Rounds, to count, or not to count?

[RedLyons]

I've done some searching, and there are posts that discuss what constitutes a high round count for a gun. Then there are other posts that indicate that a lot of shooters generally don't really keep detailed records of how much they shoot.

So, what are the thoughts/opinions/experiences with keeping track of exactly what you've put through your guns? I'm inclined to just go to the range and shoot, and I doubt I would be able to keep track of the round count after a year or two of shooting. What am I missing out on by not keeping track?

 

[1KPerDay]

The satisfaction of keeping accurate records.

I don't, personally. It can be helpful in predicting wear, replacing springs appropriately, etc.

 

[BullfrogKen]

I generally count by primer boxes. Every box I go through is another thousand.

I generally use it as a guide to tell me when to replace the recoil springs on my handguns. And on my rifles it lets me know I need to start thinking about replacing the barrel soon.

Very few gun owners actually shoot 1,000 rounds or more in a year. If you're in that category, I wouldn't worry about trying to keep track of it. If you shoot several thousand rounds a year, you'll want to pay attention so you replace wear items like springs.

 

[ambidextrous1]

I shoot many firearms of the same caliber, whenever it suits me. I can't be bothered with trying to maintain round count on any particular piece.

 

[pazz]

hen there are other posts that indicate that a lot of shooters generally don't really keep detailed records of how much they shoot.

I keep detail records of how many rounds were shot and as to what type of ammo it was etc.

 

[oneounceload]

Very few gun owners actually shoot 1,000 rounds or more in a year

You may want to clarify that - I shoot over 10,000/year in one gun alone

 

[HOOfan_1]

I never have until this year....then again, most of my guns are 20+ years old and I wasn't the first user.

Now that I have bought a couple of new guns, I am keeping count for those.

My dad's 1911 clone probably has somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 rounds through it and still has all the original springs.

 

[RedLyons]

So, for those that keep track, is it a log book or what? I've considered keeping the tabs off the boxes and just write a date and gun on it and trow them in the range bag.

 

[Sam1911]

I've considered keeping the tabs off the boxes and just write a date and gun on it and trow them in the range bag.

Errrr...and when you can't get the bag closed around all the cardboard in your range bag?

I keep a general idea by how many empty component boxes (bullets or primers like Ken suggested) to know when I should think about changing springs or cleaning my guns.

I sure don't have time to keep a log book of which guns I shot when and how much. Now, for a bench-rest or precision rifle competition shooter that would make a lot of sense. For a 10,000+ rd a year pistol competitor, there's really no point.

 

[HOOfan_1]

right now just the back of an envelope...eventually an excel spread sheet

 

[BullfrogKen]

Very few gun owners actually shoot 1,000 rounds or more in a year

You may want to clarify that - I shoot over 10,000/year in one gun alone

No need to. I said it exactly the way I intended to.

Very few gun owners actually shoot anywhere near 1,000 rounds a year. If you do, or you shoot more than that, you're in a tiny minority of the gun owner population.


I sat on the Board of Directors for my local 1,200 member sportsmen's club for 5 years. I've been deeply involved with the club's business for over a decade now. Not all gun owners belong to a club, but of those 1,200 or so local members who do, I have a pretty good idea of the shooting patterns of the people using it.

Only about 10% of the membership show up to use the club one or more times a month. The vast majority only use it a few times a year. Some only show up once a year; some keep a membership, because it's quite cheap, and use it very infrequently - once every few years.

If you shoot more than that, good for you. I do. I know a few dozen people at my club who go over 5,000 rounds a year. But that's about it. Just a few dozen. And our club is one of the more active ones in the mid-state.

My general rule is each time I order 2,000 or more bullets, I order a recoil spring at the same time. When I get done with the box, I replace the spring in the gun. Only a handful of my guns go to the range often. Most are just fun guns for me. So I know which guns are going through my components, and need springs replaced.

 

[JoeMal]

I keep track for my own personal reasons...just to know. For curiousity reasons and for maintenence purposes. Excel spreadsheet helps a bunch here. I also document when and where I bought a gun, the serial number, what I paid, etc. so in 20 years if I want to know how much I paid for X rifle, or how many rounds I've fired, I will know.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Round count...

I've always thought that keeping an exact count of rounds fired in all my firearms was a little too OCD. I do have a number of target rifles and pistols I shoot regularly.

As to wearing out parts, the target rifle will let you know when its bbl is "tired;" the groups will open up considerably. And you'd know this from practice, not from a sudden unaccountable failure in competiton. The autoloading pistol will let you know when it wants new springs; it will begin jamming or FTE'ing. And so forth.

