Handgun Lifespan?

[Phil3]

Just curious. Anyone have an idea how long a semi-auto pistol and revolver would last (round count) before major parts start wearing out and accuracy falls off? Things like barrels, slide surfaces, pin holes in frame, etc. I am not worried about it, just wondering. Assume top notch care and lubrication for the weapon.

- Phil

[missiondude]

Ruger MKII 22lr probably 500,000, but I have never worn one out...

[professorhard]

Barrel life would most likely be reached 1st and could be replaced but other parts should last almost indefinitely if properly cared for. Depending on round count.

[ST5MF]

Just curious. Anyone have an idea how long a semi-auto pistol and revolver would last (round count) before major parts start wearing out and accuracy falls off? Things like barrels, slide surfaces, pin holes in frame, etc. I am not worried about it, just wondering. Assume top notch care and lubrication for the weapon.

- Phil

Caliber? +p loads? Steel Frame? Aluminum? Polymer? This question is very broad. To many variables.

[Phil3]

Caliber? +p loads? Steel Frame? Aluminum? Polymer? This question is very broad. To many variables.

Generally, steel frame, standard loads. But, what combo would be the worst in terms of life? Aluminum and +P loads? Life for either of the two extremes.

[Army]

My Colt Bisley .32-20 is 103 years old. I recently replaced the bolt, bolt spring, trigger spring, and their screws. The cylinder pin showed some wear, so I replaced that too for the heck of it.

Unknown thousands of rounds through it.

[Sheepdog1968]

Saw an article in Guns and Ammo where a retired LEO had 70,000 plus rounds through his service Glock (he kept at retirement) and was just getting around to changing the barrel.

[cmonk518]

It depends on the gun, quality, and material used. But man, if you are talking about a Glock, there are so many tests out there that show even after 100,000 rounds, everything is fine. no new parts or replacements, no springs. even after hundreds of thousands of weapon presentation, reholstering, thousands of reloads, and mags dropping on the floor, the only thing that needs replacement is a magazine lip. Even the extremely worn out barrel barely had a two inch deviation from brand new, which is more than combat accurate.

My father's dept. presented him with a Glock 22 when he transitioned out of the Beretta 92 but never uses since top brass can carry HKs, so we decided to make it an experiment glock. We were going to see out of the box with no lubrication, no cleaning whatsoever, how long the G22 could last without a hiccup and to this day, after 17k rounds, it still goes bang everytime you pull the trigger.

[till44]

Barrel life would most likely be reached 1st and could be replaced but other parts should last almost indefinitely if properly cared for. Depending on round count.

I'd say springs before barrel life. I've heard of pistol barrells going well into the 100,000 with no problem in the barrell but springs needing to be replaced b/c things ae just too loose for proper function.

[CSACANNONEER]

RG, Raven, Jennings, Tech22, Davis, etc. have been know to "wear out" or break major parts within the first 10 rounds. Well built, steel framed, handguns chambered in low pressure rounds can last 100s of 1000s of rounds.

[Rob Roy]

Glock will last forever!!!

[Futurecollector]

Glocks and Dimonds are forever.

[dchang0]

I'd say springs before barrel life. I've heard of pistol barrells going well into the 100,000 with no problem in the barrell but springs needing to be replaced b/c things ae just too loose for proper function.

+1. I've worn out springs before, but not a barrel yet. I've also worn out the grooves in the aluminum frame that the slide fits into, resulting in a very loose slide and decrease in accuracy. Seems to be common on S&W semi-autos. They need a tougher finish on the frame. My Sig's aluminum frame shows no significant wear in those grooves.

[yellowfin]

My family's heirloom 1911 made in 1913 saw service in WW1, WW2, and Korea and we still shoot it a fair bit today. My younger brother carries it every day as his CCW piece.

[tophatjones]

I'd say that all pistols (don't know enough about revolvers) would need their springs replaced every several thousand rounds and high stress small parts like firing pins replaced every several tens of thousands of rounds. All are bound by the same laws of physics, even those close to "perfection".

If the above is maintained vigilantly, the other things that wear out are slide fits and barrel erosion. These will negatively impact accuracy but the pistol will still function. The deal breaker is when the lugs wear to the point that headspace increases beyond recommended levels.

A 1911 with great vertical lug engagement and equalized horizontal engagement (very rare in a production gun), while starting from close to minimum headspace, with a barrel that has little endslap, and one who's barrel gets enough clearance from the slide lugs as the lower barrel lugs strike the vertical impact surface on the frame, could theoretically last over 100K rounds. As stated before, the small parts and springs would need replacements and the accuracy would be quite poor.

Just a wild guess, but since most production 1911s aren't built specifically to the above criteria (especially lacking in the upper lug engagement areas), they'd last anywhere from 20k to 50k. Most of their customers will never shoot that many rounds through one gun and will never know the difference.