I think most guns got worn out by what was done to them when they were not being shot.
Accidents apart (i.e. dropping it off a bridge /running it over with a tractor etc) I think if you take agun out, shoot with it using appropriate ammo, clean it, oil it and store it properly, it will look good for a long time.
The Webley 700 that was my father's from new and mine from the age of 13 looks pretty much as it did when I inherited it in 1981. My Purdey has changed not at all in my five years of ownership, despite constant use.
