How many rounds?

[xtratoy]

I've never kept a detailed accounting of how many rounds I've fired from my guns. I watch several different gun forums and always seem to see outrageous claims about ammo shot. One example was someone who shot his year old GP100 so much that the amount of ammo claimed shot through it would have on average cost over 7 times more than the cost of the gun. Another claim was over 150,000 rounds shot through his Ruger revolvers. 150,000 round is 3000 50 round boxes of ammo. I can roughly guesstimate going off of bricks of 22 LR and trying to remember how many boxes of centerfire rounds reloaded. I'm not coming close to those numbers. Been shooting for over 50 years. I don't shoot everyday or even every month and always wonder at some of the claims I see. How many of you guys were soldiers in Vietnam or the conflicts in the Middle east? I figured you would have had to shoot 5000 30 round magazines through your M4 or M16 to shoot 150,000 rounds. Did you? Is it keyboard bravado or are some people actually shooting this much. I am not discounting the fact that some people shoot competitively and use large amounts of ammo. Just wondering about the average gun owner.

 

[Dan in MI]

If there is any competition involved round count sky rockets.

Honest example. Our club had pin tables. Nobody shot them on weeknights. I would start by filling every magazine I had. Then place them evenly on each table. Followed by shooting each table. (10–12 tables) Reset the pins and repeat until my mags were all used. Rinse and repeat. Those nights were minimum 500 rounds.

 

[hittman]

I rarely count but also shoot for fun only …. Not competition.

When I decided to try a G43 and maybe qualify with it and use it for CCW, I counted. Put 800 rounds through it in 2 weeks. Not one hiccup. Then I was confident in the gun and my ability to use it.

Did the same with a G19x I bought in 2020.

 

[TestEngineer]

My first .22 was a revolver, and I had to drive over an hour to shoot at a public shooting range. In those days, a brick of ammo would last several years.

In more recent times, I started getting semi-autos and joined a close-by private shooting range. My ammo usage sky rocketed. Then usage took another big leap when I bought a McFadden speed loader. I started going through a brick every week.

My most used .22 is my Ruger Mk3, which has nearly 70,000 rounds fired. It'll be 10 years that I've had it come April. My other .22s have about another 10,000 rounds combined in the same time frame. My center fire guns have very low round counts by all comparisons.

I can't imagine how 150,000 rounds in revolvers is even possible by one person.

 

[noahmercy]

I used to shoot at minimum of 600 centerfire rounds a month (practice and in matches) when I competed, and I competed for twenty years, so that would have amounted to at least 144,000, all through Ruger revolvers (GP100 and Vaqueros). That doesn't count the two bricks of 22LR I would go through every month, a couple hundred of which went through a Ruger Single Six and Bearcat. Since I personally know shooters who would attend 2-4 times as many matches as I did, there is little doubt that some of them had round counts far higher than mine.

Since I don't do PPC or CAS any more, I am down to probably 300 a month average, and that includes rimfire and centerfire. I consider my current rate to be the bare minimum I need to maintain my proficiency, but I know many gun owners who don't shoot their handguns for years at a time, so I don't know what "average" may be.

As an aside, there is no way I could have achieve those numbers had I bought factory ammo...I am not that fiscally well-off. I cast my own bullets from wheel weights and range scrap, use a lot of brass I got once-fired, handload, and bought my powder and primers in bulk back when they were affordable and abundant. That means that several years ago I could load a box of 38 Special for roughly the cost of a 50 round box of Federal 22LR, 32 S&W Long was cheaper to load than 22LR, and 45 Colt was about 25% more expensive than the rimfire stuff.

 

[kmoore]

