Question on life expectancy
- Thread starter azcatdoc
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I have a Taurus that I quit counting after 12,000 rounds. That was in a two year period, but I have no idea how long a revolver should last. Obviously ,make and caliber will probably play into it. Not sure if a 500 S&W would hold up to that round count. Pretty sure most shooters would not ;D
Bullseye Smith
Member
I have two or three that has 75,000+ that are the same as new. All depends on what you shoot in them, target rounds it will last two or three life times. Full loads in a 44 mag will make it loose in 50,000 rounds or so. All in how you shoot it.
+1
I have a long-barrel Model 14 that has sent downrange so many tens of thousads of 148gr wadcutters over 3 decades practicing for and competing in bullseye that I have lost track. The bore looks new, and it is just as accurate as it was in 1973.
I have a long-barrel Model 14 that has sent downrange so many tens of thousads of 148gr wadcutters over 3 decades practicing for and competing in bullseye that I have lost track. The bore looks new, and it is just as accurate as it was in 1973.
stevieboy
Member
I average about 100 rounds per week in my 617-1 and have done so for years. I lost count of total rounds years ago. I've never done a thing to it except clean it after each trip to the range and replace the main spring (once). The gun still looks new and functions like new, which is to say, spectacularly.
rburg
Member
There was an old rule for range guns. At 100,000 rounds M10s needed a tune up. Not sure if that was true or not, but its a good place to start considering it. Of course in the past it was just cheaper to replace the old gun with a newer one.
We've often postulated that a normal man (or woman) couldn't wear out a K22 in his/her lifetime. Of course you probably could if you dedicated your life to it, and a pot full of money. I'd guess a k22 would be getting pretty loose by 250,000. With heavy recoiling guns, like 44 Magnums, and if shot with overloads, life would be much shorter.
Lots of different considerations, too. N frame guns with admittedly more serious calibers seem to get loose faster. It might also be related to essentially the same size parts moving a heavier cylinder.
Automatics sometimes wear their springs faster. Lots of potential causes, mostly related to cheaper manufacturing methods and the constant pounding of full power loads. Exceptions abound. Try wearing out a SIG P210 sometime. I've read about european guns with a half million round counts having some small cracks in the frame. You know what a half million rounds cost?
There are some little hints if you don't want yours to wear out. Try cleaning it. And even applying some good lubricants. Regularly.
We've often postulated that a normal man (or woman) couldn't wear out a K22 in his/her lifetime. Of course you probably could if you dedicated your life to it, and a pot full of money. I'd guess a k22 would be getting pretty loose by 250,000. With heavy recoiling guns, like 44 Magnums, and if shot with overloads, life would be much shorter.
Lots of different considerations, too. N frame guns with admittedly more serious calibers seem to get loose faster. It might also be related to essentially the same size parts moving a heavier cylinder.
Automatics sometimes wear their springs faster. Lots of potential causes, mostly related to cheaper manufacturing methods and the constant pounding of full power loads. Exceptions abound. Try wearing out a SIG P210 sometime. I've read about european guns with a half million round counts having some small cracks in the frame. You know what a half million rounds cost?
There are some little hints if you don't want yours to wear out. Try cleaning it. And even applying some good lubricants. Regularly.
I think a handgun will last indefinitely unless it experiences some kind of catastrophic damage. That does not mean that it will never need to be repaired however! Barrels can be replaced, end shake can be eliminated, and actions can be rebuilt, and the list is almost endless of what can be done to return a gun to service. IMHO trips to the factory or a good gunsmith for periodic maintenance are just a part of using a handgun heavily.
If properly maintained a revolver will last for a very long time and the life expectancy issue is really dictated by the type of rounds used and how it's maintained. If you shoot super hot loads in any gun long enough it will wear out or break.
The good news as stated above is they can be repaired in all cases except when they experience a catastrophic failure that wrecks the frame or cylinder. If you shoot them all gunked up and not lubricated that will also impact their useful life and cause rapid wear.
It's the same for revolvers and semi auto's except semi auto's need to be really well lubricated and require more spring changes. The one beauty with them is that barrel replacement is usually just a drop in replacement barrel and takes seconds and no gunsmithing skills.
The good news as stated above is they can be repaired in all cases except when they experience a catastrophic failure that wrecks the frame or cylinder. If you shoot them all gunked up and not lubricated that will also impact their useful life and cause rapid wear.
It's the same for revolvers and semi auto's except semi auto's need to be really well lubricated and require more spring changes. The one beauty with them is that barrel replacement is usually just a drop in replacement barrel and takes seconds and no gunsmithing skills.
DonD
Member
There is a guy who uses a internet handle of "Ranger Rick" who claims to have put more than 10,000 rds of full power ammo down his .500 Mag with no observable wear on the gun.
