1911 45ACP barrel life expectation

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koikeeper67

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Ok Guys and gals what would you think a reasonable barrel life expectation is for a stainless S&W 1911 45 ACP barrel ?
It has seen very few full power factory loads mainly fired moderate power hand loads with plated bullets.
 
I think 60,000 rounds and I would consider a new barrel. Going by what I hear from a IPSC shooter who wears out a gun per year.
The whole gun is loose, not just the barrel.
 
The barrel will probably outlast the gun. 45 ACP, even loaded hot is a low pressure round. Just shoot until you notice a lost in accuracy or keyhole.
 
This gun belongs to a friend of mine it developed a burr on the bottom of the muzzle and he says that the lower two lands are visibly worn compared to the upper lands. he figures it has some where in the 5000-6000 round through it. My thinking was it should be good for at least 30,000 or so. he is very and I mean VERY picky about maintaining his firearms. I cant really figure out what has caused this other then he got a bad barrel.
 
This 9mm 1911 had over 50,000 rounds of lead-free ammo (which increases barrel wear) through it and still shot accurately with the first third of the rifling worn away:
http://pistol-training.com/archives/8648

Chances are that the gun will lose accuracy through shooting loose after tens of thousands of rounds rather than the bore wearing out.
 
koikeeper67 said:
This gun belongs to a friend of mine it developed a burr on the bottom of the muzzle and he says that the lower two lands are visibly worn compared to the upper lands. he figures it has some where in the 5000-6000 round through it. My thinking was it should be good for at least 30,000 or so. he is very and I mean VERY picky about maintaining his firearms. I cant really figure out what has caused this other then he got a bad barrel.
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Could it have been worn out by excessive cleaning not done properly? Seems very strange to have developed such an uneven wear pattern from shooting.

Barrels for a 1911 aren't hard to find. Get a new one and carry on if it's a concern. Does it need it though? Is it shooting measurably worse than before?
 
Larry Vickers reported that a service pistol he had went close to 80,000 before the point of aim changed. When he scoped it, and chronographed it, it was worn to the point that the rounds were actually losing velocity as a result of wear, hence the POI changing. That's 80K of full metal jacket. Stainless non-mil barrels would be somewhat less robust than the barrels used in military guns, and the use of lead bullets and lower velocities would extend life.
 
vagrantviking said:
Could it have been worn out by excessive cleaning not done properly? Seems very strange to have developed such an uneven wear pattern from shooting.

Barrels for a 1911 aren't hard to find. Get a new one and carry on if it's a concern. Does it need it though? Is it shooting measurably worse than before?
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I would have to say no he is not hard on them when cleaning just a couple of patched with Hoppes then let soak for a few then a light scrub with a bronze brush dry patches until clean.
 
koikeeper67 said:
I would have to say no he is not hard on them when cleaning just a couple of patched with Hoppes then let soak for a few then a light scrub with a bronze brush dry patches until clean.
Click to expand...

I am betting that the problem was caused by his cleaning practices, if he is using a bronze brush, then he is using a rod and when rodding from the muzzle while holding the grip the tendency is to cam down with pressure to the bottom of the barrel, which will be worse at the muzzle... exactly as you describe the wear.
 
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