Shotgun lifespans and round counts

Adamantium · December 15, 2001, 04:13 PM

While I was driving in the car I was wondering about this, more out of curiosity than anything else, but still thought I'd ask. The most well used shotgun I've ever seen is my friends 20 ga. Moss 500 which has about 10K rounds through her. The only ever problem it had was it jammed once. It happened this morning out shooting actually and there is a very interesting story behind it too

.

About how many rounds can you put through your popular pump shotgun model's (870, 500, 1300, BPS, Ithaca 37) before they give out? I know that's a very open ended question, as you could drive a car for 200K miles before it gives out but you'll only make it to 50K before a few parts start needing replacement. I guess my definition of "giving out" would be where the replacements/repairs are costing you more than the gun is worth. Sentimental worth aside.

And let's just say that we are talking about a 12 ga. About 80% of the loads through it are your normal 1 oz. or 1 1/8th oz. field loads. The other shells are mostly buckshot with a handful of slugs, steel shot, goose loads thrown in the mix. Also the gun is cleaned after every couple hundred rounds. That seems to be fairly normal in my experience.

So under those conditions, what would you say the life span would be of the popular pump shotgun models? All I could think of was "A really long time." Any of you guys have a slightly more exact measurement?

Sincerely,
Adam

The interesting story: I left this until the end because it doesn't have anything to do with the post but is still really funny. My friend was starting to date this trashy lady and I've been bugging him to dump her. Well I finally won out and we decided the best way to kiss her goodbye was to duck tape the phone # she gave him to a clay pigeon and have him shoot it. So our thrower chucked the pigeon out there and my friend shot and missed, then when we went for a quick follow up shot the gun jammed. No idea how this happened, but both the old round got stuck ejecting and the new round got stuck diagonally inside his action, plus a second live round dropped out the bottom of his gun. Absolutely no clue how that can happen, but it did and only once and at the worst possible time from a superstitious standpoint. But after that his gun worked as well as it always has.

Dan Morris · December 15, 2001, 07:18 PM

I have pumps/autos and O/U's that have thousands of rounds through them. Never really kept a log.They have always functioned as long as kept clean.
Dan

PJR · December 16, 2001, 12:20 AM

An 870 should go hundreds of thousands of rounds without requiring major repairs. Maybe a firing pin or other small part along the way. For a regular target shooter 10 thousand rounds might be a year's shooting. It's real easy to shoot 2 rounds of trap, 2 rounds of skeet and a round of sporting each week to hit ten thousand a year.

I know of guys who have been shooting that much with an 870 and doing so for many years. Their guns are still holding up and are smooooooth.

Dave McC · December 16, 2001, 01:39 PM

A secondhand story I heard a while back had an 870 go over 250K rounds for a skeet shooter.

One of the stalwarts of the Geezer League states his Model 12 has gone well over 100,000 rounds with some work.

The short answer? Longer than we will.

swampgator · December 17, 2001, 05:21 AM

Adam,
On the friend's gun: the Mossy's have the two shell holder tabs that keep the shells from coming out of the tube. The are light steel and probably gave up the ghost due to fatigue.

Adamantium · December 17, 2001, 12:14 PM

It could of been that, we'll have to watch to see if it happens again. I know exactly which 2 parts you are talking about so if they die I bet the easiest thing to do is get new ones strait from mossberg.

Sincerely,
Adam

dick w. holliday · December 17, 2001, 06:53 PM

Seems like i read an article about a Perrazi that the Army Marksmanship unit has that has gone 6 million rounds.....

magnumtc · December 17, 2001, 09:34 PM

I read an article in one of the shotgun magazines by John Taylor about a Ruger Red Label which had been fired at the Ruger factory in excess of 100,000 times with proof loads! I don't know just how many regular loads this would equal, but it sold me on the Red Label.

