Round counts of sub compacts, pocket pistols and micros

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About 2K rounds thru my XD sub, no issues (and non expected for lots more),
About 700 thru my Kahr P380 no issues so far.
 
I just use the factory Glock RSA's. The Gen 2 & 3's 17 springs are around $8, the 26's are the double spring set up like the Gen 4's, and about twice the cost of the 17's.

I think the 17s are supposed to be good for around 7500 rounds. Not exactly sure about the 26's, but Im thinking they are around 5000.

One thing I have found out for sure is the fact that the smaller the gun the more often to change out the recoil spring. I personally think they are the one part of crucial maintenance that will keep a gun running for a long time without failures or damage to the guns. I am very OCD about this, Some will run a gun until they just give out, I just cannot bring myself to do this. I also buy quite a few magazines for each gun. Less work on the mags.
I am fortunate that all my gun guns run without failure other than a occasional bad range ammo. Keeping fresh recoil springs and guide rods, good magazines and good cleaning after every range use are IMO the key to success. *also keeping the striker and firing pin channels cleaned out on a regular basis.

My first foray into the world of shooting small guns was the Ruger LCP when they first came out. Could not shoot it worth a darn. But began the challenge and the the hobby of shooting and understanding them. I got to the point that I would change the recoil springs out on a LCP every 500 rds. And of course I would get the usual "You are Nuts" type of stuff.
The LCP was my fist child and the gun that taught me a lot that would help me in the future. Here is a typical area where you will see the stress that happens when the recoil starts to take a effect on a gun especially a small gun.
There is quite a bit of explosion and force on these small guns. They really need to be made strong and maintained. I had one that the Aluminum chassis just cracked.

J1qqju6.png 61GHNiG.jpg

Now take that area of stess and understand why some guns like the Kahr, Glock or Ruger SR9 will put steel in that area of the grip frame.

Kahr
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Jeb, you changed your profile pic.
Hey, where do the lcp cracks seem to first appear..?
Devil in the shade
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Getting back to the OP's question. I doubt anything but a small percentage of owners shoot them very much at all. Just yesterday, I listened to a female co-worker talking about the fact that she had a concealed weapon permit. When I asked her what make and model, she did not have a clue. And this IS NOT the first time over the years this has been repeated. And ask them when was the last time they went to the range and also hard for them to remember.
 
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One thing I have found out for sure is the fact that the smaller the gun the more often to change out the recoil spring. I personally think they are the one part of crucial maintenance that will keep a gun running for a long time without failures or damage to the guns. I am very OCD about this, Some will run a gun until they just give out, I just cannot bring myself to do this. I also buy quite a few magazines for each gun. Less work on the mags.
I am fortunate that all my gun guns run without failure other than a occasional bad range ammo. Keeping fresh recoil springs and guide rods, good magazines and good cleaning after every range use are IMO the key to success. *also keeping the striker and firing pin channels cleaned out on a regular basis.
I first ran into function problems with "smaller" guns and recoil springs with a Kimber Ultra Carry a couple of decades ago. Gun was a problem from the start and only got worse as it was shot. Replace the springs every 300-500 rounds or so, and it got better. It also got expensive. Their recommended change out was above 500, but still ridiculously low. Their RSA's werent cheap either.

Then again, over the years, and especially when we were young and dumb, recoil springs were never really given a thought, or changed, in anything, yet we rarely, if ever, seemed to have any problems. So go figure. Then again, the guns were built a bit different then too.


I agree with youre thinking on the mags too, and normally try to keep practice mags separate from use mags. For the Glocks, I use the cheap Korean mags for practice and save the factory for use. Practice mags get used and abused on a weekly basis and generally take a beating. I just wish they made them for the smaller Glocks.

I normally dont keep guns that arent 99.5% (nothing is ever "perfect) with factory ammo . If you buy decent stuff, that has a good track record, youre usually good to go.

Name of the maker or cost of the gun doesnt always guarantee youre going to be OK or bad off. Certain guns do have a rep, yet that doesnt seem to stop people from buying them, and assuming they even knew they could be, and/or actually were a problem for others. I think sometimes people just feel the need and/or want to have a gun, and thats really about as far as it goes. No real thought to them is given beyond that.

Ammo, can be good, bad, and indifferent. Generally, the premium stuff geared to social use is usually pretty good, if you go with the more well known major makers. Im always a little skeptical about the boutique type ammo.

Factory bulk/practice ammo can vary a good bit, and Ive seen some pretty crappy QC from a couple of the big name makers. Not that its always a bad thing from the standpoint of "learning" practice. I get into that a good bit with my reloads as the lots of brass start to wear out, and its actually great malfunction/stoppage practice, as you get all kinds of random, intermittent, and totally unexpected stoppages, that get you used to dealing with a gun that stops running, and how to get it quickly back into action. At this point, I dont even think about clearing the gun, and just do it out of habit.

