Pistol wear .40 S&W vs .45 ACP

[Tech]

Which caliber will wear out a pistol faster, .40 S&W or .45ACP?
By wear I mean springs, frame, slide etc.
Let's compare a Glock 22 and a Glock 21.

.40 S&W (35000 psi) 135 gr 1,200 fps. .45 ACP (21000 psi) 185 gr 1,150 fps.

While the .40 S&W has a substantially higher operating pressure, the .45 ACP is launching a much larger projectile at similar velocity.

[mp517prct]

My thoughts on the wear factor is that most .40S&W pistols are/were designed for 9mm thus manufacturers are really stretching the limits of their designs. .45ACP pistols are designed from the start to handle the stresses of the .45ACP cartridge. Therefore, a .40 cal pistol will wear out faster

[Azzy]

PLus the .45acp is a lower pressure round.

But... what strength spings? What length barrel? What weight slide? What power chare? What grain bullet? Blocw back? Delayed blowback? Gas piston?

Tooooooooo many factors to fit in. I bet my Glock in .40 will outlast a Jennings .45 easily.

Weve seen tests that run thousands of rounds through many differnt cailbers. If the design is right, then the springs will have been speced right, and shouldnt be your point of concern.

How does it shoot for you, and will you get to the range and do good meaningful practice to put the amount of rounds though that can do that sort of wear? Sort of like askign us what size tires are going to last longer, when you drive 3 miles a week.

As for your comparison, i would expect both to wear out abotu they same time, as the parts on each were designed to handle each round.

[98Redline]

Chances are that you probably couldn't wear out either pistol to the point that it would no longer be serviceable.

Now, there are parts that wear inside every handgun and after lots and lots of rounds those parts need to be replaced periodically (springs, guide rods, etc...)

Pick the caliber you prefer, keep the gun clean and shoot it as much as you want. Don't worry about the lifetime.

[orionz06]

If you wear out a pistol you have fired so much ammo that the price of a replacement pistol is next to nothing.

[Tech]

Interesting replies thanks everyone.

[rwb1500]

If you wear out a pistol you have fired so much ammo that the price of a replacement pistol is next to nothing.

What he said.

[Edg]

Which caliber will wear out a pistol faster, .40 S&W or .45ACP?
By wear I mean springs, frame, slide etc.
Let's compare a Glock 22 and a Glock 21.

.40 S&W (35000 psi) 135 gr 1,200 fps. .45 ACP (21000 psi) 185 gr 1,150 fps.

While the .40 S&W has a substantially higher operating pressure, the .45 ACP is launching a much larger projectile at similar velocity.

Not that similar. Most .45 is subsonic, most .40 is supersonic. The .40 is usually going 50% faster.

[mbinpa]

While I am not sure if empirical data exists, I do know that the military has been testing the Model 1911 since about the beginning of the 20th Century and has not felt the need to modify it since the A1. I have been shooting a 1911A1 that was manufactured in 1942 and any mods I have made have been in terms of sights, etc. The frame and slide are still good to go! I don't know if you will be able to say the same about plastic guns after 70 years.

[SCBaldr]

The HK VP70s seem to still be holding soundly and at this point most of them are 35-41 years old. To be fair, there is a gunwriter for the magazine "Combat Handguns" who has put nearly 300,000 rounds through a gen 2 G17 which he claims still shoots tight groups. That gun has had a grand total of two parts breakages, both of which were quickly repaired. That said, question was which wound will wear out a gun faster.

I would say that if the gun is a piece of shit, any round will wear it out quickly. If it is a good quality gun like a S&W M&P or an HK or a good 1911, Steel framed Sig Sauer, Etc. Then it should be designed to work exclusively with the round that its chambered for. The exception to that rule is an aluminum frame under a steel slide. Sig Sauer has built a company on that combination and it is well known that the frame rails of the aluminum framed models will eventually wear out. Manufacturer's gunsmiths estimate somewhere between 25,000 and 35,000 rounds. They might last longer if the rails are kept well greased. I don't know what the service life of the S&W Al frame autos are, but I would suspect that it is a similar number.

The metal Vs plastic argument has been beaten to death, had a hash made of it for breakfast, had been chewed on, digested and regurgitated only to be beaten some more. The simple fact of the matter being that the poly framed guns haven't been around for 100 years yet, and only when they have been around that long will the argument be able to be settled. However, even then, it will still likely be argued over.