How Long Will A Gun Last?

Guns are built to last. I wouldn't be surprised if some firearms manufactured today survive to see the year 2525.

I have a shotgun that is 102 years old that I still shoot.... you'll probably be okay for a while.

Any gun shot more than 20 times is unsafe & should be sent to me ASAP. Jim

Generally speaking it is the bore that will wear out.

Generally speaking a centerfire rifle can be expected to give top accuracy for about 2,000 rounds and acceptable accuracy to about 5,000 rounds. This depends greatly upon the intensity of the cartridge: the hot rock .22s, for instance, have a reputation for wearing out barrels quickly. As a general rule of thumb for big game cartridges the above numbers generally hold true.

Generally speaking, centerfire handguns using jacketed bullets generally go quite a bit longer. Perhaps 20,000 rounds, IME. I do not know if this is due to the less intense cartridges, lower accuracy standards, or something else, but that has been my experience.

Generally speaking, centerfire guns -- both handguns and long guns -- tend to go pretty much forever with cast bullets, in my experience. 100,000 rounds is easily within reach.

Generally speaking, .22 rimfires have unlimited lifespans, as far as I can tell.

You may notice that there are a lot of generalizations above. In general, I think anyone who can give you firm numbers on the topic has either never fired a gun or is completely comfortable making things up.

HTH!

The way you take care of it, it will certainly last longer than you will.

I have an 1878 Trapdoor Springfield handed down from my grandfather that I still shoot occasionally. It functions perfectly, still looks pretty good, and will do "minute of man" at 200 yds (Actually, quite a bit better)...just like it was originally designed to do.

Like others have said, some parts may fail (unlikely), and you may wear down the bore to the point where it will degrade accuracy, but it will probably still work.

How long you got?

I've got two that are 64 years old now, and both have seen some use.

A Swiss K-31 made in 1944:


A Mosin Nagant M44 made in 1944 (the butt band for ammo ain't on there now):


A pre-68 Stevens 20 gauge:


And a 40-some year old Marlin .22:

Jorg:

I think .cheese. can attest to my actually being quite nice.

Btw, three independent research studies have been carried out to determine the answer. Engineering students at Purdue University devised a "licking machine" that showed an average of 364 licks are needed to get to the center. Using 20 human volunteers, the figure was 252. A doctoral student at the University of Michigan created another licking machine and came up with an average of 411 licks. Source.

Click to expand...

I've come to appreciate your sarcastic sense of humor and more than one of your replies have been flat out hilarious in the past. I think the best ever was the Glock fanboy reply (Gorilla glue, etc.) which has since become a classic.

This thread did remind me though that it's been enough months to open up the safe and go through all my guns checking for rust as well as given them another thin coat of oil.

For all of you living in hot and humid places like South Florida and elsewhere, remember to check regularly. I keep my side of the house down to 60 degrees every night, and when I wake up and open the balcony doors to let out the cold in the morning, the whole area gets condensation, and I would imagine the guns are no exception even though they're in a safe. Mirrors fog up quickly and you can just feel the humidity climb.

I talked to a young man wearing the uniform of a Federal Army Lt. at a Civil War reenactment once who was carrying the same Colt 44 cap and ball revolver his great grandfather (or was it great-great?) had carried on the same field during the original battle (same saber also). There is no doubt in my mind, that revolver was just as capable of doing the job it was made for as the 1911 on my dresser right now.

Now I have no idea how many times that gun had been fired over the years, but he did tel me he shoots it from time to time.

My wife shot in International muzzle loaders for a time. In one match there was a guy who was shooting a matchlock that he said was made in 1742.

Her coach had a Chinese pistol that was just a barrel with a touch hole. Saw him shoot it. Probably about 500 years old.

I regularly use an 1889 Marlin lever in 32-20 that was made in 1893. Probably 600-700 rounds per year. I keep some spare parts (screws, springs, etc) but I expect it to easily last another 115 years.

My 45-70 Trapdoor Springfield was made in 1891 and shoots my handloads with no problems.

I have other antiques that are used less frequently.

Good care and reasonable use will increase the lifespan of any mechanical device but it's nice to keep a few spare parts.

s

I've got an 1891 Argentine Mauser in the safe while I don't know the actual date of manufacutre I suspect it is over 100 years old and it shoots just fine. huge amount of guns around still getting shot that are well over 100 to 150 year old. The science of metalurgy has improved so much in the last 50 years that there is almost no real comparison between the steels used today and that used in the mid 19th century. With proper care and maintenance a quality gun should pretty much have essentially an unlimited lifespan.

My 870 has over a quarter million rounds through it.

I agree, Guns a last a while as long as you take care of them. Especially the bbl's

Well made gun (not a cheapie, i.e., Lorcin).... my estimations:

Range: 5,000 to 100,000 rounds
Median: 35,000 rounds

Range: 10 to 120 years
Median: 50 years

How long will you last?
Is well made and well kept it will likely last longer than you.

I have a Trapdoor Springfield that is in amazing condition, considering how much corrosive black powder must have gone through it. It shows how much difference good cleaning can make. I shoot it occasionally.

I also have my Dad's old .22 rifle, purchased about 1930 through the mail when he was a kid. (Laws have changed a little.) It's getting a little loose, but still works fine.

I have a couple of civil war era cap and ball revolvers that were my Dad's. I'm not into black powder, so I do not shoot them, but Dad did, last time was about a week before he passed.

A well maintained, quality firearm of pretty much any material will last longer than any of us ever will. Steel, Aluminum, and Polymers are all durable and will last hundreds of years if well maintained.

My concern about the modern polymers is - how long will they realy last?. Sure, the engineer types can "simulate" accelerated wear and do all sorts of destructive tests but I don't care who you are, you can not simulate the actual passage of time.

a gun will last until it is in such a condition where firing it is as safe to the shooter as it is to the target

and note the actual passage of time is not going to make any material in a gun suddenly fall apart... storage and maintenance are the key factors... wood, metal, leather, canvas, synthetic materials all the materials used to make guns and their accessories can last forever if properly cared for

I too have questioned the durability and probable longevity of polymer frame handguns, MIM parts, scandium, etc. to the point that I am a bit worn out with the process. Some of this may have to do with anything "new" in gunning, and in conjunction, the idea of making products that are designed and built to a specific life-span. In my childhood, things were built to last many, many years, including guns. Things were built to be repaired when they failed, not thrown away, and replaced. That was well before the age of plastic, polymers, and what I think is the concept of "throw away" products...

None of this is to say that guns made with non-steel material and newer technology won't last...it just didn't seem to be an issue years ago.

The OP wasn't about just Polymer, it was about all guns. And most have proven they will withstand the test of time when cared for appropriately.

And Larry I respectfully disagree. I think that science can accurately simulate how materials will age. I think it could be argued that polymers are in fact more durable than most metals because you don't have to worry about corrosion, etc. The downside is that you can not perform some of the repairs possible on an all steel firearm.

Now that is not however, to say they are superior. Obviously that is a discussion for another thread.

We have 100+ year old firearms that work perfectly well today. Those are made from Steel and wood. And we have 50+ year old Weapons made from Aluminum and polymers that still function today. In another 50 years you will be able to just tack 50 onto that and say the same thing.

A firearm will last as long as we want it to, just like a car.

I've got several milsurp firearms that date back to the 1920s and before. All still work, although most of them have probably been through at least one arsenal rebuild.