How many rounds?

[capo2186]

Hey guys,

I am just curious how many rounds do you guys fire through a single firearm at the range? I am only curious because a guy I was talking to this morning on the train said that it is bad for the firearm if your fire more than 30-40 rounds of ammo on a single outing. He said it can "warp" the barrel of the gun due to heat.

How many rounds would you guys say is too much? I plan on buying my first hand gun soon and would hope I can run more than 30 -40 rounds per outing through it. Any thoughts?

I shoot rifle and shotgun all the time and seem to have no problems, are handguns different?

[willyNH]

no. i have never experience or heard of barrel warpage in handguns or long guns from firing any amount of ammunition.

If you are an accuracy whore, barrel heating in long guns can distort accuracy (usually vertical stringing) as the barrel heats and cools.

A day at the range for casual practice, hi volume practice, or an intense IDPA/USPSA match is not going to cause permanent damage to a gun barrel.

By a gun of known quality and put as many rounds downrange as you can afford to become familiar/competent with that gun. Stay safe and have fun.

-Matt

[Glock Fan]

I've put over 500 rounds through each of my Glocks on several occasions. It all depends on what I'm doing. My "normal" day at the range would be 200 or so rounds. I'll burn through a box of ammo "warming up". Realistically, 30-40 rounds is a very small amount considering ammo usually comes in boxes of 50.

I recall one instance where I put 15 magazines (150 rounds) of ammo through my Glock 23 to see how hot the barrel and slide will get. They were both "hot", but nowhere near being hot enough to light a cigarette. Keep in mind that the polymer frame of a Glock and many other polymer pistols will melt if exposed to temperatures in excess of 500 degrees F.



gf

[capo2186]

Originally Posted by Glock Fan

I've put over 500 rounds through each of my Glocks on several occasions. It all depends on what I'm doing. My "normal" day at the range would be 200 or so rounds. I'll burn through a box of ammo "warming up". Realistically, 30-40 rounds is a very small amount considering ammo usually comes in boxes of 50.

I recall one instance where I put 15 magazines (150 rounds) of ammo through my Glock 23 to see how hot the barrel and slide will get. They were both "hot", but nowhere near being hot enough to light a cigarette. Keep in mind that the polymer frame of a Glock and many other polymer pistols will melt if exposed to temperatures in excess of 500 degrees F.



gf

I was planning on purchasing a Sig and going to the range with about 200 rounds and probably shooting 100-200 of them. I didn't think this would be an issue. 30 - 40 rounds would be a real short outing.

[festus]

Originally Posted by capo2186

Hey guys,

I am just curious how many rounds do you guys fire through a single firearm at the range? I am only curious because a guy I was talking to this morning on the train said that it is bad for the firearm if your fire more than 30-40 rounds of ammo on a single outing. He said it can "warp" the barrel of the gun due to heat.

How many rounds would you guys say is too much? I plan on buying my first hand gun soon and would hope I can run more than 30 -40 rounds per outing through it. Any thoughts?

I shoot rifle and shotgun all the time and seem to have no problems, are handguns different?

It will not "hurt" a firearm to put a couple hundred rnds downrange it just takes longer to clean it. The only exception is Precision Long Range Rifles. They should be cleaned every 20-40 to prevent copper fouling that effects accuracy. I have shot competition and can tell you copper fouling WILL affect your 1000 yd bolt gun adversly.

While I was in the USAF when you shot to qualify it was generally 80-100 rnds in a day and you qualified with a gun that already had 40-60 rounds downrange for practice and instruction.

[KimberPB]

I'm with everyone else. If I take just my kimber to the range I'll put atleast 100 rounds down range in an hour. I've also taken multiple training classes were I've shoot 400+ rounds without any issues.

You'll like the Sig its a nice gun. Have fun with it and practice without worring about it!

[kwo51]

Todd Jarrett put 5000 rounds through a para in one setting .Gun got so hot gloves and a bucket of water were used.He had 3 reloaders keeping up or trying to keep up.I own one and like it.

[capo2186]

Thank you guys for all your responses and help. I plan on running through 100-200 rounds per outting. Thanks!

[Scarecrow]

if you get a hand gun that warps the barrel after shooting it 30-40 times... then the barrel must be made of plastic. it would be hard to find a regular shooter who can control himself enough to ONLY shoot 30-40 rounds per outing... I know I sure can't.

[2beararms]

It's never been my barrel warping that has limited the number of rounds I shoot it is usually my thumb warping from trying to reload mags. If I use a mag loading tool 200-300 in an outing is certainly within normal range.