Getting back to the OP's question. I doubt anything but a small percentage of owners shoot them very much at all. Just yesterday, I listened to a female co-worker talking about the fact that she had a concealed weapon permit. When I asked her what make and model, she did not have a clue. And this IS NOT the first time over the years this has been repeated. And ask them when was the last time they went to the range and also hard for them to remember.
I think this is actually quite common across the board, even with people who say they are gun people.

I work with a bunch of guys that are big hunters, and always talk guns when it comes up, yet most arent really "shooters", and especially handgun shooters, and while many of them have handguns (of any kind), most rarely shoot any of them, rifle or pistol, other than to check their hunting rifle zeros in the spring and fall, and maybe once or twice a year fooling around.

Everyone seems to have a carry permit, and most will tell you they rarely carry, unless they are going down into the city, or some other reason they might feel the need.

None seem to do any kind of realistic practice or have even some basic training. Yet, they all seem to feel that they are good to go, should they need to use their handgun.
 
My primary carry gun is the Bullpup9, so I try to shoot at least a hundred rounds with it every range trip. Fortunately, it's a very easy shooter, so that's not a chore like it is with, say, the 911, and sometimes I'll just keep going and end up shooting 200+ rounds with it. The only part that's a pain is having to load up the mags every 8 rounds... :)

I haven't kept count, but I have to have at least a few thousand rounds through it by this point. Of course, since it's built like a tank, it still looks new...
 
I bought an LCP when it first came out. Other than the recall and a new recoil spring, I've had zero issues with it. I put 2500 rounds thru it the first 3 or 4 years and the frame still looks great. No signs of excess wear or peening. I am very happy with it. I have not shot it much in the last 5 years because I didn't need the deep concealment the LCP provided but I ran about 50 thru it last weekend and it still functions like new. I am very happy with it.
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The way I figure it, self-defense carry guns should be the ones I shoot the most, because they will be called upon to perform when the stress and the stakes are the highest. If they are not sturdy enough to shoot a lot, I don't want them. I tend to put at least 2500 rounds through new models the first year. I put about 5000 through a Glock 26 in 2+ years, 2500 through the Glock 43 the first year, and 2500 each in about 6 months through a new Sig P365 and Glock 42. I bought a Sig P938 when they first came out, and it was replaced by Sig after the second trip to the factory. I did not view that gun as sturdy enough for my requirements, so I got rid of it after babying it for a while. (It also was not as fun to shoot as the others.)
 
The way I figure it, self-defense carry guns should be the ones I shoot the most, because they will be called upon to perform when the stress and the stakes are the highest. If they are not sturdy enough to shoot a lot, I don't want them.
I tend to agree, and used to do just that. Well, actually, I had two guns of the same model, set up the same, and I was rotating them out each week. I like to have an exact duplicate of what I use, in case something goes wrong, and this way they both got shot on a regular basis.

Then I came to realize, the more I kept shooting them, the farther down the road I went, the greater the chance something would likely go wrong at some point. (It seems now, that point is pretty far down the road too with the Glocks Im using. :))

Thats when I started to dedicate two guns of the same type I normally carry, strictly for practice, and just shoot my carry guns one or two times a month. Thats been working very well, and I have a very good idea as to what to expect from them now, without worrying when something might next happen with one of the guns in my holsters.
 
Glock 26 gen3- 6,000 rounds. replaced the RSA at 5k. zero issues
S&W Bodyguard 380 - 2,000 rounds. replaced RSA/mag springs at 1k. zero issues
 
In my opinion the lower the weight the less you shoot them, a 10-11 oz gun is strictly a carry piece, fired once or twice perhaps monthly, my practice as someone posted is purchase a duplicate use one for range one for carry. A handgun under 17oz is not a range gun. Every tool
is manufactured for a certain use.
 
In my opinion the lower the weight the less you shoot them, a 10-11 oz gun is strictly a carry piece, fired once or twice perhaps monthly, my practice as someone posted is purchase a duplicate use one for range one for carry. A handgun under 17oz is not a range gun. Every tool
is manufactured for a certain use.

If that is the way you feel, then do not blame the gun when the time to have to defend yourself should happen and you fail. You might wish you had actually trained with it on a consistent. basis. You also need to speak for yourself. I think you mean a handgun under 17oz is not a range tool for you. It most certainly is for myself. If I could not pull the gun and hit center mass at 10 yds in under 2 secs. or under, I would just not carry it or any gun. I honestly do not understand why some people feel the size and weight of a gun determines if you train or not. But then again. Each to his own.
And PS. I find the small guns to be extremely fast to draw and shoot. At least for myself. I can pull a small gun out from a number of carry positions much faster than a large heavy gun.
 
I shoot better with the smaller/lighter guns as well, Jeb, and practice with them constantly. I am at the range three to five days a week, literally, and rarely shoot a full-size gun.

