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If the government doesn't do something stupid, you should be able to hand down your rifle, and it could easily be handed down for several generations, and still not be worn out by any means.
In most civilian use situations, Wingmans statement is probably very true. Minor parts might break and you may shoot out a barrel or two which are all easily replaced.
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Consider the fact that the AR-15 has been the official weapon of the Armed Forces for right at 50 years, if I'm not mistaken that is the longest run in the history of the US Armed Forces. The military has retired some of these, the ones that have been retired from service have been used in training scenarios where they have fired hundreds of thousands of rounds.
It is a modular design, it's easy to replace parts as you go along, barrels etc can be worn out but it takes a lot of rounds.
However, from a military perspective, none of the original 50 year old rifles are being used today. They have long ago all been replaced with totally new designs of the same rifle - including lower receivers - to meet new military wants and requirements.
After Viet Nam, the military was in desperate need for NEW rifles for full combat purposes to replace the badly worn ones left over from years of hard use in SE Asia. That need led to new develoments in design that the military felt they needed or wanted for changing combat scenarions. Things like different twist barrels with a heavier design and other different configurations, 3-shot burst capabilities, longer butt stocks, round handguards, and a "fenced area" around the mag release button were all results of those needs for new replacemt rifles.
If a Viet Nam era military rifle could be found in military use today - and it definitely won't be in that configuration - the only original part might be the rear sling swivel loop. Literally all the rest of the parts would likely have have been replaced numerous times. Unfortunately, most civilians don't have a small arms armory/ready room in their basement to keep an AR going in the same manner that the military does.
But, bottom line: If you keep one in good repair with normal civilian use, An AR should last a long time.
-BCB