Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
I have a smooth bore barrel and a half rifled barrel from my 1911 as a result of heavy use. On the same 1911, I had the slide fail at 79,000 rounds due to fatigue. I have also fatigue-broken an aluminum framed 1911.
Anyone Ever Actually Wear-Out Their Pistol?
- Thread starter CWL
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I have a M1911 45ACP Colt Combat Elite, purchased in the 80’s. The barrel and slide unlocked too early in the pressure curve. Darn near a blow back pistol. The slide would go back, hit the recoil spring guide, which would peen the frame. Peened the frame badly enough in 3000 rounds that I sent the pistol back to Colt. They replaced the frame but did not change the barrel or slide. I installed shock buffs. Shock buffs slowed the peening, but that pistol would eat up a shock buff in one hundred rounds.
I sent the pistol off to Wilson Combat, had them install one of their barrels, did a bunch of other work too. Basically tripled the price of the pistol. The Wilson gunsmiths understand what they are doing and properly installed the barrel so the dwell is correct and the slide is not peening the frame anymore. The worksmanship on everything was top notch. I still use shock buffs, they proved their worth, and I have one excellent 45 ACP. After more than $1200, I have a 45 ACP that is as good as my Kimber Custom Classic.
When I was shooting IPSC, used to hob nob with one of the top shooters. This gentlemen shot all the time with a slightly modified M1911 (not A1!) and was a consistent winner. He shot his chromed WW1 era pistol so much that the frame cracked above the slide stop notch. He was still shooting it until someone made him an offer on that pistol he could not refuse. I have no idea how many rounds that pistol had through it, but it was in the tens of thousands.
I sent the pistol off to Wilson Combat, had them install one of their barrels, did a bunch of other work too. Basically tripled the price of the pistol. The Wilson gunsmiths understand what they are doing and properly installed the barrel so the dwell is correct and the slide is not peening the frame anymore. The worksmanship on everything was top notch. I still use shock buffs, they proved their worth, and I have one excellent 45 ACP. After more than $1200, I have a 45 ACP that is as good as my Kimber Custom Classic.
When I was shooting IPSC, used to hob nob with one of the top shooters. This gentlemen shot all the time with a slightly modified M1911 (not A1!) and was a consistent winner. He shot his chromed WW1 era pistol so much that the frame cracked above the slide stop notch. He was still shooting it until someone made him an offer on that pistol he could not refuse. I have no idea how many rounds that pistol had through it, but it was in the tens of thousands.
DWARREN123
Member
I have never worn out a firearm, even in the ARMY. Actually I probably shoot more now, rifle and handgun, than I did in the military. Got better with the handguns and a little improvement with some rifles.
Archie
Member
Two handguns, actually...
One was a lightweight A&R sales clone of a Colt Commander. It was in .45 ACP and I carried it full time as my off duty gun and shot IDPA type (before either that or IPSC was formed) on a twice a month basis. I don't know how many rounds that was, but it couldn't have been less than 7,000 rounds or so. In those days I loaded a pretty aggressive 230 grain bullet loading. It didn't wear so much as the frame rails started breaking away from the frame, starting at the back. However, the gun still functioned reliably and shot pretty much to the sights when I found the damage. The rails were loose up to the magazine well.
Two is a S&W model 13 I carried as my duty gun for several years. I shot probably close to 8,000 rounds of wadcutters and another 3,000 to 4,000 rounds of full charge factory and reloads per year for four years. The firing pin broke after about three years of that, and later I realized it spit lead badly because the frame had stretched and the cylinder had a discernable amount of end-play (clunk-clunk!) It is now retired and lives in a display case.
One was a lightweight A&R sales clone of a Colt Commander. It was in .45 ACP and I carried it full time as my off duty gun and shot IDPA type (before either that or IPSC was formed) on a twice a month basis. I don't know how many rounds that was, but it couldn't have been less than 7,000 rounds or so. In those days I loaded a pretty aggressive 230 grain bullet loading. It didn't wear so much as the frame rails started breaking away from the frame, starting at the back. However, the gun still functioned reliably and shot pretty much to the sights when I found the damage. The rails were loose up to the magazine well.
Two is a S&W model 13 I carried as my duty gun for several years. I shot probably close to 8,000 rounds of wadcutters and another 3,000 to 4,000 rounds of full charge factory and reloads per year for four years. The firing pin broke after about three years of that, and later I realized it spit lead badly because the frame had stretched and the cylinder had a discernable amount of end-play (clunk-clunk!) It is now retired and lives in a display case.
CajunBass
Member
I never did, but my grandfather had an old Fox Sterlingworth double 12 that started to "jump open" on him when he fired it. He sent it back to Savage/Stevens who had bought Fox years before and had it fixed. No idea how many ducks, geese and whitetails fell in front of that gun, but it was a lot. He bought the gun about 1915 or so, give or take a year either way, and I guess it was the late 60's when he had the problem. He was just a kid when he got it, but they had different laws back then. Or no laws at all.