BOARHUNTER
 
The same with me.
I love the sub-compacts and shoot them well.
Of course, shooting a lot with them helps a lot.
2500 rounds thru my LCP helped a lot with the others.
I put 2500 thru my Kahr PM9 too before I sold it.
I loved that gun.
The Sig P365 will serve me well. So far it has.
 
Mine didn’t even smooth out until I had a couple thousand rounds through it.
 
The same with me.
I love the sub-compacts and shoot them well.
Of course, shooting a lot with them helps a lot.
2500 rounds thru my LCP helped a lot with the others.
I put 2500 thru my Kahr PM9 too before I sold it.
I loved that gun.
The Sig P365 will serve me well. So far it has.

I like my New Kahr CM9 so much, I have already decided to get another one. Thinking about a PM9, S9 or a K model.
Like the fact that the triggers all seem to be the same.(and I love the triggers)
 
If that is the way you feel, then do not blame the gun when the time to have to defend yourself should happen and you fail. You might wish you had actually trained with it on a consistent. basis. You also need to speak for yourself. I think you mean a handgun under 17oz is not a range tool for you. It most certainly is for myself. If I could not pull the gun and hit center mass at 10 yds in under 2 secs. or under, I would just not carry it or any gun. I honestly do not understand why some people feel the size and weight of a gun determines if you train or not. But then again. Each to his own.
And PS. I find the small guns to be extremely fast to draw and shoot. At least for myself. I can pull a small gun out from a number of carry positions much faster than a large heavy gun.
You should certainly be practicing regularly with whatever you carry, and from how you carry it. Im amazed at the number of people Ive talked to that carry a gun, who have never once drawn it from how they carry it (loaded) in practice. Many dont really practice at all, or at least what I would consider practicing. But, they do have a gun, so they are good to go. Or so they say.

As far as whats easier to get into action, Im just the reverse. I can definitely get my 17 or other full-size guns into action and rounds on target quicker from how I carry them (AIWB).

I carry a 26 in a Smart Carry on a regular basis as well, and I can get to it pretty quick, definitely faster than any of my pockets, but its still not as fast as from a good belt holster with a bigger, easier to get a hold of gun.
 
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Glock 30SF gen 3. 25,038 reloads to date minus ~ 3k factory loads. Frame cracked at around 20,400. Slide and barrel only original parts left. A couple RSAs, slide stops, and one trigger spring prior to frame crack.
 
I bought an LCP back in 2010, it was the gen 2. I had a couple issues in the first 100 during the break in period, so I very quickly put around 500 rounds through it the first year just to make sure it was gtg. I never shot it well, but I periodically practiced with it still because it was my most carried gun. I noticed the slide to frame fitment getting sloppier around the 800 round mark a couple years ago; I never noticed any cracks or signs of stress though. Finally this spring it locked up with a spent case in the chamber at just over the 1,000 round mark. I sent it to Ruger and they sent me a new LCP. I've only put 150 rounds through this one, but there hasn't been a hiccup yet and surprisingly it's much more accurate than the first one I had. Here's a pic of the LCP right before I packed it up to send back and the new one. The old one has the take down pin removed because I was desperately trying to remove the slide myself, to no avail.

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I don't have nearly the round count through my micro 9's. Maybe 500 rounds through a P938. And 250 at most through a Kahr MK9, which I traded for and it certainly had some use before it got to my hands. If I don't carry the LCP I tend to carry a j-frame so I practice with it the 2nd most of my carry guns, but this is the semi-auto forum.
 
kookla: said:
I'll start with my newest- a Walther PPS M2 LE 9mm I picked up two weeks ago or so. I've put 290 rounds through it on the first outing, everything worked fine.

I have the non-LE version of the PPS-M2, and IMHO it’s the most shootable subcompact that I know about anyway. I’ve tried the SIG P365 and the Shield and these are both good guns but I like the Walther better.
 
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I know I have over 1k rounds of 380 through both my G42 and Kimber Micro. Lately, I have been carrying my Browning 1911-380 more, but I only have about 600 rounds through it, a bit over 200 since I did some tinkering on it.
 
I’ve got somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 rounds through my R51 so far. I found that micro guns are not necessarily faster or easier to draw. A gun that fits your hand best seems to be the most important factor for good draws for me.
 
I used to chase the dragon of Wear. I tried stiffer springs to keep my lcps from gettinf beat up, but in the end they are purpose driven guns. All i got was reliability issues. I keep my micros stock as i doubt i will ever wear them out.

I wanted a biy heavier pull so i switched from an lcpii that shoots like a dream to a bg380. The bg certainly takes more trigger time to get used to, but I've got 400 rounds through it. No hiccups, no real issues, and just a couple of light strikes. Prettty tankish.

My old lcp, a gen one, had about as many with no issues.
 
Picked up another Walther PPS M2- this one was used. Don't know the round count on it, but seemed to have more barrel wear than my new one. For sake of argument, will start it at zero. 150 rounds of blazer brass 115, and 6 rounds of Sig 124gr sigcrown. Everything worked fine, no issues.
 
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