Barrel life question

[Eric of IN]

How many rounds can I expect to get out of my Springfield 1911 before the barrel wears out and how can I tell when it is starting to go?
Eric

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Formerly Puddle Pirate.
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
"But Officer I HAVE to have all these guns in the truck, I'm going to TFL End of Summer Meet"

 

[terridarri]

Bring it to the TFL meet and just keep shooting it and count the rounds till it wears out. LOL {remember the tape remark} PAYBACKS

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WHEN IT COMES TO FRIENDS THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT
TFL End of Summer Meet, August 12th & 13th, 2000

 

[JimFox]

Unless you're developing, and using, steel jacketed hot handloads for the Caped Avenger set - probably 10s of thousands - possibly well over 100,000 before accuracy seriously deteriorates. Wear of the rifling at the front of the chamber will be the first visually noticeable indication.

I've heard of folks shooting out 1911 barrels, but I've personally known only one who claims to have done so. He was a marine on a transport ship in WW II and had months on end (and essentially unlimited ammo) where his main recreation was to shoot at bobing targets off the stern of the ship. He started with a military issue with an unknown amount of rounds through it already - and after several months of almost daily running several hundred rounds of military hardball through it he shot the barrel out.

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Jim Fox

 

[Maddock]

I think the mating surfaces of the lock-up will wear past an acceptable point before the bore is shot on a 1911 .45ACP.
I shot a Colt Government model in IPSC competition in the 80’s. At about 65,000 rounds of mostly cast 200 gr. SWC handloads it had the frame used as the basis of a 5” comp gun. According to the top-rated ‘smith who rebuilt it to a comp gun, the bore was about half gone, but the top and bottom lugs were 80% worn out.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
PS- Even 10,000 rounds of hardball would cost a couple of grand.