How Long Will A Gun Last?

[Treo]

I actually have 2 questions about the same gun. It's a CZ, I don't want to specify rifle or pistol because I want this thread to stay in General guns.

Background; The gun was manufactured in 2004. My wife bought it new(?) at Specialty Sports in Colorado Springs in 2008.
The gun was sold as new in the original box W/ the test target & all the original equipment.

How long does it take for a gun to get from the factory to the gunshop? Is it common for a gun to sit in a gun shop for at least 3+ years.

Main question
As far as I know I'm the only owner of this gun I shoot an average of 200 rounds a month through it.

How long does it take to wear out a gun?

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Too many variables you've left out in your attempt to keep this in General Gun Discussion.

How long does it take for a gun to get from the factory to the gunshop?

Distribution patterns vary wildly. It's almost impossible to say.

Is it common for a gun to sit in a gun shop for at least 3+ years.

Stock turnover varies wildly. I've seen a particular gun sit in shops for over 5 years.

 

[lacoochee]

Depends on the amount of use it sees, functionally as long as they are well cared for on a regular basis far longer than you will ever see. I regularly shoot a M1903 Springfield made in 1916 so it is rapidly approaching a hundred years, it's in no danger of wearing out. Oh I may have to replace the barrel eventually after a lot of shooting, but that's mostly for accuracy.

 

[Nate C.]

Depending on variables such care and feeding and frequency of use, a gun could very easily last longer than its owner.

I think that a gun could very easily sit around three years on a warehouse or vendor's shelf before it was sold, if it weren't a big seller.

 

[Sistema1927]

It's a mechanical device.

While it might last 100+ years with your regime it could also fail miserably tomorrow.

There are no guarantees.

 

[Regolith]

Depends on the gun. Most will last 100 or more years with good care and moderate use. Others don't. Depends entirely on the material and quality of manufacture.

 

[larry starling]

Depends if it's a Quality firearm , Colt,Kimber, Beretta, Glock , CZ etc.... It could last several lifetimes. If it's a Low Quality low end firearm, Loricin, Hi-point , Jennings etc... You might be lucky if it last a afternoon range session.... As far as how long a gun takes to get from a manufacturer to distributor to dealer. It depends on alot of things price, caliber, manufacturer etc.... Distributors find so called old stock in there warehouses all the time......

 

[Treo]

Like I said 50 rounds a week, gets field stripped and cleaned every time it's shot. I carry it normally once a week.

As for quality it's a CZ (Bi-la kafa)

I don't want an exact date that my gun will die just a ballpark idea

 

[bumm]

If it's well cared for, it'll last long enough that you, your children, or your grandchildren won't have to think about it.
Marty

 

[3KillerBs]

How long does it take to wear out a gun?

As best we can tell, the serial number on the Hi-Standard pistol we just got for our DD indicates that it was made in 1957. Its seen enough use that just about all the black is worn off the aluminum frame.



Its as tight and nice-fitting as a new revolver and the trigger is as smooth as you're likely to get in an unmodified gun.

A lot of people at the club seem to have .22 bolt action rifles that are 20-50 years old and 100% reliable.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I've got a rifle with somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000+ rounds through it and it is over 50 years old. Given .22 rifles don't usually have worn out barrels, but that should give you an idea. There are plenty of military surplus rifles around bordering on 100 years old that have tens of thousands of rounds through them and they only need a new barrel to shoot just as well if not better than when they were new.

 

[gunNoob]

All my guns are over 40 years old. They last a while...

 

[.cheese.]

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

Some kids at MIT actually figured it out. I forget their results, but it was a cool engineering project to build a mechanical tongue.

As for the answer, I think a gun will last forever. How long it will work is a different story. It depends on a lot of things such as construction, maintenance, frequency of usage, etc.

 

[Indifferent]

I got WELL over 50k rounds on a Ruger MK3.

Works just fine.

 

[Treo]

Some kids at MIT actually figured it out. I forget their result

Don't worry .cheese. he never has a nice answer I generally ignore him

 

[Wopasaurus]

You can call CZ, to see when it was manufactured.

When I bought my XD, it had been made at the factory less than 2 months before I bought it.

And if you take care of a gun... with minor replacements.... it'll last longer than you...

 

[Jim Watson]

I saw a nice little 1742 fowling piece that was still hunted with.
The owner was having a replica built with stock dimensions for his height, so it is probably a safe queen by now.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Don't worry .cheese. he never has a nice answer I generally ignore him

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.

 

[Baldy518]

You will probably never wear it out-

If you put 50 rounds a week through your CZ, about 2600 rounds a year. 52000 rounds in 20 years. By then, you may have replaced a few parts, like springs, possibly a firing pin. If you are like most gun owners, you will have more than one gun to shoot at some point, so it will be unlikely you will get to 52000 rounds at 50 a week. When you get to 26000 rounds in 10 years, let us know if it is half way worn out!

 

[Furncliff]

Baring catastrophic calamity, your gun will last as long as parts are availible, and probably a bit longer.

 

[blkbrd666]

Sometime during the second quarter of 2097.

 

[Zip7]

The majority of my guns that I use most often are either over 50 years old or approaching it rapidly.

With casual use and normal maintenance, a quality built firearm will most likely outlive you. The simpler the mechanism, the longer it is likely to last... e.g. a bolt action rifle has fewer parts to wear or fail vs. a Semi-auto

 

[Z71]

I just bought an 1881 Trapdoor rifle. Used and abused, but perfectly accurate and servicable. Don't look too bad either.

With care, a firearm could last hundreds of years.

 

[Shrinkmd]

Anyone else have a preference for all-steel pistols? I know people argue about how long the "fantastic plastic" pistols will last. The aluminum frames seems to have a more limited lifespan (people certainly argue this regarding bicycle frames as well).

I just have more confidence that a nice S&W 3rd generation all steel pistol should still be working far off into the future, assuming someone remembers to slather some CLP on it every now and then.

 

[goon]

Word on the street is that the gun made before 1899 with the most surviving examples is the Brown Bess.

So I'd say your CZ will last you for a good long while.
If it worries you that much, I'm sure the folks at CZ would sell you another one as a back up.
I know I wouldn't mind having an extra CZ...