It's the internet, the easiest place for a person to be able to sit in their bedroom or basement and become whatever they want. Say whatever they want to say. Just learn some of the lingo by surfing the internet and become a super sniper or be the best or better at anything they want to talk about. Who's going to call them on it and prove they are full of it?
I, as an example if read a newbie on here saying they got a new rifle in xx caliber and ask want load is best to hit targets at 600 yds. Without details on their equipment, what type of target they expect to hit, what type of support they use and finally their skill set before buying the new rifle and shooting 600 yds. Some will post targets, but really what distance were they fired at. In my mind they are in the 1st grade of shooting and would be better off learning how to shoot, hit a target at 100 yds and be making tiny little groups, learn how to read the wind, adjust a scope just to mention a few points. Basically, shoot a lot and hope to have a person coach them.
I tend to not believe most of their bragging.
On the other hand, some of the people on here I will believe they do what they say by the verbiage they use over the posts they make or add to.
We had a post on here about guys bragging about their military time. I had to laugh at what I heard from guys I met during 39 years of police work during interviews or just someone wanting to BS with me. It was the same as others had experienced when meeting a guy who openly bragged about their service to this country. According to what was said to me, I begin to think all the guys who served in special forces all lived in Portland Oregon. No one said, "hello officer I was a cook in the Army."
True story: While taking a break and having coffee at a restaurant with a buddy. We were both in patrol at the time. Guy serving us coffee was someone we never met before. He starts up with I was in the Army in Nam during XX years and was a sniper. Bah, bah, bah. I asked him what caliber of rifle he used. "Oh a 30-30 Winchester." He really shot himself in the foot with that statement. After we left, we both had a good laugh. If I had not been working, I would have called his BS story.

 

[Paul B]

I started seriously shooting at age 16 and this included casting bullets so I could shoot more. With the exception of my time in the Air Force, I usually shot something at least once, if not twice a week. Frankly, I have no idea how many rounds I shot and really do not care. I do know that while I was working for the National Weather Service in Winnemucca Nevada that a hunting buddy and I were allowed to shoot pocket gopher out of a rancher's alfalfa field and the rancher supplied us with bricks of .22 LR. He said, "If these run out, go to the hardware store and buy more and put it on my bill." We'd run as many as three bricks a week on gophers, jackrabbits and any other vermin we had a clear shot at. Spent more time loading our rifles magazines that shoot or at least it seemed like that.
Paul B.

 

[Kevin]

My first pistol was a Ruger Mark II. I know I've put 50,000 rounds through it. Thats only 100 boxes of the 525 bulk packs from Wal Mart. Back then they were 500 and 525 rounds, today less…

But that was my only gun for about 5 years. Now I shoot only off and on occasionally. When I bought my 41 magnum. I was reloading and put not quite 1000 rounds through it the first couple months. But now it doesn't get shot a whole lot anymore.

150,000 rounds is a lot. I've been shooting all my life but more seriously the last 20 some years. I only wish I would have kept track of how many rounds.

 

[krw]

I usta get pd a brick 22LR/wk to feed cows. Sometimes I'd have to buy couple xtra 50bxs to get to end week

 

[GunnyGene]

Shot 6 last year with my NMBH. That's all I could afford.

 

[blume357]

I'm even amazed at what folks say they go through at a single visit to the range.... I think I might go through 20 maybe 50 rounds tops.... the most I have shot is close to 700 rounds in four days and that was a defensive handgun class.

 

[the_leper_colony]

If there is any competition involved round count sky rockets.

Honest example. Our club had pin tables. Nobody shot them on weeknights. I would start by filling every magazine I had. Then place them evenly on each table. Followed by shooting each table. (10–12 tables) Reset the pins and repeat until my mags were all used. Rinse and repeat. Those nights were minimum 500 rounds.

That's what I heard from a gentleman who helped me get started with reloading. I think he was involved in bullseye shooting; I remember him saying that he went through 500 .38 Special wadcutters every week. Those kind of numbers add up quick!

 

[lipofsky]

I have a P95 that has over 6000 rds of whatever was on sale through it, and it still does fine. My MK II gov, has about 8000 rds as I use it in our local Postal league.

 

[volshooter]

In the late 70's, when I started reloading, I shot 50 rounds a day. Once I started shooting once a month with guys from church it went to 1000 rounds each shoot. I still reload and buy ammo when it's cheap. When components got high I slowed down. Even through the tough times I still try to fire at least one mag or 2 cylinders every day. I love to punch paper. As of 2023 I'm still firing at least 6 days a week. I have no idea how many rounds I've fired. It's not about the quantity but quality and satisfaction. I'm not as good as I once was but still considered a fine marksman.

