Does round count matter?

[Bradsknives]

I have noticed that a lot of people want to know the round count before buying a used gun. I thought I understood why this might be important when buying a used gun. You would have a reasonable idea of the amount wear on the rifling (lands and grooves) and the moving parts (tolerances) of the gun. What has led me to ask this question is, today I was told by someone that I thought was very knowledgeable about firearms that round count didn't matter and is not an issue.

What say you?

 

[ShootinDave]

Guns aer like cars-rounds/miles matter

 

[Bunnykid68]

I say they are smoking crack.
If a gun has 10,000 rounds thru it is very important. More than just the rifling, but every other operating part in the gun.

 

[gunman41mag]

If it's a rifle, other than a 22 rimfire round count matters,

 

[Bradsknives]

If it's a rifle, other than a 22 rimfire round count matters,

Why would a .22 rimfire be exempt? I have read that some of the older Winchester pumps (.22 cal) that were used as gallery guns at fairs and carnivals had to have their barrels replace because they were "shot out".

 

[donnie1581]

Anything with moving parts and high friction is going to wear, fatigue and degrade so I don't see why round count would not matter.

 

[phil]

IMO, 1 rnd-10,000 rnds is "used"...anything over 10,000 rnds is "overly used".

 

[Sylvain]

The exact round count is not important unless you are talking about a never fired used gun.
0 round fired means the gun is still new even if it's sold as a used gun.
1 round fired means the gun has been fired and is not new anymore.
After that 1 first round the others wont change things that much, if 4, 28 or 57 rounds have been fired through the gun that doesnt matter.
Of course is you are talking about 400 rounds, or 5000 that gives you an idea on how much the gun was used, the wear and tear etc.

 

[Westside]

Round count matters. Metal on metal grinding equals wear. the more wear the less accurate.

 

[JohnP82]

To each his own.. Some care and some don't. It kind of matters to me, but there are other things that are much more important to me than round count when I am buying used. To me maintenance and upkeep are more important than round count to a certain extent. It also depends on the type of firearm I am looking at as well. I have bought a couple used guns without knowing the round count. I inspected them very well and I did not care the round count. They have been flawless since I bought them. For me personally my personal inspection of the firearm is more important then round count. The seller does not have to be honest about round count anyway and it can be hard to tell sometimes.

 

[JoshuaW]

It doesn't matter to me, as long as the gun is in good working order. However, I do still ask. Someone who knows the round count instills confidence in me, because they have paid attention, and have probably taken better care of it (which should show)

 

[MinuteMan47]

I've never had the opportunity to purchase a new gun then. Each of mine was fired at the factory.

 

[gunman41mag]

Why would a .22 rimfire be exempt? I have read that some of the older Winchester pumps (.22 cal) that were used as gallery guns at fairs and carnivals had to have their barrels replace because they were "shot out".

Those gallery guns are like 100 years old, with like million rounds fired out of them, other than a gallery gun, it'll be rare to find a 22 rimfire with a worn barrel, Also how were those gallery guns stored & clean the barrel could suffer from rust & corrosion

 

[686 Shooter]

There are a lot of factors to consider other than round count, it does matter, but the rounds that are shot also matters. I have one 686 that I regularly shoot, that the bullet travels so slow that you can watch it hit the target, not a lot of wear and tear on the gun and it should last for thousands and thousands of rounds.On the other, I have a friend that loads 44mag to the absolute maximum, and maybe even a little hotter than max. I wouldn't buy one of his guns if he only fired 500 rounds through it. The load itself can be more abusive than the number of rounds that are fired.
Look at the gun for obvious wear or if the gun "feels loose" and if it does look worn or feels loose, have a gunsmith check it out or just pass on it.

 

[sloughfoot]

It does not matter for a pistol. I have a 1911 with more than 50,000 rounds through it. It is just as accurate as all of my newer, less shot, 1911's. It is, after all, typically a less than 25 yard weapon...A smooth bore would probably get the job done at that distance.

It is kind of important for a rifle though because of gas erosion in the throat. And the longer ranges that a rifle is expected to be deployed.

Actually for a rifle, I am more interested in muzzle damage from a steel cleaning rod. Improper cleaning has destroyed far more rifles than any amount of shooting.

Realistically, most hunting type rifles are shot very little. And if I want a match rifle, I won't be buying a castoff unless I re-barrel it anyway.

So, I guess I am saying it is a non-issue for me.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

It matters when it comes to price. I'm not going to pay close to full price for a gun with a high round count.

 

[littletommy]

There was a post here a year or so ago about barrel life, I'm thinking the life was something like 7 seconds, considering the short amount of time a projectile spends in the barrel. So I'd say yeah, count matters.

 

[686 Shooter]

So it all boils down to, a used gun is only as good as it's previous owner's word. Or the accuracy of his count.

Or this handy little option could be added to your new gun

 

[jayhawk]

As far as I'm concerned:
Rifles = it definitely matters
Handguns = it only matters if it's very high

The exact count doesn't matter, a ball park figure is fine.

The exact round count is not important unless you are talking about a never fired used gun.
0 round fired means the gun is still new even if it's sold as a used gun.
1 round fired means the gun has been fired and is not new anymore.
After that 1 first round the others wont change things that much, if 4, 28 or 57 rounds have been fired through the gun that doesnt matter.
Of course is you are talking about 400 rounds, or 5000 that gives you an idea on how much the gun was used, the wear and tear etc.

Aren't most guns fired before they leave the factory?

 

[Bunnykid68]

Aren't most guns fired before they leave the factory?

Yep, usually one round at least.