Lifespan of a modern pocket pistol?

[N3rday]

So, I'm just curious...which pocket pistols are the most durable? I've heard from various sources that guns like Kel-tec and Bersa tend to beat themselves to death by 10,000 or 12,000 rounds. Is this true? Are there any more durable pocket pistols out there?

 

[MICHAEL T]

Wear a KT out and they will give you another .
10,000 to12000 rounds is a lot for a pocket pistol. Their made to be carried . Not match ot target pistols.
I have one Menber on http://bersatalk.com with over 6000 rounds from his Bersa 380Thunder . He has replaced the recoil spring

 

[usp9]

Are there any more durable pocket pistols out there?

I opted for the all stainless steel Seecamp. Not much can harm it, and it would take a whole lot of shooting to wear it out. Coming up on it's 22nd birthday, it still looks fine, almost new.

 

[N3rday]

Hmm, perhaps I should clarify: I'm talking about stuff like the Bersa series, Kel-tec 9mms, Kahr PM9 and P9, etc. I don't much care about the durability of pistols like the Seecamp, which probably wouldn't get shot more than 5,000 rounds in any given lifetime.

I don't think I'd ever carry a Seecamp unless I really had to - I'm young, I wear baggy pants, and I can actually fit a Smith & Wesson 3913 in my left pocket and draw comfortably - of course, it's way too heavy and looks like a tumor, and I would never attempt to actually carry it in pocket.

 

[presspuller]

I don't know about the others but the Kel-Tec comes with a life time warranty.

 

[Conqueror]

This has never really concerned me. If you can afford the 10,000 rounds of ammo it takes to wear out a Bersa, you can afford to just throw the damn thing away and buy a new one when it's worn out.

 

[Greenman]

The biggest majority of the gun smiths that I know carry a Kel-Tec
firearm, 24/7, myself included.

 

[Claude Clay]

Greenman

what do the smallest minority carry?

welcome to the high road

 

[TimboKhan]

I've heard from various sources that guns like Kel-tec and Bersa tend to beat themselves to death by 10,000 or 12,000 rounds. Is this true? Are there any more durable pocket pistols out there?

Aside from Kel-Tecs warranty, I would have to say that I simply can't see myself even shooting 1000 rounds out of my Kel-Tec in my life. Outside of running a magazine through it once in awhile, it's just not a gun that I enjoy shooting all that much. Really, more than any of my guns, I view my KT as a tool and not much more. I could see where 10,000 rounds would be pretty rough on a KT, so the rumor at least makes sense to me.

 

[mainmech48]

10 or 12 K rds. translates into more shooting than about any firearm owned by a non-competitive civilian is likely to do with any firearm in a long lifetime. Unless you're very well-situated financially and have unlimited leisure time I doubt seriously that you'll actually fire anywhere near that many rounds through any brand of CF pocket pistol.

Jeez! There are many military arms with projected service lives lower than that.

 

[TimboKhan]

Well, I have 10k+ through a bunch of my pistols, but they are all service-type pistols, and thats spread out over a fairly long time. It's also worth mentioning that those pistols are meant to be shot. I doubt very seriously that even George Kelgren thinks that his little pistols are suitable "range guns"... That isn't to say that they aren't tough, but they seem to be designed for purpose, and that purpose isn't plinking, haha.

 

[MachIVshooter]

If you put $3,000 worth of ammo through a $300 gun that is relatively unpleasant to fire, you're a unique individual.

IOW, I don't think many people are gonna put enough rounds through their P3AT or PF-9 to wear it out.