 

[contender]

For the Op,, you can see that things vary a lot.
I shoot USPSA competition,, but not seriously. I used to be a bit more serious,, but I relaxed & decided to just enjoy it more. My own shooting is usually between 3000 & 6000 rounds a year in various calibers & guns. And I shoot more than many,, but nowhere near as much as some.
Long ago,, I asked a few of the top level competition shooters how much THEY shot annually to keep up their skill levels. I won't name all their names,, but on average,, it was over 100,000 rounds annually each.
BUT,, they had sponsors, they had ammo provided, and that was their job,, to be a top level competitor.
And then I discussed things with some of the lesser known, yet highly competitive folks I knew. There, I found the numbers dropped to around 20,000 a year for the more serious shooters who competed almost every weekend.

My point is,, yes,, some folks do shoot over 100,000 rounds a year,, yet in general,, MOST do not. Ammo is not cheap, and as such,, doing the simple math,, let's calculate.
.9mm ammo, using a figure of $20 a box if purchased in bulk, and the current ammo crap not withstanding. That's $40 a hundred, or, $40,000.00 for 100,000 rounds. Unless you are wealthy, or a paid pro,, not many folks can afford to shoot that much. A serious competitor shooting 20,000 rounds a year will spend $8,000.00 annually on their ammo.
Think about it.

 

[Bob Wright]

Well, as the oddball in the group, I do keep an accurate count of my centerfire revolvers ammunition consumption. Started this in 1954 but lost the original log book.

The highest round count for any of my guns is a .45 Colt New Model Blackhawk, standing at just over 20,000 rounds fired. Many other Rugers stand over 15,000 rounds. My log book total is around 250,000 rounds fired.

Why did I start this? At the time I was the company armorer in the Army. I had two 106mm recoilless rifles in my care, and each had a log book to record every round fired. That is where I got the idea. And, since I've recorded the loading data for handloaded ammunition, also serves as a record of good loads.





Bob Wright

 

[Hvymax]

A mad minute at my Birthday Blastfests. 3,000+-

 

[Wyandot Jim]

My first center fire 357 Ruger was bought in 1967 and it probably has at least 150,000+ rounds thru it. From CAS and plinking over 55 years.
It is the one in the middle

I have loaded a few rounds for it and others.

 

[Colonialgirl]

It's the internet, the easiest place for a person to be able to sit in their bedroom or basement and become whatever they want. Say whatever they want to say. Just learn some of the lingo by surfing the internet and become a super sniper or be the best or better at anything they want to talk about. Who's going to call them on it and prove they are full of it?
I, as an example if read a newbie on here saying they got a new rifle in xx caliber and ask want load is best to hit targets at 600 yds. Without details on their equipment, what type of target they expect to hit, what type of support they use and finally their skill set before buying the new rifle and shooting 600 yds. Some will post targets, but really what distance were they fired at. In my mind they are in the 1st grade of shooting and would be better off learning how to shoot, hit a target at 100 yds and be making tiny little groups, learn how to read the wind, adjust a scope just to mention a few points. Basically, shoot a lot and hope to have a person coach them.
I tend to not believe most of their bragging.
On the other hand, some of the people on here I will believe they do what they say by the verbiage they use over the posts they make or add to.
We had a post on here about guys bragging about their military time. I had to laugh at what I heard from guys I met during 39 years of police work during interviews or just someone wanting to BS with me. It was the same as others had experienced when meeting a guy who openly bragged about their service to this country. According to what was said to me, I begin to think all the guys who served in special forces all lived in Portland Oregon. No one said, "hello officer I was a cook in the Army."
True story: While taking a break and having coffee at a restaurant with a buddy. We were both in patrol at the time. Guy serving us coffee was someone we never met before. He starts up with I was in the Army in Nam during XX years and was a sniper. Bah, bah, bah. I asked him what caliber of rifle he used. "Oh a 30-30 Winchester." He really shot himself in the foot with that statement. After we left, we both had a good laugh. If I had not been working, I would have called his BS story.

Well, I served in the Army; 38th Arty Bde AD: Hq Btry Commo Shop on Osan AFB, Korea 1967-68; Army taught me to climb telephone poles. Did you know that a ball point pen makes the same size hole in a target as a round from an M-14 rifle ?
The Btry Commander did and said he KNEW we didn't ALL fire EXPERT !!

 

[dannyd]

All I have ever owned are Ruger's all the 357,38 short, 38 Long and 38 Special have been shot out of them.