A gun for long service: Auto vs. Revolver?

R

Racingsnake

New member
Guys,

I need your advice on two questions, which may also start an interesting thread:

1. In general, are pistols able to shoot more rounds of ammunition than revolvers before requiring repairs / maintenance by a gunsmith or manufacturer?

For example; a 9mm auto generates 35,000psi pressure, while a .38 spl produces a lot less at 17,000psi but the revolver may eventually suffer from timing issues.​

2. Which handgun and calibre combination would you consider to be the most resilient to long-term firing?​

Racingsnake
 
IMHO there the same abouts.

While you may develop a timing issue down the line, you also have to replace the recoil springs in some models (take the 1911) after 5-10000 rounds depending on who you talk to.

Get a ruger blackhawk in 357 and shoot 38s through it im sure it wil outlast you.
 
I have about 45,000 rounds through my .45 Auto (Gov't model) and replaced barrels, bushngs, springs, etc... I also have about 20,000 rounds through my Dan Wesson .44 mag, but I shoot mostly light 44 spl target loads through it.

All guns are going to have parts that will wear through usage, and shooting +p powered loads will certainly hasten a breakage. Also, proper cleaning and lubing goes a long way to get the most out of them too.

Favorite caliber? I don't have one; each has it's place in protections, hunting or shooting sports/games.
 
Seems to me that things like extractors, firing pins and springs are easier to replace on the automatic platform than indexing pawls, bolt stops and cylinder timing grooves on revolvers.

And, revolvers have their share of springs that can go weak over time, too.

I doubt any gun can be left alone for 20K rounds without any maintenance aside from cleaning.

But for longevity, my money is on an autofeeder that is supplied by $100 worth of spare parts rather than a revolver with the same $$ value of spare parts.
 
Apples and oranges. WHICH revolver- which auto. GP-100's are incredibly strong and well built. I'd probably say that's among the best revolvers. Autos-that's a good question...Ruger P-95?

If you think you're going to really run up the round count, I'd lean towards a rimfire. Probably a clean, used Ruger MkII .22 pistol.

I didn't intentionally pick the Rugers either.
 
Ruger makes a tough gun. Period. A Ruger revolver might, every once in a while (10,000 rounds?) break a transfer bar, which is a user-replaceable part worth less than $20.
 
Azredhawk44 you make a good point about the ease of maintaining and particularly repairing auto loaders. I love my Colt revolvers but would not venture to replace any part myself.

Jim, your point on Ruger revolvers is well made - disassembly and replacement of some parts can be done by the owner.

One of my candidates for a 'tuff' autoloader would be a Colt 1911 in 9mm auto.
 
1. In general, are pistols able to shoot more rounds of ammunition than revolvers before requiring repairs / maintenance by a gunsmith or manufacturer?
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I think the key here is the part of your question that I bolded. I agree with the comments noting that in general repairing an auto is easier than repairing a revolver and is less likely to require an expert/manufacturer/gunsmith.
2. Which handgun and calibre combination would you consider to be the most resilient to long-term firing?
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A good quality, full-sized 9mm is a good choice for extreme longevity. A good quality .357Mag revolver shot with .38spl or .38sp level ammunition is another good option.
 
All things are relative, of course.

A semi-auto .380 pistol - such as a Beretta 84 - will almost certainly have less wear & tear than even a Ruger .44 magnum.

But let's compare "apples to apples" a bit.
Compare that .380 vs. a quality .38 Special - a stainless S&W M67 - both fired with standard velocity jacketed ammo. If neither gun is fired rapidly then you'll grow old and gray waiting for something to need repair.

9mm vs. the .357 Mag -- sort of apples to pears here.
Both are high pressure rounds. If we presume some moderate mix of 9mm+P then the likelihood of failure, I think, goes to the 9mm pistol if the .357 is an S&W L-Frame or N-Frame.

One of my long time friends owns a S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman. Big honking N-Frame. After approximately 24,000 of mostly 158gr .357 ammo it required new cylinder hand & stop (bolt). He also replaced the springs at that time. Last I talked to him (circa 1998) the gun had over 38,000 rounds through it.

I have a maintenance sheet from the US Army (1955) that recommended replacing parts on a 1911 as follows;
5000 rds max - recoil spring
15000 rds max - Springs - Recoil, main, sear spring, firing pin spring; spring guide,
30000 rds max - all springs, recoil spring guide, barrel bushing, extractor, ejector, slide stop & safety plungers, firing pin.
And there were a host of items to inspect at 15 & 30k rounds too.

The semi-auto pistol is designed to allow many parts to "drop in" as replacements. But if you are staking your life on the gun, you'll let a gunsmith check the fit and function of each replacement part. Thus, I'd say the Auto will see the gunsmith first.