He's been dead for years of course. I guess my uncle has the gun now.
Opps. Sorry. I forgot this was supposed to be about pistols.
He's been dead for years of course. I guess my uncle has the gun now.
Opps. Sorry. I forgot this was supposed to be about pistols.
heypete
Member
Nope. After firing about 10k rounds of various 9mm ammo through a G19, it the rifling was still as sharp and clean as if it were new.
Minor finish wear occurred, though, due to it being holstered and reholstered a lot during drills. Just made the black more "shiny", but that's it.
Otherwise, no, haven't worn any guns out. I'm well on my way to seeing what I can do about my Ruger MkIII, though. I don't even know if one can change out the barrels on that pistol. Being that my MkIII and 10/22 link up with my Gemtech Outback II silencer (made of aluminum), I may wear out the silencer before I wear out the gun.
Minor finish wear occurred, though, due to it being holstered and reholstered a lot during drills. Just made the black more "shiny", but that's it.
Otherwise, no, haven't worn any guns out. I'm well on my way to seeing what I can do about my Ruger MkIII, though. I don't even know if one can change out the barrels on that pistol. Being that my MkIII and 10/22 link up with my Gemtech Outback II silencer (made of aluminum), I may wear out the silencer before I wear out the gun.
Sean85746
Member
My 1st Gen Glock 17 that was issued to me in 1987, and has well over 150,000 rounds through it hasn't worn out. I have literally shot this gun so much at a few sessions that it was so cruddy it was bleeding oil, and filth.
What is more....I have NEVER, not one time, not once had a failure of any kind with this pistol.
The only thing I have ever changed on this gun was the sights...I went to Tru Glo, but that was a choice, not a neccessity. I MAY have also changed the recoil spring, though I am not sure.
I also have a browning Hi Power circa 1975 manufacture with over 50,000 rounds through it. I used to shoot it in the early days of IDPA. It rattles like a can of bb's, but it still shoots as well as it ever has.
I had a 1911 that was once Kippy Boykin's (Now Leatham) comp gun from Jim Knutson that had, god only knows how many rounds through it when I bought it from the now defunct Sahuaro Firearms in Tucson in 1991, and other than a new set of springs I put in it the day I bought it, I fired at least 10,000 rounds through it and it is still chugging along in the hands of the friend to whom I sold it.
One step further, I have a mid 60's vintage Smith & Wesson Model 19 that my dad owned, and upon which I cut my teeth that has to have more than 20,000 rounds through it. It is still timed and I shoot it ever-once't-in-a-while. Granted 99.99999% of it's diet has been .38 loads, but heck...it still goes on.
The only gun I can say that was close to worn out was a 70's vintage Model 29 that ate a steady diet of hotter magnum loads. It was COMPLETEY out of time and had to be sent to S&W for a rebuild, but it is still in my buddy's gun safe, and still shoots like a champ, so I guess it wasn't really "worn out", it just needed freshening up.
What is more....I have NEVER, not one time, not once had a failure of any kind with this pistol.
The only thing I have ever changed on this gun was the sights...I went to Tru Glo, but that was a choice, not a neccessity. I MAY have also changed the recoil spring, though I am not sure.
I also have a browning Hi Power circa 1975 manufacture with over 50,000 rounds through it. I used to shoot it in the early days of IDPA. It rattles like a can of bb's, but it still shoots as well as it ever has.
I had a 1911 that was once Kippy Boykin's (Now Leatham) comp gun from Jim Knutson that had, god only knows how many rounds through it when I bought it from the now defunct Sahuaro Firearms in Tucson in 1991, and other than a new set of springs I put in it the day I bought it, I fired at least 10,000 rounds through it and it is still chugging along in the hands of the friend to whom I sold it.
One step further, I have a mid 60's vintage Smith & Wesson Model 19 that my dad owned, and upon which I cut my teeth that has to have more than 20,000 rounds through it. It is still timed and I shoot it ever-once't-in-a-while. Granted 99.99999% of it's diet has been .38 loads, but heck...it still goes on.
The only gun I can say that was close to worn out was a 70's vintage Model 29 that ate a steady diet of hotter magnum loads. It was COMPLETEY out of time and had to be sent to S&W for a rebuild, but it is still in my buddy's gun safe, and still shoots like a champ, so I guess it wasn't really "worn out", it just needed freshening up.
nicholst55
Member
I had a six inch Ruger Security Six .357 that got to where it was spitting lead real bad. The frame had stretched on it from around 5,000 rounds of mostly mid-range loads. I had taken to shooting full power loads through it when I began to notice the spitting. I felt that it should have lasted at least three times that long before any serious problems arose.
jaysouth
Member
I have burned up several barrels on an M-60. I once got several boxes of all tracer linked 7.62. (regular belts are 5 ball and 1 tracer)
One hundred round burst turned the barrel cherry red and left a droop that would not go away.
