Handgun Life

[Gun1]

Prior to getting into competition I always thought that firearms were indestructible and lasted indefinitely. However, I was recently told that, for a semi-auto, each time the slide cycles it scrapes off a miniscule amount of metal from the slide rails. Eventually, the slide rails will get so thin that the frame will need to be replaced, or the rails will outright crack because they're so thin.
On that note, do revolvers also suffer from something similar to this, or revolvers last longer? For revolvers I've heard that frame stretching can be a problem.
So, if I do something like cerakote on the slide rails, will that stop the wearing done on the slide rails, or can that not be done, or it won't stop the wearing down of the slide rails?

Thanks

[9Cal_OC]

With most modern firearms, the gun might outlast you.

I’ll let the competition guys chime in. From what I’ve seen, parts fail but it may take a lot of rounds for the slide/frame to go from a reputable manufacturer.

[Mark49]

But you have to ask yourself, why do we see all these police trade-ins

[Gun1]

But you have to ask yourself, why do we see all these police trade-ins

Because police officers don't really shoot their guns anymore. I've heard police departments have drastically cut the number of mandatory training hours because of costs amd the vast majority of police officers don't go beyond the minimum requirement. Some do, for sure, but those appear to be far and between.

[JoyfulJoker]

Also , departments change guns ( Sig P229 dropped , Glock 17 added etc). They sell the old ones when they change to new gear.

I know someone who shoots a Tanfoglio and is on their second barrel. First one wore out at 30,000 rounds. I have limited knowledge of the race guns , but those seem to break down more because tolerances are so tight much like a 1911.

The cost of 90-100,000 rounds is more than the gun. For me , 100k 9mm reloaded is about $17,000. The gun is the cheaper part of that equation. $10,200 for 60k rounds . I can’t even think about the cost of factory ammo! If you are shooting that much , buy another pistol.

[Wheellock]

So, if I do something like cerakote on the slide rails, will that stop the wearing done on the slide rails, or can that not be done, or it won't stop the wearing down of the slide rails?

Thanks

Yes, kind of. Sliding components will wear against each other in all practical applications. Using a coating, you wear the coating instead of the underlying material, then strip and reapply the coating when it's worn. You can extend the life of a component for a long time this way.

I would think a high quality (consistent thickness) application of Cerakote would prolong the life of your slide rails and parts.

[rsrocket1]

[jimmykan]

Prior to getting into competition I always thought that firearms were indestructible and lasted indefinitely. However, I was recently told that, for a semi-auto, each time the slide cycles it scrapes off a miniscule amount of metal from the slide rails. Eventually, the slide rails will get so thin that the frame will need to be replaced, or the rails will outright crack because they're so thin.
On that note, do revolvers also suffer from something similar to this, or revolvers last longer? For revolvers I've heard that frame stretching can be a problem.
So, if I do something like cerakote on the slide rails, will that stop the wearing done on the slide rails, or can that not be done, or it won't stop the wearing down of the slide rails?

Thanks

One of the first semi-auto pistols I ever bought was a blue box CPO SIG P226, an early West German model with stamped/welded slide.

I asked the knowledgeable gun store clerk how long this gun would last, and what maintenance or modifications I could do to ensure I did not wear out the gun, since it had a steel slide riding on an aluminum frame.

He welcomed me to try to wear it out and said I would probably run out of ammo money before that happened.

Yes, it's true regarding any sliding contact between two surfaces: they gradually wear each other down from friction, but if you are using a decent lubrication product then the surfaces don't actually contact each other at the microscopic level.

The lubrication forms a thin film, called a boundary layer, that can withstand extreme pressure and causes the two surfaces to "float" very close to each other without actually contacting the other surface (except at the microscopic peaks which self-flatten over repeated cycles).

Here's a link with pictures explaining how lubrication works.
Noria Corporation - Machinery Lubrication Regimes Explained


And here's another PDF article about lubrication.

https://www.threebond.co.jp/en/technical/technicalnews/pdf/tech09.pdf

[bugsy714]

That is impressive


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rover]

Yes, guns wear out, but you really shouldn't stress on it. Like somebody else posted, the expense of actually wearing one out will far outweigh the cost of a frame, and most manufacturers would warranty the frame anyway.

