I got about 5k out of the points on this Mallory, before they were shot. Is that normal? I'm thinking not, but it run fine now that I have new points in.

why on earth are you running a points dizzy instead of a unilite? (optical)

Points don't last very long, that's why everyone spends $60.00 on a Pertronix, or even more for a nice A/M distributor with cool electronic goodies inside.
You may be able to convert your Mallory to a Unilite, or even add a Pertronix module to it.

I use to run Pertronix, before I re did the motor. They failed on me, thankfully I was close to home. I run points because the are easy to replace. I drive my car all over the US going to shows. I just thought it would be easier to replace point in the middle of nowhere and a lot easier to find.