For a firearm in a critical role like LE or SD, I'd be replacing the springs like clockwork, and gunsmith-checking the workings, say every 5 years, whether it needed it or not. Regardless of the exact round count (which, for a critical firearm would be considerable, given constant practice!)

Now, for long-range shooting, I can see keeping records on WX, load and accuracy results, 'scope settings, etc, etc, for each day's shooting, but even there, counting the exact number of rounds would seem to be excessively, needlessly, putzy.

Does not the military keep small arms on a schedule--so many years of duty, and then rotate through the armorers?

Anyhow, the need to keep records on exact round count has never been attractive to me. Go ahead, call me a careless ne'er-do-well.

 

[Chris Rhines]

I tried keeping a round count on some of my guns, but it turned out to be too much of a pain, for very little benefit.

Instead, I keep track of range trips. For example, with my main handgun, I average around 10 practice sessions per month, times ~250 rounds per practice. Thus, I replace recoil springs every other month, extractor springs twice a year, and magazine springs every year.

Not a perfect system, but it works for me.

-C

 

[M2 Carbine]

I don't like to have to keep up with records like round count. I don't even know how many guns I have, much less how many rounds I shoot in them.
Even if I wanted to keep track of round count it would be too much of a chore and very boring.


I have made a couple exceptions in the last couple years.

I wanted to see if I could make a Makarov malfunction in a thousand rounds. I didn't have to count rounds though. Just put a thousand rounds of 9x18 aside and started shooting until I ran out of ammo.

Recently I bought a Ruger LC9. I was interested in how reliable it was so I kept track as I ran a little over a thousand rounds through it in about 9 days.

Then when I bought a SIG P238 and .380 Diamondback I tried to keep a round count and information on problems. Those guns malfunctioned so often that after about 3-4 hundred rounds I gave up on trying to keep records.



.

 

[youngda9]

I have a spreadsheet that I use to keep count(engineer in me coming out) for my pistols only. I track what has been through each pistol and totals for the year of centerfire and rimfire shooting. I also keep in this spreadsheet all of my re-load and velocity data for everything I've tried, along with trajectory charts that I've created. I enjoy doing it. It's quite simple once it's all set up.

 

[ny32182]

I keep exact round counts on each of my new guns and estimates on the used ones.

It isn't difficult. If I took 400 rounds to the range and returned with 47, I add 353 to the total in my spreadsheet, save new total, done... takes all of 15 seconds.

Practically, I use it for maintenance purposes, impractically it satisfies my own curiosity. I also note round counts at which I replace and/or break parts.

 

[RedLyons]

Errrr...and when you can't get the bag closed around all the cardboard in your range bag?

I guess the end of that sentence should have been something to the effect of then tallying them up later when I feel like messing with it.

 

[CoRoMo]

Usually when I get a new gun, I make plans to count the rounds I run through it. But not long after the thing proves to run like a clock, I lose interest in the count.

I have a hard enough time counting to six when I'm shooting a revolver. I usually don't, and the only indicator that I'm out of rounds is the 7th 'click'.

 

[jcwit]

I keep track of rounds I shoot in each firearm I shoot. Date, # of rounds, loads & bullet, ect., ect.

Why, Good Lord I have no idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MyGreenGuns]

I used to keep the tabs from the ammo boxes, with the intention of making a XL spreadsheet. I never got around to it and eventually tossed out my mound of cardboard. A friend of mine was counting all the rounds from his handgun, but quit when I scoffed at the low number.

 

[chhodge69]

I count to 8, reload and repeat. That's about it tho. If I were to keep a running total I would also be able to compute how much $$$ I spend shooting, and I just don't wanna know.

 

[Claude Clay]

Bullfrog I'm one of the shoots more clan.
i keep records of bullets purchased by the 100's (jacketed for rifle or magnum handgun) and lead by the 1000's.
its been years since i went out dedicated for practice. teaching and gaming ( IDPA, CASS, Bullseye and whatever is set up for fun at the club.

i think my club has more +1000/month shooters. i can not say from %ages but we have an 'informal Friday' group of 10-15 people and half again as many ( plus some of these people) on Thurs and sun eve.
majority are the sight in twice a year group and new folk beginning training for carry.

 

[Rustinthewheel]

Does not the military keep small arms on a schedule--so many years of duty, and then rotate through the armorers?

The Navy keeps a logbook with each firearm so every time it is used the rounds are accounted for. Also, the military apples a life span to the weapons so the logbook will get a "Half Life" stamp when that time comes. The M9 I carried received its Half Life stamp and inspection at 10,084 rounds.

Bear in mind that this was a weapon kept in an armory, so it likely does not apply to weapons in combat service.

 

[rondog]

If I have to start counting the rounds I shoot, I'll just stay home. I shoot for fun and I'm not about to complicate matters with technical stuff. Takes all the fun out of it.