The other thread about the best duck gun got me thinking, can you really shoot a gun out?

I've been shooting browning gold hunters since the late 90s. Have put iwho knows how many rounds through them, I've got 3 of them. Two 12 ga and a 20ga. They have been my go to guns over the last 20+ years. I have no idea how many shells I have putthrough them over the years probably a thousand year roughly between Clay's, dove and ducks. Ive never had any issues with them and no major repairs other than replacing some return springs that weren't giving me any issues. It just got replaced bc it's a relatively cheap part and years passed so decided to do it.

Have yall ever heard anyone truelly shooting a gun out?

Pistols and rifles, yes. You can wear our parts on shotguns like springs, ejectors, and other small pieces, but not the barrel or action.

I have heard of shooting a shotgun out, but it’s pretty rare on a quality piece of equipment. Poorly hardened parts in budget guns are a significant factor that shortens their useful lives.

11-87s and 1100s used for trap/skeet/sporting clays that are adequately maintained surpass 100,000 rounds on a fairly regular basis. The same gun used extensively for goose and duck hunting with heavy loads, hostile/wet/muddy conditions, and cleaned once a year may start having issues at several thousand rounds. (Been there, done that.)

Truely high volume shooting (1-2,000 round a day), like dove hunting in Argentina, day after day can start doing things like causing the rib to become unsoldered and find other weak points in construction. That’s a torture test.

Just about any shotgun sold in the US will withstand a thousand or so rounds a year for many years without breaking, much less wearing out.

A quality shotgun doesn't begin to wear out until over 100,000 rounds if you take care of it. I'm an O/U it takes a lot more to wear it out than a semi-auto.

That's what to tell the wife when you want another gun

I have seen Remington 870s at police academies that have seen 1000s of rounds of buckshot and slugs a year for the past 40 years still going strong.

Unless you are a national, international, or olympic level trap or skeet shooter, IME the chances of the average shooter wearing out a shotgun are pretty low.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Been to Cordoba three time...same lodge.

The owner says they expect 150,000 rounds out of their guns.

Clean em daily with diesel, a cordless drill, and a brass brush on a long rod.

Its not the barrels that are done at 150,000, the receivers eventually wear too much for the bolts to function reliably.

They run the Benellis?
Since benelli literally makes a cordoba shotgun for that purpose

The lodges Ive hunted had Benelli and/or Beretta 20g autos and very few (if any) 12 gauges.

If I remember correctly, the record for doves shot in one day is held by Scott Bree (sp?), roughly 15,000 birds using four Winchester SX3 20 gauges,

Thank you for the link. There is nothing like empirical evidence. It made me very happy that I changed from the 11-87 and Browning Silver to the M2.

The only barrels I've ever saw shot out were old shotguns made before steel shot. The barrels are softer steel shooting lead no problem but steel shot will eat the choke right out of them I had a Remington M 11-48 12ga. 30" barrel full choke, shot steel out of it when steel first came out destroyed the choke it that gun.

For the majority of shotgun work I always choose my 1965 Browning Auto 5 12 gauge for Squirrel & Dove. For Sandhill Crane hunts it's my Browning BPS 12 gauge which I paid $250 for. The best shotgun money I ever spent.

I broke a firing pin on my 870 a few years back during a great dove hunt. I also have replaced both shell latches. I bought the gun at Gibsons with money i made on paper route. It was my only shotgun for 40+ years. It is now retired.