Oh, to be young and dumb again, AND have Uncle Sam buy your toys.
One hundred round burst turned the barrel cherry red and left a droop that would not go away.
Oh, to be young and dumb again, AND have Uncle Sam buy your toys.
I don’t know if it counts as worn-out, but I have a Colt Government Model Series 70 that needed extensive rebuilding at about 75K. Most of the rounds were cast bullet reloads - 230gr RNL at 830fps or 200grSWCL at 900fps. The interior of the barrel was still OK, but the lugs in the slide and on the barrel were very well worn. What precipitated this was the pistol doubling. When I took it in to the ‘smith he discovered that the hammer/sear/disconnector were in need of replacement. Checking out the rest of the pistol revealed the other wear. All the innards except the slide stop (replaced at ~15K) and springs were original or, (the sights, trigger, bushing and thumb safety), swapped into the new gun. Since I probably had at least 100K dry fire cycles in addition to the 75K live rounds, I wasn’t too disappointed. On a whim, probably foolish, I had him turn it into a 5”OAL compensated gun. I still have it after almost 20 years since the rebuild, although it hasn’t had 5K rounds since the rebuild.
I’ve had a few revolvers that needed timing and/or end shake work, but that’s normal maintenance for a Smith and Wesson that’s used with warm loads or for fast double-action work.
I know that the original poster did not mention it, but I’ve run into folks who seem to be concerned about the cost of replacement or repair of a handgun after firing it “too much”. The cost of repair or replacement is nothing compared to the cost to wear it out. At current costs, the components for 75,000 rounds of cast bullet 45ACP reloads would about $7,500. Heck, the primers alone would be about $1200. I’ve talked to bull’s-eye shooters who have said that a hardball gun’s bore is past competitive prime after 7500-10000 rounds, (I’m not good enough to tell), but those few rounds would cost $2-3000 minimum.
I’ve had a few revolvers that needed timing and/or end shake work, but that’s normal maintenance for a Smith and Wesson that’s used with warm loads or for fast double-action work.
I know that the original poster did not mention it, but I’ve run into folks who seem to be concerned about the cost of replacement or repair of a handgun after firing it “too much”. The cost of repair or replacement is nothing compared to the cost to wear it out. At current costs, the components for 75,000 rounds of cast bullet 45ACP reloads would about $7,500. Heck, the primers alone would be about $1200. I’ve talked to bull’s-eye shooters who have said that a hardball gun’s bore is past competitive prime after 7500-10000 rounds, (I’m not good enough to tell), but those few rounds would cost $2-3000 minimum.
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swampgator
Member
At one time our Academy had loaner guns for recruits going through he didn't own their own. They were issued to the recruits for the duration of the academy and were drawn from the arms room prior to training then returned at the end of the day. These loaners turned into beaters after many years of use.
One day a recruit who had been shooting pretty well throughout noticed his accuracy was failing. He went to one of the firearms instructors and complained that something was wrong. The instructor made a comment about operator error and then went downrange to confirm. After about twenty rounds into it, he noticed a round went off funny.
The Ruger's barrel came off. It was later determined that the Security Six had fired over 50K rounds during a ten year span as a loaner. The gun was returned to Ruger who replaced it with a new GP100.
One day a recruit who had been shooting pretty well throughout noticed his accuracy was failing. He went to one of the firearms instructors and complained that something was wrong. The instructor made a comment about operator error and then went downrange to confirm. After about twenty rounds into it, he noticed a round went off funny.
The Ruger's barrel came off. It was later determined that the Security Six had fired over 50K rounds during a ten year span as a loaner. The gun was returned to Ruger who replaced it with a new GP100.
barnetmill
Member
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I wore out a ruger 22/45. When new it functioned perfectly only requiring cleaning at about the 500 round mark with use of cheap wally world ammo. It does not cycle very well anymore. I replace some parts, but think that perhaps the clearances between the bolt and the receiver have increased. I fired 1,000's of rounds through it. I now shoot a lot less and use a S&W 41. The ruger 10/22 do not wear out as quickly, but the accuracy from the stock rifles really suck.
S&W 22A
I had horrible problems with a S&W 22A.
S&W was simply fantastic about fixing problems.
S&W 22A works great now.
I had horrible problems with a S&W 22A.
S&W was simply fantastic about fixing problems.
S&W 22A works great now.
GooseGestapo
Member
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- Jan 6, 2003
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- 6,153
Wore out one, several to point of needing major overhauls.....