If your habit is to rapidly fire your revolver (e.g. about 2 rds per second) the cylinder stop notches and cylinder stop can become excessively worn.

Improper lubrication can wear out parts too. A dry semi-auto pistol can produce excessive rail wear in 300-500 rounds in rapid fire conditions. Use of +P ammo or +P+ ammo can damage the locking lugs in the slide or barrel.

With money being no object, the Semi-Auto pistol can be supplied with new parts easier than a revolver as long as the frame and slide aren't damaged. So can the revolver be repaired, though some guns require more gunsmithing than others.
 
Good feedback thus far. I'll simply second the notion that if you buy "quality" (that doesn't mean "expensive"), you'll get more mileage than otherwise. Ruger revolvers are known for strength and durability. But Glocks are popular for a reason. You'll be able to put thousands of rounds through a good gun with comparatively little maintenance.

Don't know if it would be a factor in your decision, but my hypothesis would be that shooters tend to put more rounds through semi-autos, all else equal, because of the higher capacity and speed of reloads. So if your objective is high round count, might go with the semi-auto. If you want to limit your throughput, choose a single-action revolver!
 
The functional life span of any weapon will depend more on the quality of the gun and the type of ammo used than a certain caliber, brand or type.

The Glock is as durable as any brand and I am not a lover of the Glock. The same Glock is getting some bad press in the media due to having some blowups. Those are not due to a gun fault or wear but rather the ammo being used.

If you shoot a really hot load in a .45 LC, the gun likely will require some maintenance fairly soon.

Failure to properly maintain a weapon also shortens it life span.
 
Please, if we're going to comment online about a topic, lets use correct terminalogy, to give our posts credence. I believe there are many misconceptions regarding both types. I'm also often surprised at comments made online by people that are not well versed regarding the topic they choose to post on.


Both types can go for long, long periods of use without needing parts or repair. Many consider autos as easier to replace parts in. Perhaps, but I consider them as more likely to need those parts to begin with, as has ben mentioned about spring repalcement. I've never needed to replace any springs in Smiths (revolvers)other than one mainspring that broke. I've shot Smith revolvers a fair bit over time, around 35 years, and have had remarkably few problems, nor have I found them difficult to replace parts in if needed. Hands do wear some over time, tho it isnt a given that a hand will need repalcement, I've replaced a couple, but, as I said above, didnt find it dificult to do. I've shot well over 200K rounds thru one Smith K-22, and needed no parts or work other than a thumbpiece nut that I managed to lose. I've heard of L frame guns with at least that many rounds through them with little or no problems. I've had exactly one part in a Smith revolver actually break, a mainspring in a different K-22. I've had several parts in Ruger SA's break, so my vote would go to Smith DA's as being most able to last a long long time with little or no need for parts or work. Thats just my experience. YMMV
 
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I agree with Legionnaire, there has been good feedback thus far.

BillCA raised a good point about faster wear from rapid firing double action revolvers.

The CZ83 model in .380 may also be a candidate for longevity.

As far as revolvers, what about the S&W model 10?
 
Ammo and type of shooting has to figure into this. A 22 revolver or simi auto will run a long time where as a 357, 44 mag or other hi pressure rounds will have more ware. The 38 special target revolvers shot with 148 gr target loads also ran a long time but if you run 38sp +p through them they will show more ware. It is easier to fix a auto if drop in parts can be used than a revolver where fitting is usually required. However while Glocks and similar pistols take drop en parts some like 1911s need hand fitting. In most cases if you can afford enough ammo to ware out a pistol, you have well exceeded the cost of the pistol. Shoot the gun and enjoy it and hope you live long enough to wear it out. JMHO : Bill
 
I can remember when only revolvers were issued or used at police departments. Not today, knowledge, better guns have all changed the scene to whatever.
 
Yea, Tiny, and then they sold all those used police revolvers onto the surplus market. Did you ever see one that was worn out? Besides holster wear.
 
Tom,

I have seen a few -- note a few -- police issued revolvers that were "worn out". Remember that in the wheelgun days, police armorers could easily rebuild a Colt or S&W revolver in about 48 hours using new replacement parts. The very few that were "worn out" were either range guns or used by officers keen on lots of practice and had been rebuilt a number of times.
 
I've never seen a worn out gun. I have handled some OOOOLLLLD cheap pocket revolvers that were pretty sloppy. Good guns last through extremely long usage. An exhibition shooter back in the 1930s had a pair of revolvers with over 250,000 rounds through EACH.(One was over 300,000). Parts can and do break and wear does occur but if you take care of them you will spend truckloads of money on ammo trying to wear out a gun.
 
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