# Ammo Question



## Allterrain (Feb 20, 2010)

Hey guys, My question is this. Let's say you have a 45 and you shot X number of rounds thru it using a 185 gr. bullet, and then you shot X number of rounds thru it using a 230 gr. bullet. Does the 230 gr. bullet put more wear of any kind on the gun over the 185 gr. bullet? And if it does, does it take 10,000 rounds to show up? I guess my question is more what type and how much wear do different weight bullets have on pistols.

Thanks.


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## TurboHonda (Aug 4, 2012)

Good question. I always assumed the lighter bullet caused more wear, due to it's typically higher velocity.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Unless you shoot a heck of a lot, you're not likely to wear out your barrel in your lifetime. This can vary by gun, but a .45ACP is not a high pressure load and does not run at a high velocity so 30,000+ rounds before even thinking about replacing your barrel is not uncommon at all. Most people shoot less than 1,000 rounds a year. Some of us a lot more. But if you do shoot, say, 5,000 rounds a year, you can easily afford a new barrel since 5,000 rounds of .45ACP is not cheap.... even if you reload.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Allterrain said:


> Hey guys, My question is this. Let's say you have a 45 and you shot X number of rounds thru it using a 185 gr. bullet, and then you shot X number of rounds thru it using a 230 gr. bullet. Does the 230 gr. bullet put more wear of any kind on the gun over the 185 gr. bullet? And if it does, does it take 10,000 rounds to show up? I guess my question is more what type and how much wear do different weight bullets have on pistols.
> Thanks.





TurboHonda said:


> Good question. I always assumed the lighter bullet caused more wear, due to it's typically higher velocity.


*SouthernBoy* is correct, that shooting a low-pressure round like the .45 ACP will cause no appreciable wear, under normal self-defense and practice circumstances.
Further, the velocity difference between the 230-grain-bullet and the 185-grain-bullet loads is not enough to make a noticeable difference, either.

However, people who compete seriously will experience distinct, visible barrel wear, since they tend to practice in the thousands-of-rounds, in a given weekend.
In that case, yes, there will be a discernible wear difference between using the 230-grain loading and the 185-grain one.
There will also be an obvious wear difference between using lead, versus jacketed, bullets.


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## rex (Jan 27, 2012)

You have to shoot alot to wear out a 45acp barrel,50k rounds +.What wears them out is cleaning,whether it be overzealous or improper use of the tools and chemicals.If you want to talk about a 220Swift or some of those hotrods,a few thousand is tops if you run them hard.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

There's a Glock 17 first gen in Austria that has fired over 348,000 times (it is documented) with its original barrel. And I know of a man through a neighbor friend who ran a torture test of an M&P 9mm. I'm not sure of his round count but it was either 50,000 or 60,000. There were a few hiccups along the way, but nothing with the barrel. I watched a video of him that benchmarked his progress along the way.

Guns are funny things in this regard. We know that AR-15's tend to exhaust barrels sooner than other rifles but I don't honestly know how many rounds one might expect from an AR. I've heard that 15-20,000 is about the maximum you can expect. Then on the other side of the spectrum, you have the .22LR which never seems to wear out a barrel (yes I know... no comparison between the 5.56/.223 and the .22). 

I mentioned that most people probably shoot less than 1,000 rounds a year and I would bet that is a correct assertion. So many folks buy a gun, shoot a box or two when it's, then pack it away for months before it sees another outing. I would bet that covers most people who own firearms. Those of us who are enthusiasts do tend to shoot quite a bit more than a measly 1,000 rounds a year but even then, we may still have some guns in our collection that see far less than that.


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## TAPnRACK (Jan 30, 2013)

^ especially nowadays, lol.

Very frustrated with no ammo on shelves and online guys charging double or more!

Cheater than Dirt is having an online sale on 50rd boxes of PMC 9mm (normally $14 a box)... they are asking $59.99 per box!!!!! Over $1 a round.

I will never spend another penny on an order from Cheaper than Dirt. Midway USA is getting stuff in and charging normal prices.

F YOU CHEAPER THAN DIRT.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/74012

Sorry for the error... its $69.99 a box!!!!!

$1.40 a round for fmj 9mm from Korea.


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## Allterrain (Feb 20, 2010)

Well that answers that! Thanks guys.


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## momtotwo (Jan 22, 2013)

SouthernBoy said:


> There's a Glock 17 first gen in Austria that has fired over 348,000 times (it is documented) with its original barrel. And I know of a man through a neighbor friend who ran a torture test of an M&P 9mm. I'm not sure of his round count but it was either 50,000 or 60,000. There were a few hiccups along the way, but nothing with the barrel. I watched a video of him that benchmarked his progress along the way.
> 
> Guns are funny things in this regard. We know that AR-15's tend to exhaust barrels sooner than other rifles but I don't honestly know how many rounds one might expect from an AR. I've heard that 15-20,000 is about the maximum you can expect. Then on the other side of the spectrum, you have the .22LR which never seems to wear out a barrel (yes I know... no comparison between the 5.56/.223 and the .22).
> 
> I mentioned that most people probably shoot less than 1,000 rounds a year and I would bet that is a correct assertion. So many folks buy a gun, shoot a box or two when it's, then pack it away for months before it sees another outing. I would bet that covers most people who own firearms. Those of us who are enthusiasts do tend to shoot quite a bit more than a measly 1,000 rounds a year but even then, we may still have some guns in our collection that see far less than that.


I just want to throw out there on the .223 part of this conversation that it is very dependent on the barrel itself and how it has been treated after rifling as well as to how many rounds it will last. There are 'low end' barrels that are accurate but will shoot out in about 2,500 rounds. They will hold .5 MOA but they will not last. There are also 'low end' barrels that are chrome lined that don't shoot quite as good and are more 'blaster' barrels but they shoot the same level of 'not great' (1.5 MOA) for 10-12,000 rounds. There are also high end barrels that shoot great and will last about 6,000 rounds. There is also a nitrite process that you can do to any barrel that shoots like you want that will preserve the life of it and keep it from wearing out. For the average barrel, it will double the life. It is recommended that you do this after breaking in the barrel and then cleaning it well with something like JB bore cleaner that will clean out any fouling and carbon as well as polish any imperfections.

Smaller calibers like .204 Ruger and .17 REM shoot out even faster in the same brands of barrels. The muzzle velocity is just so high that they burn right out.

Nothing quite as much fun as seeing your target 'explode' with at .204 zinning through it though!

Given a .223 with a 40 grain or so at 400 yards will blow up a prairie dog too. LOL
:smt083


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## TurboHonda (Aug 4, 2012)

momtotwo said:


> Given a .223 with a 40 grain or so at 400 yards will blow up a prairie dog too. LOL
> :smt083


And, he never hears the shot.


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## johnme (Feb 15, 2013)

In a 45acp 230 gr there is less powder to burn, low pressure and +p is not needed.
Long time to wear a barrel out.
185 gr is a hotter load do to more powder, +p will add more pressure on the gun.
Barrel should still be fine. I would think the slide would wear more with 185 +p ?


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