Personal anecdote, I was working on a project for a certain type of firearm component and part of that requirement was testing each iteration of the design to 20k rounds, then after a down-select testing our component to failure. We had enough mags on hand to load 1500 rounds at a time, after days and days of testing and burning all our hands through gloves racking the thing after 500 round strings of fire, we'd put more money in replacement parts in the gun than the gun was worth, but neither the frame nor slide (an aftermarket stainless slide mind you) suffered any wear that caused negative effects on the gun.

I also have a 1911 that's been through 3 barrels, however many .45ACP rounds it takes to turn a barrel into a smooth-bore, multiply by 3 and that's how many rounds it's seen. The slide to frame fitment is definitely terrible, but it still shoots great and with it's current Barsto barrel it's as accurate as it ever was. Next barrel I'll weld the rails and re-machine to bring some youthful fit back to this poor retired range gun.


Revolvers don't wear the same way, but they can wear out the timing mechanism that advances the cylinder. It's a common issue with older well used guns that weren't made with the same quality materials we have today, as well as the cheaper guns like Charter and Taurus when they get higher round counts. Revolvers are also more expensive to replace a barrel on than most semis, and some shoot faster rounds that will wear a barrel faster, which again is totally irrelevant to anybody who can afford the 20k rounds of .44mag it mite take to burn out the barrel.


Unless it's a collector's item, don't worry about it.

Y
I would think a high quality (consistent thickness) application of Cerakote would prolong the life of your slide rails and parts.

Doubt it'll effect anything. Cerakote starts to wear off the muzzle of my gun after about 30 practice draws, and it's gone from the rails before I even test-fire, just assembly dry cycling and it's history.

[Capybara]

Most people aren't wealthy enough to buy enough ammo or have enough time to wear out a handgun these days. Of course, there are exceptions to all of the rules but most handguns are cheap enough that if you could wear out the frame, you could likely just buy another sample of the gun and keep shooting. Ammo cost, availability and the time to go shooting are much more relevant factors for most of us. I suppose if you are contemplating a fine, custom made firearm like a WC or Nighthawk or something like that, it might make your question more relevant but most mass market handguns like Glocks, SIGs, H&Ks, etc. will never have worn out rails.

Cerakote would wear off of friction/metal on metal surfaces your first time shooting the gun.

[stormvet]

[JTROKS]

Back in the USPSA 175 power factor days I have a Caspian hi-cap Gen 1 that went through a top end around approx 40-50K rounds of 115-125 grain loads factoring around 178-181. That’s a .355” 115 grain jacketed bullet load for 38 Supercomp that clocks at 1550 FPS. The barrel wore out with groups opening up. I could’ve used the old slide but I wanted a different profile comp. I shot the gun with the new upper with 175 PF until the year 2000 USPSA switched to 165PF. The frame had many rounds and developed hairline cracks along the trigger bow channel. Jimmy Vidanes of 1911 Speed Shop did a great job welding the frame and it continued life shooting mostly steel challenge loads with a bit of 168 PF loads for club matches. The gun probably has 75K-90K rounds through it, not to mention countless dry firing. I had to replace the firing pin 2x and the FP Spring 10x or more. Extractor was replaced 2x, Firing pin stop replaced about 4-5x, recoil spring replaced more than 10x. If you clean and lube your gun the tight tolerance fit should last longer.

[naz]

Don’t worry about it OP. Just clean it regularly, keep it well lubricated , replace the wear items at regular intervals and shoot/dry fire the sh1t out of it

[JTROKS]

Cerakote will not stop slide & frame rail wear. Finish like hard chrome, DLC, melonite, nitride will make the rails more durable but there will be wear. A pistol chambered in 9mm will last longer than the same pistol chambered in 40 S&W or 357 Sig. If you shoot +P ammo it will wear out your pistol faster than standard 9mm loads. I haven’t seen a modern quality revolver suffer from frame stretching shooting 38 special or even +p fodder. Shoot hot 357 magnum and you’ll have gas cutting, bore wear and frame stretching. If you get a 1911 or 2011 and shoot 125 power factor ammo I’m willing to bet it will last a lifetime or 2 or 3, maybe even 4. My Para Ordinance built in 40S&W has shot many many rounds of 165 PF ammo through it with all the original parts not requiring replacement except recoil spring and firing pin spring. Actually I loss the fiber optic in the front sight after getting the gun so hot practicing on steel.