I've been carrying and working on Bulldogs since the 80s. If you limit your loads to 200 gr. slugs or less the gun will last much longer. A 200 gr. slug going 800 to 900 fps is plenty of cowbell for defense use and is ballistically very close to the original Ordnance Dept. spec. load for the .45 ACP. A steady diet of 240 gr. slugs will loosen the gun up. That's not a rumor - I have seen it happen. These guns are very lightly built and should be carried a lot and shot just enough to gain proficiency with.