny case head impression in the finish will start to show up after not too many rounds, and is a good indication of how "used" the gun actually is.

Serious finish wear on the outside of an auto pistol barrel where the slide and barrel bushing rubs can also give some indication.

rc

Good point on the barrel/barrel bushing wear on a auto pistol. I have around 4k rounds through my Springfield XD9 and there is wear there even though I do put a film of oil in those areas.

Bill

 

[MistWolf]

How many rounds have been through a firearm is much less important than it's condition. Finish wear means nothing more than it's seen lots of handling. Many service arms have been "shot a little and carried a lot"

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Assume a gun has seen 5000 rounds. Would you still buy it? If not, move on to the next one. Any gun may have seen less rounds, but you will never know either way. A gun may have fired 5000 rounds, and if well taken care of, it won't show as much as a gun with 500 rounds through it that was neglected or even cleaned improperly.

 

[rule303]

The most accurate estimate is to ask the seller how many rounds have been fired through it and multiply X 10...

 

[Shovelhead]

He examined the barrel and chamber and said it was fired less than 500 rounds.

Like a used car that was "previously owned by a little old lady that only drove it on Sunday".

 

[drsfmd]

It looked to be in good shape but I ended up buying a new one for $30 more.

1) If the difference between new and used is only $30, why would you even consider used? If I can't save 35-40% by buying used, I won't even look.

2) I can generally tell whether a gun have been shot a "lot" or "not much", but that might be a difference of thousands of rounds, and maintenance has a lot to do with that...