I don't think you could wear the gun out in a lifetime if you shot moderate loads in it. I had an S&W engineer speculate that it would take 130,000psi to take the gun apart. Tough bird. Don
yugolovr
Member
I can't answer your question yet, but I'll tell you when I do wear out my 15-3. It's good to have goals in your life and this is one of mine. I will admit that I'm not expecting to succeed in my attempt.
The old ones were meant to last for their intended purpose, but most new ones were meant to be replaced VERY soon. Don't forget some automatics can be shot while exposed to sand or mud and under water. Unless you're the 1 in 450,000,000,000,000 -or so- that will experience catastrophic failure at any given time. -Good Luck with that-
surveyor47
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If Ranger Rick put 10,000 rounds of factory ammo through a 500 Magnum, then he is very likely DEAF AS A POST and ARTHRITIC. If he can an afford 10,000 rounds of 500 Magnum factory ammo, he has to be either VERY RICH or PLUM BROKE.
Hey Ranger Rick! NEED A LOUDSPEAKER!
rburg
Member
SWID
SWCA Memebr
Get your self a container with a narrow mouth, like a 1.5 liter wine bottle. For every round you fire put a penny in the bottle. If it's an expensive gun put in two pennies. Then if and when you do wear out your gun the new one is paid for.
Ranger Rick is a reloader and casts bullets for himself and others to include me. 10K full house loads and counting will cost him a little down the road relative to Mr. Arthur but his hearing will be OK - get rid of that compensator and your head will feel better after an extended shooting session. I really don't think a family can "abuse" the X frame enough to wear it out within ten generations.
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I agree with this assessment. I have a very good friend who keeps a notebook with each gun to keep accurate count of the rounds fired.
He has an Airweight Bodyguard with over 20,000 rounds downrange and no discernable issues.
Ace-3
Member
Well let see…….take up reloading…. get yourself a good gun say a 686 any variation. And start shooting. Then get back to us in 10 or 20 years with a progress report. By then you will be a heck of a shot and will have had a lot of fun. I am in the process now and I think my great grand kids will finish the job. It will be interesting to see how much primers have gone up. Enjoy
largecaliberman
Member
Question on: "Question on life expectancy"
I have a S&W M629 that was given to me around 9 years ago. This particular pistol was owned by a family member who went to the range on weekends and he must have it for years and probably shot thousands upon thousands. He gave me the gun (along with others) after he became disabled. After giving the gun to me (transfered legally of course) he gave me three buckets of empty 44 shells and said they were atleast 5 times fired. Well, two years ago, I had to change the sear and hammer mechanism because the hammer couldn't stay cocked. I did not want to take any chances by stoning the sear so I bought a new one. For the seven years I had it, I must have shot atleast 72,000 rounds. I usually average atleast 200 rounds per weekend.
If I had bought it through an authorized dealer, Smith & Wesson has a lifetime warranty. I have a Smith & Wesson Model 64 that I purchased in the 1970's and the same thing happened before that and I Fedexed to S&W and they fixed it for FREE. My S&W 50 was "spitting" lead and they fixed it by replacing the cylinder (it was out of timing) and chamfered the barrel for FREE. They even provided their Fedex account to pay for the shipping.
So----I wouldn't worry about the life of the revolver especially if it is a S&W as long as the gun has not been abused.
I have a S&W M629 that was given to me around 9 years ago. This particular pistol was owned by a family member who went to the range on weekends and he must have it for years and probably shot thousands upon thousands. He gave me the gun (along with others) after he became disabled. After giving the gun to me (transfered legally of course) he gave me three buckets of empty 44 shells and said they were atleast 5 times fired. Well, two years ago, I had to change the sear and hammer mechanism because the hammer couldn't stay cocked. I did not want to take any chances by stoning the sear so I bought a new one. For the seven years I had it, I must have shot atleast 72,000 rounds. I usually average atleast 200 rounds per weekend.
If I had bought it through an authorized dealer, Smith & Wesson has a lifetime warranty. I have a Smith & Wesson Model 64 that I purchased in the 1970's and the same thing happened before that and I Fedexed to S&W and they fixed it for FREE. My S&W 50 was "spitting" lead and they fixed it by replacing the cylinder (it was out of timing) and chamfered the barrel for FREE. They even provided their Fedex account to pay for the shipping.
So----I wouldn't worry about the life of the revolver especially if it is a S&W as long as the gun has not been abused.
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I think you might just have gotten lucky with the 64. I sent in a 29-2 last month and asked about the lifetime warranty - they advised that only applied to firearms manufactured after a certain date - I've already forgot what date she stated but it's fairly recent. I'm paying $86.61 for my repairs.
