Can you wear out an airgun?

[stinkajames]

Wondering what you guys think is a high number of shots for an airgun? Particularly pcp multi-shots. Apart from normal maintenance, has anyone actually worn out a breech block or other major component on a side lever/bolt action airgun? Mine have only had a few thousand each through them. What's the most amount of pellets that some of you have put through one airgun before major failure? 50k? 100k? A million? 

 

[FukoChan]

I think there is a lot less wear from shooting pellets than lets say a .308 rifle which would have a barrel life of 5000~ rounds. It is actually normal for powder burners to rebarrel their rifle after many shots. Airguns don't seem to have any major failures as long as you own a reliable gun, replace orings, and lubricate it.

 

[mister12ax7]

Lubrication will slow the wear and tear but given enough time, the moving parts will fail. I bought a Beeman C1 carbine back in 1983, it finally bit the dust in 2014. It needed just about everything replaced.

 

[Richardo]

Yes, any airgun will eventually wear out, with a fall off in accuracy potentially the being the first indicator of wear. There are lots of opinions about bore wear, that can be worth a read.

 

[18.13]

Pellet probe guide on a Fx Bobcat MKII at 45,000. That was with zero maintenance on it. 

 

[Glem.Chally]

Pellet probe guide on a Fx Bobcat MKII at 45,000. That was with zero maintenance on it.

What part of it wore out?

Edit : ah yeah the guide

 

[AnimalHitman]

Mechanical actions are much more prone to wear than electronic actions due to the much higher number of moving parts. This is simply a statement of objective fact.

 

[John "spysir" Blount]

Sure you could, keep trying.

Have an AA with well over 100,000 pellets fired, needed to re-tighten the bolt handle after slight abuse by a new shooter otherwise zero issues, never even an oring except the barrel/breech. A good precharged rifle shouldn't need anything for years and years.





John

 

[Saltlake58]

Animalhitman - I've had my share of electronics that just die for one reason or another. Actually, Electronics do have moving parts. All those micro-gates in the parts that make up little microscopic switches for all those "1's" and "0's". As everyone should know, there are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't! And if you think binary is fun, you should try Octal or Hex.

Most recent electronic death with my solid state drive in my primary computer. Woke up one day and it just didn't boot. Drive failed miserably.

Electronics do fail. It'd be interesting to do comparison failure rates between high quality mechanical rifles and high quality electronic rifles to get some good empirical information. Till I see the facts and figures, I'm a mechanical man for guns. Still shooting my 10/22 from about 1970 with zero problems. Don't have any electronics still working from that period to compare it to.

 

[AnimalHitman]

I never said electronics never fail. I merely said that, all else being equal, electronic parts have a much lower failure rate than mechanical components. I thought that was a pretty uncontroversial comment. Apparently not.

As far as your electronics-dying epidemic, perhaps you should switch to a mechanical computer.

 

[Arzrover]

I rebuilt 2 Daystate CR94s for a friend that had a documented 100k plus through them each. He had used a pull through cleaning patch every 50 rounds on one of them. The seals needed replacement because they were more than 7 years old but no other problems except for the muzzle on the one he cleaned so much. I had to trim .150 off to get back to clean rifling. Shot as well as original after. The same gentleman had previously sold me 2 Sharp Ace Targets that had 70000 and 40000 documented rounds through them respectively and the only problem other than 0ring replacement was that the trigger had worn to the point that it would not function any longer on the high count one. I still have them and have put many thousands more through them. They have only gotten smoother. 

Soooo... I would say SOME will last nearly indefinitely. Those that have a striker sliding in an aluminum housing would be suspect to me, however. 

Bob 

 

[Saltlake58]

Animalhitman, that's why I'd like to see empirical evidence. Having seen the amount of electronics die that I've seen, I have a hard time with electronic guns. Maybe I'm wrong, the evidence one way or the other has to be out there somewhere!

Having been in computers since the mid-1980's, I've seen way too many boards just roll over and die, in virtually perfect conditions, which generates concern when we have boards in cold, wet, hot, dry, dusty, nasty conditions.

