100,000 mile mark of firearms

[warriorbob]

What is generally considered a high round count? Say the 100,000 mile point for firearms? I recently built an ar in march and since have put almost 1500 rnds through it and this is the first gun I've ever shot that many rounds through it. No concerns or anything just curious what others think.

 

[gregkl]

I would say it's just like the car analogy. And with cars it depends on the make and model, the use and maintenance. I know I'm not answering your question and maybe some here can tell you about your AR, but my experience with firearms is that it would be difficult to put a lifespan based on round count on a particular firearm.

 

[Disposable Heart]

I would say it's just like the car analogy. And with cars it depends on the make and model, the use and maintenance. I know I'm not answering your question and maybe some here can tell you about your AR, but my experience with firearms is that it would be difficult to put a lifespan based on round count on a particular firearm.

Bingo: There's no solid metric for this. Run hard and put away wet (or worse, "I thought an oil change was something that you do that's just nice for the car, not required"), gonna last alot less. Run a Hi-Point for a few thousand, would imagine it's "100K" mark is FAR shorter than say, a Beretta Millenium.

Depends also on the parts: ARs have incredibly easy to change barrels and very tough receivers in terms of durability over time. Their 100k mark could be about 20-30k rounds, with DECENT maintenance, with barrel changes as needed. An AK? About 20-30K in general (their receivers will begin to distort around that mark from what I've read). Not as easy to replace the barrel on those.

Too many variables to commit to an answer.

 

[churchmouse]

Is your gun an ammo hose or a shooter. Do you mag dump the hell out of it or use some sense. Just like a car. Run the guts out of it and it is done early. Roll smart and take care.....lots of life.

 

[HoughMade]

...and keep in mind that with cars, the "100,000 mile mark", the time when you figure an average car is nearing the end of its reliable life (at least 30 years ago), is now closer to 150,000 or 180,000. I would argue that modern manufacturing and metallurgy have moved the average round count up as well.

 

[VERT]

1 round = 10 miles in car years. So OPs AR should had at least 3 oil changes. Unless he goes to the fast lube place. Those guys still insist on every 300 rounds

 

[archeryman20]

Yeah, a lot depends on the quality of the gun, caliber/gauge, and the manner in which you shoot/take care of it. I have a Marlin Model 60 with well over 50,000 rounds through it, and it still functions fine, but I had a Marlin Model 39AS that litterally fell apart after 5,000 rounds. So it really just depends on the gun and how you treat it!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

A bolt action rifle in .22-250 is a whole other ball game than, say, a Ruger Mk II in .22lr.

You MAY shoot your barrel out in a few thousand rounds in the rifle... But can probably go a few hundred thousand in the .22.

Same with vehicles. A Camry or Accord may go 250k miles with good maintenance and good care, but a Porsche 918 may be completely worn out by 50k.


Answer: it depends.

-J-

 

[Leo]

Most people shooting High Power competitions (at least in the upper classification levels) with a quality barrel like a Krieger will get 3500-4500 rounds before the barrel starts delivering some unexplained fliers that are way off call. For quite a few it means changing the barrel every year. The rifle I used for service rifle got three new barrels in three years and other than the Jewel Trigger I put in it before I ever fired the first shot, no other parts needed changed. I changed the gas rings once out of boredom, the ones I threw out still passed the armorer drop test. If you consider a barrel like a set of tires, I cannot tell you how long it takes to wear out a rifle. That includes quality bolt actions. Mo out in Connecticut shot that Winchester model 70 match rifle for at least 30 years in competition

 

[LarryC]

It mostly depends on the caliber, IE: a 22-250 barrel typically has about a 1,000 round "accurate" life due to chamber / barrel erosion. Most will shoot far past that round count but are no longer 1 moa firearms. I have read documented accounts of small caliber high velocity firearms being damaged badly with very rapid fire in less than 50 rounds. (prairie dog shooters). Large diameter cases holding large powder charges that are necked down to small caliber bullets generate extremely high temperatures and high velocity gas flow right at the end of the brass causing erosion. Some of the "Wildcat" rounds have very short barrel life.

Most firearms that fire a straight wall cartridge case will last far longer as the heat generated by the powder burn is spread farther down the barrel and the barrel is able to dissipate it without damage. Most military firearms have a service life of 10K rounds minimum. Again this is the figure that is used to indicate how many rounds will be fired without wearing the firearm beyond the specified accuracy.

Some firearms chambered in the 22LR and other low velocity /low pressure cartridges probably don't have any noticeable barrel wear in normal use regardless of round count. Other factors that enter into the equation, is the condition that the firearm is used, obviously abrasives,(dirt / sand, carbon buildup) will accelerate wear as will lack of lubrication, storage conditions can allow rust /corrosion to build etc.

I'm unsure of the life of the other components ~ bolt, receiver or frame / cylinder of the revolvers but would expect most to exceed 10K rounds without excessive wear if properly lubed and cleaned and operated in a fairly clean environment. I am sure we will see someone chime in and state they have fired 50K rounds though their AR ~ but I would have to see the empty shell casings and also see it function and shoot accurately. Again with proper lubrication and maintenance, and replacement of wear items (including the barrel) I think it is possible to reach very high counts. I still think I would avoid any hi-power rifle or handgun with more than 10K rounds!

 

[Gordy]

There are many levels of "worn out", accuracy, function, seem to be the most important. Accuracy from the weapons perspective is usually measured in bore and throat erosion and headspace. Very few people actually have the gauges to measure those things. Brownells is a good source. Hotter cartridges like .338LM obviously put more wear on a weapon than say a .22 short. You'll notice the spent casing from a .223 rem is hotter than 7.62X39 when it hits the ground. Heat and CUP pressure play a role in wear. From the mechanical perspective, I think it's pretty self explanatory when the critical function parts of a weapon are worn out. Trigger pins become loose, timing of the cylinders on a revolver are off, and some of those things can be serviced to extend the life of a weapon. The definition of "worn out" really depends on your level of expectation in accuracy and reliability to the point where it becomes unsafe to fire.

 

[rhino]

I have over 32,000 rounds through my Springfield 1911A1 9mm. I have a Colt 1911A1 in .45 that had over 200,000 rounds through it before I bought it. Heh.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

For what it's worth this was printed on Maintenance Schedule [Archive] - M4Carbine.net Forums :

2,500 round interval,

* Inspect and replace as necessary extractor spring, insert and O-ring


5,000 round interval

* Replace extractor spring
* Replace extractor insert
* Replace Crane O'ring
* Replace gas rings
* Replace action spring


10,000 round interval

* Replace bolt


15,000 round interval

* Replace barrel

 

[88E30M50]

...and keep in mind that with cars, the "100,000 mile mark", the time when you figure an average car is nearing the end of its reliable life (at least 30 years ago), is now closer to 150,000 or 180,000. I would argue that modern manufacturing and metallurgy have moved the average round count up as well.

That really is the case. Cars are built to a much higher standard today than in the past. I have two that are over 200K and sold one last summer that was well past 300k. Until about a year ago, one of the 200K cars was our family car and took us on trips as far west as Omaha, south to Columbus, GA and east to the coast. In my house, 100k is just the break in period.