Thanks for the input everyone. My curiosity stems from that high-round count report of the CZ IPSC classic (sorry, it won't let me link - but it's the "strictlyipsc" report) where the author uses buffs and seems to be a fan for good longevity of the pistol components.
I think I'd like to try a buffer at least for practice, just to see if it works... does anyone know a source for the "thin" buffers? I see them referenced on other websites and as part of buffer packs, but I can only seem to find Buffer Technologies' standard sized buffers for sale on the web.