I bought one of the first Berretta TomCats in .32acp
My favorite load was a factory duplication of 78gr Cast RN over a mere 1.7gr of Bullseye for 770fps. It was amazingly accurate, shooting ~3"groups at 25yds to Point of Aim.
I shot a lot of Fiocchi 60gr HP for practice and carried the gun with that ammo as a back-up for about 5yrs.
After perhaps 3,500rds, the slide cracked longitudinally starting at the top center of the slide and ran back towards the firing pin. I returned it to Berretta of possible replacement of the slide. They stated that it also had a frame crack that I was unaware of. They replaced it with a new one. I traded the new one in as I had won a KelTec in .32 that replaced the Berretta.
I've got one "wore out" S&W Mod 10-4 that was built into a PPC gun by Travis Strahan of Ringgold GA back in the late '70s. When I bought the gun it had been rebarreled since being rebarreled by Travis with a bull match barrel. The subsequent barrel had been set back and the throat recut and barrel/cylinder gap set by someone who didn't know what they were doing. I had it done again. After about 3yrs and approx 75,000rds, I had it rebarreled. In two more years I won another Mod 10 at the 1995 NRA PPC Nationals. I had it built into a PPC revolver by having a match barrel installed and I did the trigger work myself. I have replaced the barrel twice since, have set-back the barrels twice each due to wear on the throats and replaced once due to splitting the forcing cone with a squib. (Sorry, it was a "money" match- and was the next to last shot in Match 1 at the 15yd line. I tried to "shoot" the squib out, split the forcing cone and locked up the gun- but, but I got to go get the spare and finish the match- won a barrel to replace the damaged one !!! but, I don't recommend the practice except under dire situations). BTW, one bullet hit the X, the other was a "10"!
That gun was overhauled in 2004 and now shoots the best it ever has. But, it's starting to "slip" a little now, so, I have a BarSto barrel ready to go on it before the Nationals next October.
Round count to date is over 1,000,000rds. Barrel replaced twice, hand replaced twice, cylinder corrected for end-shake three times. Cylinder, frame, hammer, trigger, all original. Still has original blue, "most of it" that is...... Its a 10-8. Needless to say the double action is like sliding two pieces of oiled glass. About an 8-9lb double action.
Still going STRONG !!!! Shot a 1485-103x two weeks ago in first match of the season. It'll still hold the X-ring at 50yds.
Can't say the same for me.............
I bought one of the first Berretta TomCats in .32acp
My favorite load was a factory duplication of 78gr Cast RN over a mere 1.7gr of Bullseye for 770fps. It was amazingly accurate, shooting ~3"groups at 25yds to Point of Aim.
I shot a lot of Fiocchi 60gr HP for practice and carried the gun with that ammo as a back-up for about 5yrs.
After perhaps 3,500rds, the slide cracked longitudinally starting at the top center of the slide and ran back towards the firing pin. I returned it to Berretta of possible replacement of the slide. They stated that it also had a frame crack that I was unaware of. They replaced it with a new one. I traded the new one in as I had won a KelTec in .32 that replaced the Berretta.
I've got one "wore out" S&W Mod 10-4 that was built into a PPC gun by Travis Strahan of Ringgold GA back in the late '70s. When I bought the gun it had been rebarreled since being rebarreled by Travis with a bull match barrel. The subsequent barrel had been set back and the throat recut and barrel/cylinder gap set by someone who didn't know what they were doing. I had it done again. After about 3yrs and approx 75,000rds, I had it rebarreled. In two more years I won another Mod 10 at the 1995 NRA PPC Nationals. I had it built into a PPC revolver by having a match barrel installed and I did the trigger work myself. I have replaced the barrel twice since, have set-back the barrels twice each due to wear on the throats and replaced once due to splitting the forcing cone with a squib. (Sorry, it was a "money" match- and was the next to last shot in Match 1 at the 15yd line. I tried to "shoot" the squib out, split the forcing cone and locked up the gun- but, but I got to go get the spare and finish the match- won a barrel to replace the damaged one !!! but, I don't recommend the practice except under dire situations). BTW, one bullet hit the X, the other was a "10"!
That gun was overhauled in 2004 and now shoots the best it ever has. But, it's starting to "slip" a little now, so, I have a BarSto barrel ready to go on it before the Nationals next October.
Round count to date is over 1,000,000rds. Barrel replaced twice, hand replaced twice, cylinder corrected for end-shake three times. Cylinder, frame, hammer, trigger, all original. Still has original blue, "most of it" that is...... Its a 10-8. Needless to say the double action is like sliding two pieces of oiled glass. About an 8-9lb double action.
Still going STRONG !!!! Shot a 1485-103x two weeks ago in first match of the season. It'll still hold the X-ring at 50yds.
Can't say the same for me.............
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