What's the lifespan of a 1911?

[thegoodfight]

Specifically all steel kimbers? I know there are 1911's still around from WW2, but were those really shot that much?

At what point should a person retire his 1911?

 

[10X]

Unless you are a heavy duty target shooter or competitor you are not going to wear out a steel 1911.

Some on this and other forums tell of firing 50,000, 100,000 plus rounds through GI and commercial Colts. They did some repairs and kept shooting the gun. I imagine a steel Kimber would be capable of something like that too.

 

[hags]

1911s are eternal!

 

[Blakenzy]

Anyone here ever fired a 1911 to death?

 

[Baba Louie]

Sorta depends on your maintenance schedule and what you're shooting and how much shooting you do.

There's some that replace springs every 5000 rds or so, barrels when they need it, other bits and pieces as need be.

Some guys shoot powder puff reloads, others like hot barn burners.
I've only met a couple of local shooters who are serious and told me they shoot 500 rds every week, but compared to the big boys (who might get their guns from the factory they represent) I suppose 500 rds a week isn't too much.

I have read about service life of 150,000 rds, tho' I'll be darned if I can remember where I read that. If you could afford to shoot 500 rds each week that'd give you, what? 300 weeks or approx 5.8 years of hard use?

When to retire it? When the frame starts showing signs of stress cracks I'd think.

 

[RustyShackelford]

1911a1s...

I'm no gun expert, , but IMO, a 1911a1 .45acp can last for many many years. The issue is to replace the parts that wear out; the barrel, springs, extractor, pistol mags, etc. Constant cleaning, oil and service will allow a well made 1911a1 for years.
Now if you want a general service life as a CC weapon or duty pistol I would say a 1911a1 should be "retired" after 20,000 rounds or so. That would be a long long time .

Rusty

 

[steveracer]

Figure 200 years.
That's assuming you shoot it less than I do.
I have a Nork with somewhere around 60K down the pipe.
Serious competitors retire guns at 100K+, some just rebuild them.
The Clinton Navy De-Milled thousands of 1911s that were 70+ years old, and nowhere near worn out. I literally cried.
Steve

 

[Chuhhuniban]

I've never met anybody who wore out a M1911. On the other hand, I have a friend who has one that he says is like the "old family axe." "It's had four new handles and two new heads, but it's the old family axe..." I suppose it is the original GI issue frame, but everything else in that pistol came from somewhere else...

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Specifically all steel kimbers? I know there are 1911's still around from WW2, but were those really shot that much?

Government M1911s were shot, abused, and mistreated horribly. As I recall, the last major buy was in 1945, so almost all GI .45s saw two wars, plus many years of training abuse.

An M1911 will last virtually forever. You have to replace some parts now and then (most notably the recoil spring), but if you don't crack the slide or frame, they'll soldier on and on and on.

 

[jocko]

I would think as long as parts are available, there is NO lifespan for the 1911..

 

[Defensory]

Assuming proper maintenance/handling and one user, it should last a lifetime. You'll be able to pass it on to one of your grandchildren, when your time on this earth is near its end.

 

[Thernlund]

A more accurate question would be to ask what the life span of the barrel is. The "match" life is probably around four or five thousand rounds before you notice an effect on accuracy. The average loading does of course factor somewhat.

Total life, maybe 20k? 30k? More, depending on the barrel? I've heard stories of 60k and 70k.

The gun itself will last forever assuming it's reasonably taken care of.


-T.

 

[rcmodel]

Even a cracked frame is not the end of the gun.
(A cracked slide has to be replaced!)

Forged Colt & GI Frames usually crack in the thin web of frame rail just above the slide-stop window. You can ignore it, as it's just cosmetic.

I used to weld them and re-cut the rail.
But I found the crack always stops there, and doesn't get any worse, for ever & ever.

The other place they may eventually crack is at the top of the dust cover, right at the end of the rails.

This is more serious then the slide-stop rail crack, because the dust cover will eventually break clear off.

But guess what?
The gun will still work just fine without the dust cover!
And you can always have it welded back on!

How this applies to Kimber frames, I couldn't tell you.



rcmodel

 

[JoeSlomo]

At what point should a person retire his 1911?

Never imo.

If ANY part of the pistol becomes unserviceable, it can be replaced.

Parts will indeed wear and break, but I would simply fix the part. Even if I break the slide, I'd just have another fitted.

Owners may pass on and change, but the 1911 is eternal.

 

[32winspl]

In about 1990, I bought a used (but not much) Springfield Armory 1911. I'm guessing that I put around 170,000 rounds through it. Most of them were 200 gr swc's loaded only enough to make major. Every time I'd finish a brick of primers, I'd tear off the end panel of the box and toss it into a small a box above my bench. I had 155 of them. I also had several thousand cases, and most of those came from buying and shooting a (then) local company's reloads. I gave the gun to a friend when the frame began to crack just forward of the slide stop pin hole.

 

[blackcash88]

What about a polymer framed 1911?

 

[strat81]

With proper maintenance and repair of consumables, it'll outlive you.

 

[SuperNaut]

So we are getting into philosophy now. Over time, after you've replaced all the parts, is it the same gun?


oooooooOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo!

 

[CWL]

I know there are 1911's still around from WW2, but were those really shot that much?

Actually, there are 1911s around from before WW1 that get carried and used.

Just by the way you are asking this question, I'm certain that you'll never be jumping out of airplanes or storming volcanic beaches with a 1911. They're tougher than you, put your worries to rest.

 

[strat81]

I never said all of the parts. IMO, some parts of a gun are consumables, others are not. Some are consumed at a much faster rate than others.

Basically, if the mag spring and recoil spring wear out, a 1911 isn't dead. If the frame has cracked, it's dead. If you replace a MIM safety with a radium-infused hi-silicon model, it's not dead and it's still the same gun.

 

[SuperNaut]

I never said all of the parts.

I know man, I'm just goofing around.

There is a religious artifact, I can't for the life of me think of what it is (sword?), that has been "repaired" so often that nothing of the original exists.

 

[thegoodfight]

There is a religious artifact, I can't for the life of me think of what it is (sword?), that has been "repaired" so often that nothing of the original exists.

spear of destiny? or, some call it the "holy lance".

 

[SuperNaut]

IIRC that doesn't exist; 7th century hoax.

Sorry for the derail, we might have to move this to the knives forum.

 

[thegoodfight]

IIRC that doesn't exist; 7th century hoax.

Sorry for the derail, we might have to move this to the knives forum.

Oh my bad, I just randomly threw it out there.

Ya know, I was just looking at my Kimber's fit and finish...and I have to say that for a production gun it's very very nice. It's kind of like the benchmade of guns. Maybe even better.

 

[JesseL]

My Great Grandfather's Colt M1911 is still in pretty good shape after 90 years. I think odds are pretty good that someday my grandkids will get to run a few rounds through it.

A new 1911 made from properly treated quality steel should last a very, very, long time.