Didn’t notice that slight exaggeration, and given the order of posts I thought you meant me. As I’m pretty sure you know, the last time the military bought new 1911-A1 pistols was 1945, although they kept rebuilding them through the middle 1980’s - maybe later, after the Beretta was adopted. I know some of these guns that were used in training and fired continuously, had over 100,000 rounds through them (by “guns” I mean frames) and were still working after several complete rebuilds. I always thought this was interesting because about 95% or more of those frames were made during World War Two out of relatively soft steel. The parts used in rebuilding them were much better, but even so…..
The military also made special match grade pistols at Springfield and Rock Island Arsenal(s). Those in the hands of shooting teams had a lot of rounds put through them, and usually after one year were returned, stripped, rebuilt and refinished. But I would hesitate to cite a number like 300,000 rounds….
Several champion IPSC shooters have claimed to have “worn out” pistols, but I think what they mean is that the gilt-edge accuracy they demanded was gone, not that they had shot the pistol to the point of self-destruction.
