expected life of a competition gun

Funny you posted this. Last week I was wondering the same thing but didn't post because I've been busy.

I'm guessing the answer will carry for gun types, materials, etc. so can't wait to see the responses.

Depends on the gun, caliber, and type of competition.

Have talked to some CZ and Glock shooters that have 50K on their guns. The CZ had a almost smooth barrel from shooting FMJ.
I suspect the Glock had a variety of parts replaced. Both were USPSA production class guns.
Keep any properly fitted semi auto firearm well lubed and shoot reasonable power ammo, replace springs as needed and most will last a long time.
I have had issue with revolvers due to cylinder end play, peening of the cylinder stops/notches and broken leaf springs. broken trigger studs.
Fast DA shooting is not kind to them.

ColtPythonElite said:

Depends on the gun, caliber, and type of competition.

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Exactly.

A shotgun for trap vs a F class rifle vs a IPSC race gun vs a stock regular defensive gun (Glock etc) are all gonna have different service lives. A really hot magnum rifle may have a barre life of just a few thousand rounds while something like a pistol or a shotgun will likely have a MUCH longer service life.

There's even striations between levels of competition weapons. Some guns are specifically made to take the high round counts that competition shooters see, and some are not, but still can perform adequately (just with a shorter life).

As far as your specific question and the PPQ, you should have quite a bit of room before you start needing to get a replacement. I would inspect the gun regularly (while you're cleaning is a good time) and keep an eye out for wear on parts, even on things like rails, breechface, and barrel.

Get an armorers manual for your gun and keep up the preventative maintenance. Things like spring and parts getting swapped out on time can go a long way to helping the longevity of your gun, especially as you increase your round count.

I probably wouldn't consider retiring the gun until you start having significant parts failures (more than small parts that can easily be swapped) or if things like frame rails start to get out of spec. Even with an accelerated practice schedule, you'll probably decide you just want another (better or even just different) gun before you really wear the gun out.

egd said:

For some of you who have shot competitions for several years, how long does your gun last before you consider it worn out?

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As others posted, depends on many factors like whether the barrel is surface hardened, shooting jacketed vs lead bullets, etc. If you shoot enough rounds, like recoil spring/mag spring/follower, etc., even barrels become "consumable" item. If accuracy starts to suffer, I would consider the barrel worn out in need of replacement but not necessarily the frame unless there are wear issues.

I retired my match Glock 17 after 120,000 rounds of jacketed/plated reloads figuring it was "worn out" and sold it to another match shooter. Guess what? He said accuracy was still acceptable for him and he used it for USPSA matches. Keep in mind Glock barrels are surface hardened (like the slide) and rounded smooth hexagonal rifling likely contribute to longer barrel life.

When I switched to two Glock 22s for match shooting, I stopped worrying about barrel wear, even with using brass Montana Gold jacketed bullets some claimed wore the barrel out faster than copper jacketed bullets. I figured I would consider barrel replacement if accuracy declined.

I have used KKM and Lone Wolf 40-9 conversion and 40S&W barrels for my Glock 22/23/27 with factory and aftermarket barrels having 50,000+ round count with jacketed/plated/lead reloads and I have not seen significant decrease in accuracy.

My 5" Sig 1911 is pushing 12,000+ round count and while I "think" the accuracy is very slightly less than when new, I doubt the decrease in accuracy is more than my shooting ability.

I have a Glock 34 that has over 150,000 rounds through it. Springs and sights have had to be replaced but the factory barrel is still more accurate that the after market lone wolf barrel I have for it.

I have an SVI with one of the old scheuman AET barrels in it with over 100k the TiN coating on the barrel still looks new. The most wear on the pistol is from holsters, same thing change springs, sights and oil.

ColtPythonElite said:

Depends on the gun, caliber, and type of competition.

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Exactly! My ole IPSC 1911's have been going for 10's of thousands of rounds.

For modern firearms is there such a thing as wearing them out? Aren't pretty much all the parts replaceable?

When it doesn`t do what it used to do!

Fess up. You just want something new.

My primary IDPA gun was a S&W 686 revolver - my guesstimate is that it had 75k+ rounds through it before I relegated it to backup status. It's gilt-edge accuracy fell off a tad around 60k rounds, but it still functioned fine. The only reason it went into backup status is because I found a good deal on another (largely un-shot) 686.

