Expected Life Span of a Shotgun

woodcock said:
Look at the base models of any of the big makers Beretta, Browning,etc.. They are your best valve in the market. They can also be rebuilt to keep going for a life time for little money. Used ones in good shape are even better buys.

Most quality guns will die from abuse not use.

Look on the EE for trap guns some at a very good price.

Seem like a bit of an odd question though. You are already shooting 6000 rounds in trap? With a Stevens 311?

Are you shooting competitivly? Seems like a very big investment in ammo for shooting with a gun so poorly designed to do this job.

Part of the fun of all this is finding the right toll for the job.
Click to expand...

I don't think I'd say competitively, but lots of trap, sporting clays, 5 stand type stuff. So yes I'm shooting about that many rounds a year with a stevens 311.

The problem is I am a fan of SxS's, and I'd like to purchase a SxS that will stand up, but I don't want to spend $1000-$1500 for a gun that isn't built to take the use, I'd rather save up and buy one that will, but I have no idea how to decide what will hold up in the world of sxs's, short of dropping the money on a Model 21.
 
Scar270 said:
I don't think I'd say competitively, but lots of trap, sporting clays, 5 stand type stuff. So yes I'm shooting about that many rounds a year with a stevens 311.

The problem is I am a fan of SxS's, and I'd like to purchase a SxS that will stand up, but I don't want to spend $1000-$1500 for a gun that isn't built to take the use, I'd rather save up and buy one that will, but I have no idea how to decide what will hold up in the world of sxs's, short of dropping the money on a Model 21.
Click to expand...

The Browning BSS may not be a complete fit for the tasks you've in mind but it still may offer a semi-reasonable solution, so to speak.

Having said that, the fixed chokes on the BSS, in whatever configurations those may be will likely put you in a "catch 22" situation :) given the intended usage.

You will agree that the sxs isn't the best tool for range use. IMO, a used Beretta o/u i.e. a 686 White Onyx or 686E (Sporting) or a Browning Citori could be had at $1500+/- if you shop around ..... something that will serve more efficiently and offer far superior value in terms of performance.

Thought that just occurred to me about another sxs - you may wish to look at the Baikal IZH-43 or Remington Spartan 220 or 210 .... built robust and has screw-in chokes. Aprox $450-600 for one in Exc-New condition.
 
Last edited:
It doesn't matter what you buy Scar it's gonna break. Ever notice no one at the range will let you handle theirs toys anymore?

The Provost gun show is this weekend (March 6-7), maybe you can find one. See you there.

A shameless plug, your welcome.
 
He's kidding, they still let me touch their toys, it's only my toys that break, but I think he is right about my toys, I have managed to break a Greener, more then once.

I'm not a 100% convinced that a O/U is better then a SxS for range use, but I am 100% convinced that my life would be simpler if I settled for buying an O/U, as it's much easier to find a reasonably priced O/U that is designed for that kind of use. Too bad I'm stubborn.
 
Scar270 said:
How does a person determine how many rounds a shotgun should hold up for?

I really enjoy shooting SxS's, however I've found a real need to replace parts regularly on my cheap ones. I'm not opposed to saving up for more quality some day, but how does one determine what that quality level is?

Same with any other style of shotguns, if I give up on SxS's and look at over unders etc, how many rounds should a person expect?

I had a dealer trying to sell me a SxS that was $1900 and he said it was rated for 40,000 rounds. I should have asked more about what they expect to start to give grief after that, but 40,000 rounds doesn't sound like very much to me.

I'm sure if a person buys an 1100, it may not last that long, but any of the pieces that wear out, will be very easy to get and replace. What about SxS's and O/U's, can the wear parts be easily replaced, or is end of life a headspace issue as they get loose, and unless you can tighten up the hinge pins they are done?

Any information about shotgun life in general would be a great help.
Click to expand...

There are too many variables involved to give a precise number. Heavy loads? High pressure? Weather, moisture, maintenance, storage?

If you really want to know how many rounds your scattergun will shoot before it breaks down, go dove shooting in Argentina. You'll have opportunities to shoot a 1000 rounds a day. I will bet $$ that there aren't many sub $1000 shotguns that will make 40,000 rounds without major failure. For comparison, Remington 1100s are usually broke and left at the hacienda before the end of the first week. The only autos that are reliable in those conditions are the beretta and benelli, and they need to be cleaned. The double gun that stands up well is the citori, although i am sure there are others.

If (when) the hinge pin wears down from extended use, it becomes a matter of economics as to whether you fix it or not. The better shotguns are worth fixing, the cheap ones aren't. Why spend several hundred bucks repairing a shotgun that's probably not worth the cost of the repair. On the other hand the better quality shotguns will hold value and will be worth the expense to rebuild. I have a friend who has +/- 50,000 rounds field shooting through a citori. Most of that shooting was light loads, but it has also used heavier lowaterfowl loads. The hinge is just starting to show a noticeable amount of slop.
 
Last edited:
Thanks that is more of what I'm looking for for information.

I'm looking to know what to look for, how to decide what guns will last. I realize how many variables there are to decide how long it will last, but it's a comparitive thing, will a Merkel outlast a Berretta SxS in similar conditions? What about a ruger gold label, etc. Do the cheapies made in turkey last even a fraction as long, especially for the value? ie does a $3000 merkel outlast a $1000 turkish gun by 2x, or 3x, or 10x?
 
Scar270 said:
Thanks that is more of what I'm looking for for information.

I'm looking to know what to look for, how to decide what guns will last. I realize how many variables there are to decide how long it will last, but it's a comparitive thing, will a Merkel outlast a Berretta SxS in similar conditions? What about a ruger gold label, etc. Do the cheapies made in turkey last even a fraction as long, especially for the value? ie does a $3000 merkel outlast a $1000 turkish gun by 2x, or 3x, or 10x?
Click to expand...

"Better" is subjective. Is a $500K rolls royce better than a $40,000 chevy pickup? Depends what you're using it for, i guess.

A lot depends on how much you shoot. Average hunter shoots maybe less than 200 rounds a year. With reasonable maintenance and proper storage, even a cheaper shotgun could be expected to last a lifetime.

Is a $10K merkel 4 times better than a $2.5K citori? If you are considering time between repairs then I would say probably not. Is the $2.5K citori 4 times better than a $600 shotgun - quite possibly it is. As you travel up the price scale, you eventually run ito into diminshing returns, where even a small increase in quality doubles the cost of manufacturing. It's not economic - why buy a $500K ferrari if you can get a $60K corvette that will go just as fast? But some people consider the ferrari worth the extra $$. Who can say they're wrong?
 
All I'm trying to find is a comparison on it's life span. Thats the problem especially with doubles, you start paying for engraving and wood etc as well as better quality, and I don't have any idea where those break points are as far as a using gun. There is no doubt that a $10,000 gun is generally going to have prettier wood etc, but that doesn't mean it's going to last any longer then the $3000 gun.
 
I've got a 590A1, it has a low shell count but I'm not cleaning it and I'm counting down any FTE, FTX, FTF of any kind, so far, ZERO. I'm talking about any little hiccup. I've seen some 870s be pumped to feed, the shell stops a bit, they have to pull back and pump forward and then it works. Apparently that's not a stoppage to them. Right now she's at about 500 one ounce target loads, 50 or so magnum buckshot, same amount of magnum slugs, with a few hundred 2 3/4 to 3" waterfowl loads and a couple turkey loads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom