[sheepman]

No they don't make them like they used to and in some cases it is a good thing. I have not seen many modern guns wore out. My grandmother's Stevens 22 single shot was wore out, it had a Penney for a front sight and no extractor, you needed a knife to extract the spent case. A lot of the 19th century guns were made of iron or brass. The toggle on the early lever actions were week and it was said that a Colt SSA would operate with a number of broken parts.

The 1911 and the double action revolvers of today have better heat treating and machining than in the past. Yes there was a lot of hand fitting, some of that has been made un unnecessary by CAD.

While I like 1911s and SAA, if I hade to rely on them, I would not trade one Ruger Blackhalk or Glock 21 for a dozen of the 1911 or SAA made in 1911 (now a current model 1911A1 Springfield might be different).

The truth of the matter is that most people do not shoot a gun enough to ware one out (or learn how to use it). I recently bought a Charter Arms Bulldog that is like new and was made in 1974, have probably shot it more than the original owner.