December 15, 2001, 04:13 PM	#1
Adamantium Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 1999 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 1,021	Shotgun lifespans and round counts While I was driving in the car I was wondering about this, more out of curiosity than anything else, but still thought I'd ask. The most well used shotgun I've ever seen is my friends 20 ga. Moss 500 which has about 10K rounds through her. The only ever problem it had was it jammed once. It happened this morning out shooting actually and there is a very interesting story behind it too . About how many rounds can you put through your popular pump shotgun model's (870, 500, 1300, BPS, Ithaca 37) before they give out? I know that's a very open ended question, as you could drive a car for 200K miles before it gives out but you'll only make it to 50K before a few parts start needing replacement. I guess my definition of "giving out" would be where the replacements/repairs are costing you more than the gun is worth. Sentimental worth aside. And let's just say that we are talking about a 12 ga. About 80% of the loads through it are your normal 1 oz. or 1 1/8th oz. field loads. The other shells are mostly buckshot with a handful of slugs, steel shot, goose loads thrown in the mix. Also the gun is cleaned after every couple hundred rounds. That seems to be fairly normal in my experience. So under those conditions, what would you say the life span would be of the popular pump shotgun models? All I could think of was "A really long time." Any of you guys have a slightly more exact measurement? Sincerely, Adam The interesting story: I left this until the end because it doesn't have anything to do with the post but is still really funny. My friend was starting to date this trashy lady and I've been bugging him to dump her. Well I finally won out and we decided the best way to kiss her goodbye was to duck tape the phone # she gave him to a clay pigeon and have him shoot it. So our thrower chucked the pigeon out there and my friend shot and missed, then when we went for a quick follow up shot the gun jammed. No idea how this happened, but both the old round got stuck ejecting and the new round got stuck diagonally inside his action, plus a second live round dropped out the bottom of his gun. Absolutely no clue how that can happen, but it did and only once and at the worst possible time from a superstitious standpoint. But after that his gun worked as well as it always has. __________________ New gun, same ol' shot.

December 17, 2001, 05:21 AM	#5
swampgator Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 1999 Location: Gatorville, Florida Posts: 619	Adam, On the friend's gun: the Mossy's have the two shell holder tabs that keep the shells from coming out of the tube. The are light steel and probably gave up the ghost due to fatigue. __________________ www.afn.org/~guns

December 17, 2001, 12:14 PM	#6
Adamantium Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 1999 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 1,021	It could of been that, we'll have to watch to see if it happens again. I know exactly which 2 parts you are talking about so if they die I bet the easiest thing to do is get new ones strait from mossberg. Sincerely, Adam __________________ New gun, same ol' shot.

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December 15, 2001, 07:18 PM	#2
Dan Morris Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2001 Location: Littleton, Colorado Posts: 342	I have pumps/autos and O/U's that have thousands of rounds through them. Never really kept a log.They have always functioned as long as kept clean. Dan

December 16, 2001, 12:20 AM	#3
PJR Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2000 Posts: 1,127	An 870 should go hundreds of thousands of rounds without requiring major repairs. Maybe a firing pin or other small part along the way. For a regular target shooter 10 thousand rounds might be a year's shooting. It's real easy to shoot 2 rounds of trap, 2 rounds of skeet and a round of sporting each week to hit ten thousand a year. I know of guys who have been shooting that much with an 870 and doing so for many years. Their guns are still holding up and are smooooooth.

December 16, 2001, 01:39 PM	#4
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	A secondhand story I heard a while back had an 870 go over 250K rounds for a skeet shooter. One of the stalwarts of the Geezer League states his Model 12 has gone well over 100,000 rounds with some work. The short answer? Longer than we will.

December 17, 2001, 06:53 PM	#7
dick w. holliday Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2001 Location: NC Posts: 589	Seems like i read an article about a Perrazi that the Army Marksmanship unit has that has gone 6 million rounds.....

December 17, 2001, 09:34 PM	#8
magnumtc Junior Member Join Date: March 4, 2000 Posts: 5	I read an article in one of the shotgun magazines by John Taylor about a Ruger Red Label which had been fired at the Ruger factory in excess of 100,000 times with proof loads! I don't know just how many regular loads this would equal, but it sold me on the Red Label.