Plus, if one compares digital guns to mechanical guns, the parts are different, but still there. Like, the trigger changes from a mechanical type to a digital switch, Regulator changes from a mechanical regulator to an electronic regulator. Even the valve assembly exists on the electronic gun, just different technology. Instead of hammer, spring and valve, you have an electronic valve controller with a solenoid and to open and close the valve.

Fundamentally, same number of parts, just different placement and technology. So, what does an electronic gun really give me? That's a good question because I have never fired one. Need to find a daystate dealer close by so I can see if it really is that much better than an Impact. I know it'll be better than a Marauder, but not sure how much if that is electronic and how much is just better build quality. It's all so subjective

And, I am building a new computer over the next few weeks, but won't go back to a Babbage machine, I do need a bit more than that.

 

[Elbowgrease]

Everything wears out over time. 

 

[rwsmike]

My condor ss seems to be one of them guns that will out last them all but who knows. I had one tiny oring leak at the fill.probe but af just sent me another one for free so the battle continues. 

 

[rwsmike]

I certainly see failure in springers over time for sure 

 

[Eddie_E]

The real question is how many people have shot over 10,000 shots with Tin pellets?

One of my old Gamo Shadow 1000 has 12,000 lead pellets without much barrel wear. I recently started shooting tin at our non-lead range and I noticed the breach doesn't feel as tight when I go back to lead in the back yard. I wonder if It's all in my head or not.

 

[DHart]

Of course! There are parts that will wear and ultimately wear-out given enough use - whether the gun be mechanical or in part, electronic. Especially seals, springs, and such.

Just shoot 'em til they need something. Repair or restore as necessary. Then keep on shooting.

 

[milacik]

they are designed that way, many movable parts, springs which counteract, different materials sliding/touching each other.

As long as it is not the action itself, everything can be repaired.

Those which use quality materials and not use o rings recessed into the action itself, will survive longer for example.



I would buy airguns which have readily available parts, like what you can order from online shop

 

[Coldair]

The real question is how many people have shot over 10,000 shots with Tin pellets?

One of my old Gamo Shadow 1000 has 12,000 lead pellets without much barrel wear. I recently started shooting tin at our non-lead range and I noticed the breach doesn't feel as tight when I go back to lead in the back yard. I wonder if It's all in my head or not.

I believe you may be correct with your implication of barrel wear when shooting tin pellets instead of lead. An extreme analogy would be instead of slicing a stick of butter (lead pellets) with your knife (the lands and grooves), you are trying to slice a piece cinder or brick. Sort of metal to metal so to speak. I would also think that shooting lead slugs that are hard cast would contribute to premature barrel wear as well. Good news is that the barrel can be replaced with a new one but the only question is will it shoot as accurately as the one that got ruined? Maybe fine if shooting tin pellets in a mediocre barrel or cheap gun. They are airgunners who swear by some lead free ammos accuracy but I surely wouldn't be buying their guns when they have them up for sale!

I NEVER "EVER" shoot non lead ammo or cast slugs through ANY of my accurate lead diabolo pellet spitting airguns that I really cherish!

CA

 

[JamesD.]

I just had the ball detent in my Rainstorm that holds the mag in place fall out. I first thought how did a BB get in my pellet rifle, then I looked. I simply took that top part off, reamed it ever so slightly, and di put a BB in as a replacement to the ball detent. Fixed, but now I see a weak point where I didn't know of one before.



I had other things fail. As said, all things wear out, and the old saying of, "If it has Breasts, wheels, or any moving parts, you can expect problems with it." That philosophy can be applied by women also as I myself know the trouble my organ has gotten me into. Off topic but relevant. All things are. All of these problems depend on how you handle & treat these potential "problem givers."



That saying though of nothing under the sun is new. Seems Engineers in the airgun world are proving that saying wrong. Agreed? I'm so happy about BC's that match or exceed .22LR & some companies moving towards full external adjustment.