Expected Life Span of a Shotgun

Scar270

Scar270

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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.
 
Depends on the gun and the kind of use it sees. Hard hunting use with heavy magnum loads will wear a gun out faster than the range only life of a trap gun shooting light loads. Just for reference, trap guns are expected to last many 10's of thousands rounds with nothing more than basic maintenance. It is not unheard of for them to have more than 100,000 rounds through.

Mark
 
i know for a fact that the 870 Rem Express is a reliable gun. there were a few i know of from discussions with fellow soldiers about them being used in conflicts with over 70,000rnds of 00Buck through them and were still in service. these things are a tank.

just a little bit 'o info
 
I'd be very cautious of any dealer who claimed a gun was "rated" for any number of shells. I can think of no manfacturer who would make a similar claim.

40 thousand rounds isn't much for a high volume clay shooter but it could be a couple lifetimes of shooting for a hunter.

The good news is that any gun can be refurbished providing the frame is sound. I had a very high mileage Krieghoff that developed a headspace at an estimated two hundred thousand rounds plus. A brief vacation at Krieghoff in Ottsville and the gun came back as good as new and is still going strong although in the hands of a new owner.

A lot depends on the gun, the shells, the maintenance and the conditions it's used in. There is no hard and fast number for each gun.
 
Quality guns will last several life times

I was speaking with a gunsmith recently who told me that he had once seen a Beretta 682 with more than one million shots fired, that was still in excellent shape. He said that good quality O/U in heavy use, such as Brownings and Berettas used by clay shooters who shoot hundreds of shells a week, need minor maintenance after about 50,000 shots (hinge pin, firing pins and springs). That is normal wear and tear. Other than that, these guns are like the Energizer bunny; they keep shooting, and shooting...

On the other hand, he had seen plenty of Baikals and Stoegers undergo significant failures within the first few years of ownership.

I personally own a Browning Citori 625 Sporting and have shot about 5000 shells with it over the last 6 months. It never malfunctioned, and it looks and works as good as the day I bought it. At that rate, I may need to take it to the gunsmith for maintenance in about 5 years time.
 
Claybuster said:
I'd be very cautious of any dealer who claimed a gun was "rated" for any number of shells. I can think of no manfacturer who would make a similar claim.

40 thousand rounds isn't much for a high volume clay shooter but it could be a couple lifetimes of shooting for a hunter.

The good news is that any gun can be refurbished providing the frame is sound. I had a very high mileage Krieghoff that developed a headspace at an estimated two hundred thousand rounds plus. A brief vacation at Krieghoff in Ottsville and the gun came back as good as new and is still going strong although in the hands of a new owner.

A lot depends on the gun, the shells, the maintenance and the conditions it's used in. There is no hard and fast number for each gun.
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Ok if a number can't be attached, how does one decide what will last compared to what won't, besides just price, as I think there is more to it then that.

My guns are well cared for, but I shoot 6k or more rounds at trap a year, and then maybe a hundred shots of hunting loads.

I just have no idea to know if a merkel is going to outlast an aya, or if buying a citori would be better then either. I know anything wears eventually and changing a spring or other minor parts is no big deal. The idea that a $2000 gun was only expected to make 40,000 rounds alarmed me, as I'm looking for a gun I can put a half a million through in my lifetime. I'd rather wait until I can afford a worthwhile gun, then drop 2k and have to replace it in 4 or 5 years. If thats all I'm going to get, I can keep shooting my cheapies for a while.
 
How many M12 and 1897 Winchesters are still out there...and still cranking out the rounds? Some are nearly one hundred years old and still showing up on the range or field.
 
Scar270 said:
Ok if a number can't be attached, how does one decide what will last compared to what won't, besides just price, as I think there is more to it then that.

My guns are well cared for, but I shoot 6k or more rounds at trap a year, and then maybe a hundred shots of hunting loads.

I just have no idea to know if a merkel is going to outlast an aya, or if buying a citori would be better then either. I know anything wears eventually and changing a spring or other minor parts is no big deal. The idea that a $2000 gun was only expected to make 40,000 rounds alarmed me, as I'm looking for a gun I can put a half a million through in my lifetime. I'd rather wait until I can afford a worthwhile gun, then drop 2k and have to replace it in 4 or 5 years. If thats all I'm going to get, I can keep shooting my cheapies for a while.
Click to expand...

It's a combination of factors adding up to a SWAG -- Scientific Wild Ass Guess. Maker, design, quality of materials and the durability of previous models are of some guidance.

Everything's a trade off. Stronger guns tend to be heavier. A Winchester Model 21 is very highly regarded for strength but can't compare with the handling of a lighter Spanish game gun like an AyA. Even the high end English guns recommend a professional strip and clean on a regular basis.

You probably won't have to replace a $2,000 gun after 5 years if you were shooting 6 thousand rounds per year. You might have to replace some parts but that's a risk on a gun of any age.

Without knowing what gun you were looking at it's difficult to say. If durability is the key then I'd consider a heavier frame German gun like a Merkel which has a cross bolt locking system. IMO, they tend to be stronger than the standard English locking system. And I'd find a gunsmith who understands double guns. You'll need him if you intend to shoot half a million rounds out of anything.
 
My remington Model 11 is 100 yrs old this year and still working fine. My Superposed used to belong to a trap shooter. It was new in 59 and I consider it half worn out (or there abouts). I know a couple of guys that shoot about 10000 rounds per year through their Beretta 391`s and haven`t had any problems yet. I don`t expect those guys to live long enough to shoot a half million rounds, but I have told them I want to inherit their guns.
 
My 870 has probably 10000 rounds through it thanks to me, trap loads, steel, buckshot and slugs. I bought it used from a guy who bought it as a loaner gun for the trap range. Dads citori has easily 100,000 throuh it and hasn't been to a smith. Regular cleaning and care will go a looonnng ways.
 
As other have stated, regular cleaning will go a long way and normal wear & tear is to be expected but having said that, I would think most better built shotguns should outlast the owner. I have an older rem 1100 that just keeps on ticking along and I don't think will ever die. Same for a 1950 Browning Auto 5 I own. Although not SxS you'd think with all the moving parts they'd be more troublesome but no, not the case! I suppose as with any product there will be lemons so perhaps it's just the particular firearm?
 
Well to be fair, the sxs's I keep wrecking are cheapies like Stevens 311's, which don't have a very good lock up system, so I just have to replace the top snap every couple thousand rounds.

Getting told to expect about 40,000 rounds from a $2000 gun scared the crap out of me, but I think maybe I'll save up for something with a reputation like a Merkel.
 
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.
 
My Browning BPS is three years old and has 9000 round through it, approximately one third of that is 31/2" magnum steel loads, it is still running like brand new only the slide is perfectly smooth.
 
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