As far as semi-autos, wearable parts (barrel, extractor, springs, etc), can be swapped out as needed. Do that, and my guess is that the rest of the gun ought to easily make it to 100k rounds*. Needless to say, I don't think you need to worry about 15k rounds.


*assuming it's a decent quality gun to begin with, and that you clean & lube it appropriately, and don't shoot hot-rodded ammo through it regularly.

I see claims that coated bullets wear barrels less when compared to FMJ and Plated (and of course bi-metal). Has any actually seen numbers? I do find that coated bullets are just as accurate and with most powders just as clean and a bit cheaper.

I shot IPSC for a number of years with a Colt Series 70, .45 ACP. 200gr lead truncated cone. Usually five competitions a month. I know I am north of 60K. Replaced the slide stop and a couple recoil springs. I carry it with great confidence.
Damn, I just realized how long ago that was.

Trap gun, 870TB, receiver cracked at 200K rounds, action bar at 250K. Still using barrel, .001" larger at muzzle than when new in 1972.
Tingle .45 muzzle loading rifle. Had to shorten and recrown at estimated 1000 due to Washing out rifling. Learned to use muzzle sleeve.
Smith 686 plus, pin gun, still going at 5000.
No clue how many rounds through my 455 CZ but a little more accurate than when new. Not a ton through it but enough to really smooth it up.
I think rapid fire and high count jacketed stuff will wear out PPC and other guns 10X faster than my stuff.

I've shot between 10k and 50k through various Glocks, M&P, and several Tanfoglios. Original barrels all fine. In a modern 9mm production gun, you should have a few spare small parts and especially springs. Most designs have known "weak points"; usually some spring or pin that should be preventatively replaced every 10k rounds or so. It is usually a good idea to have an extra extractor on hand.

So on your Walther, you might be due to swap some springs, but the major parts should still be good to go for years to come.

If you are serious about competing, however, even if your "primary" gun is running fine, you should have at least one duplicate backup gun. Personally I would recommend, at a minimum, having a practice gun that sees most of the round count, and a "match" gun that is maintained in tip top shape all the time.

At two years in and 12k/ year, I would personally have a backup gun, especially if you are traveling to relatively expensive level 2 matches or higher.

If you consider the firearm to be the firearm - i.e. the receiver - and not just the parts, then the life becomes nearly infinite for most models. A guy can burn out barrels, burn up triggers & springs, burn up recoil springs, etc, but wearing out the receiver itself is a very rare and difficult thing. Some pistol frames do have a history of cracking, and guys have experienced failures at the extension union in AR lowers, but overall, you can rebuild the extraneous parts many times over before the actual receiver itself even starts to break a sweat. And of course - depending upon the wear to the receiver itself, you might be talking about a simple warranty/OEM replacement. For example, I have an S&W 329PD which has been replaced once and repaired twice otherwise by S&W because of top strap cutting to the sacrificial blast shield. They're fine with it, I'm fine with it - the part is consumable, and if I shoot it too long before sending it in, then the revolver is consumable... Equally, I found a Ruger Vaquero which had been shot loose by a CAS shooter for a very good deal - sent it back to Ruger and they replaced it... "Normal" wear and tear is a very subjective timeline, meaning a revolver shouldn't "normally" wear out in the lifetime of the owner, so when they do, the OEM makes it right.

Most people, however, don't replace their firearms when the receiver itself needs replaced, but rather do so some time long before that. Most guys won't spend $500 to rebarrel their $500 deer rifle when their groups start opening up, they trade it in and buy a new rifle. I have rifles on their 6th or 7th barrels, and I know guys who have a lot more barrels on their rifles than mine.

egd said:

I wondered about having a backup gun. That's partly my reason for posting this. I am serious in that I really enjoy doing this, but the problem is I suck at it. After two years I'm still a D class shooter. But I don't care all that much as long as I have fun.

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Having a backup gun sure beats driving/flying home with a DNF.
I dont go the duplicate gun route. I just ensure I grab a gun that will be legal in the class I am shooting.
Course a duplicate would cut out the number of mags I carry..

I wondered about having a backup gun.

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I never go to a sanctioned match without a back up gun.

They have been put to use several times. Luckily never by me.