Plastic with soul?

My Glocks fit that bill. So much so, they are all Ive been carrying on a daily basis for the past decade or so, and Ive carried SIG's, Colts, HK's, and a couple of others for a good bit in the past before retiring them for the Glocks.

I still shoot all of them regularly, but I shoot a couple of the Glocks a couple of times a week.

My Star UltraStar. It is a polymer frame but with the feel and responsiveness of my steel frame semi-automatics.

Electricmo said:

Does anyone have a plastic gun they just feel is a part of them? If so give me the reason why and the brand.

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This might sound kind of silly, but as I mentioned in another thread, my wife and I are planning on going over to a friend's ranch on Monday to shoot ground squirrels, and I'll be carrying my Glock 44 for the "close range" (20 yards or less) ones. I just love that little .22. I bought it because I already had a Glock 19, and it is the exact same size, only lighter.
However, once I got my Glock 44, I learned how much fun it is, how reliable it is, and how accurate I am with it. It has replaced my old Model 63 Smith as my "kit" gun - the gun I carry along on fishing trips to shoot at impromptu targets when the fish aren't biting, and it works just as well as my Model 63 for pests like ground squirrels. The fact that it feels like my concealed carry gun (my Glock 19) is just icing on the cake.

Some guns are art, the skill and craftsmanship to make such beautiful and precision parts fit together to make a finely tuned beautiful machine, is in my opinion art.

“Plastic” was at one time a synonym for fake. Now it’s a material and that usage has pretty much gone, but I think that says it all.

Their is definitely a place for plastic in firearms but I’ve never seen one that was more than a tool, sometimes a very good, quality tool, but nothing more than a tool.


Just my 2¢ Worth just what you paid for it.

Glock 17 for me.

Imagine Dr Phil’s thick Texas accent saying; “It don’t have to make sense.”

The soul is added to the plastic gun by means of aftermarket accessories to make it truly yours.

-Stan

Electricmo said:

I have been on the lookout for a plastic/polymer pistol that stirs my soul like a good all steel on does. I’ve found nothing. There just doesn’t seem to be any character to the plastic fantastics. So I guess they are there for utilitarian reasons. Does anyone have a plastic gun they just feel is a part of them? If so give me the reason why and the brand. I’m still searching for that piece of plastic that completes me like my all metal pistols do.

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No.

I'm slowly divesting myself of polymer firearms. The only ones I have are a Ruger SR40c, a Ruger LC9, and a Ruger 22/45. I'm not getting rid of them because they are Ruger; I like Ruger products for their reliability, never had an issue with any of them, but, as you say, polymer guns have no character. If Ruger had made the SR40C with a metal frame, no way would I part with it. It has been my EDC for over 6 years. I'm replacing it with a SA EMP4 Commander-sized 1911 in .40S&W. Steel and wood.

Maybe the Heckler & Koch Mark 23.

I'm not into the Soul thing but I am into cost effective tools such as Glock and the SW MP series handguns. I value function over artistic form.

I like my Glocks. I have 2 Gen 3 G34’s and a G45. Once I leave Granola Land here I plan to get myself a Glock 44. All my guns have soul. The soul I put into them. Just like all my revolvers, rifles and shotguns.

Hey, you guys know what’s really cool?
In my gun safe I store my Glocks in the same racks as my classic Smith & Wesson revolvers and my Ruger PC Carbine sits right between my M1 Garand and my lever guns and all of these wood and steel wonders are in fantastic shape and they have no plastic cancer or anything. Simply amazing!

Only ever owned one tupperware gun, a SIG P250C.

Gotta admit it was pretty nice, never felt cheap and shot great. Stupidly sold it to my buddy, who still has it and wont sell it back.

Ive shot my Daughter's Walther PPS quite a bit, and it has a certain German charm to it which is not entirely soulless.

But for the most part, plastic fantastics do seem less like companions and more like tools.

I like function over soul but with certain firearms and thier intended uses, I can also like soul over function. Hence hunting or plinking with a .50 Hawken when I could simply grab an AR-10. The "soul" of a firearm is in the eye of the beholder. No matter the material it's made from.

Edit: I found a little "soul" in the plastic guns after seeing U.S. Marshals as a young man.
He sure knows how to succinctly deliver a line.

To the OP - you won’t ever find a polymer pistol that floats your boat because you don’t really want to or don’t believe they exist. It’s called confirmation bias. Every time you try a polymer pistol that you don’t like it further reinforces to you that a polymer with soul doesn’t exist and that is because deep down you don’t believe there is such a thing. Save yourself the disappointment and stick with 1911s and Hi Powers. FWIW, I don’t know anyone who has fired a Sig X5 Legion and not liked it.

SimonRL said:

To the OP - you won’t ever find a polymer pistol that floats your boat because you don’t really want to or don’t believe they exist. It’s called confirmation bias. Every time you try a polymer pistol that you don’t like it further reinforces to you that a polymer with soul doesn’t exist and that is because deep down you don’t believe there is such a thing.

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This isn't a half baked Psych 101 class. Or a card reading. You have no idea if a polymer will ever "float" OPs boat. You don't even know what he's tried out yet.

SimonRL said:

Save yourself the disappointment and stick with 1911s and Hi Powers..

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My two favorite auto pistols. Yet I'd never suggest that OP "won't ever" find a polymer pistol that works out.

My carry piece is a Sig P365, my house gun is a Glock 17. If I actually need to use either to defend my wife and I, we’ll I won’t shed a tear if I don’t get it back after a trial. I would hate to see a Wilson Combat or a Smith & Wesson performance center lost for good because I used one to smoke some night time intruder.

I've yet to hold a polymer gun in my hands and feel any connection with it or real appreciation for it. But there are a lot of them that I've not handled, have only shot a few Glocks that I can recall. The only one I've ever actually owned was an HK P2000SK V3. It was, by a huge margin, the least favorite gun I've ever owned.

It goes against all the cheap injection molded production ideology to mass produce quickly, repeatably accurate, and cheap items, BUT there is a huge component of the gun for me in the grips… specifically in detachable grips which can be customized. If any of the big makers would just make a pistol with replaceable inserts to use stag or walnut…even just a different color of plastic would be a significant improvement.

Mn Fats said:

This isn't a half baked Psych 101 class. Or a card reading. You have no idea if a polymer will ever "float" OPs boat. You don't even know what he's tried out yet.

My two favorite auto pistols. Yet I'd never suggest that OP "won't ever" find a polymer pistol that works out.

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Mn Fats said:

This isn't a half baked Psych 101 class. Or a card reading. You have no idea if a polymer will ever "float" OPs boat. You don't even know what he's tried out yet.

My two favorite auto pistols. Yet I'd never suggest that OP "won't ever" find a polymer pistol that works out.

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Did that touch a sensitive spot? Hmm, why do you think that is?

SimonRL said:

Did that touch a sensitive spot? Hmm, why do you think that is?

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Huh? You're trying to tell someone to stick to a certain design. 1911/Hi Power and nothing else will ever "float your boat". I disagreed. Next.

Glock 17 gen 5 - if I was going to enter a shooting contest, I'd take that; it is also easily concealed in FL attire (shorts & shirt).
Glock 20SF (10mm) arguably has the most potential for stopping threats ASAP and in case of bears, .... in the Publix parking lot.

Electricmo said:

I have held several brands and the grip surface has always been disappointing. Walther has been the best feeling so far. I just don’t get that warm fuzzy feeling when holding these guns. Almost like the size to weight ratio is off. The Springfield XDM wasn’t too bad.

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One advantage with the polymer guns is, its usually easily remedied to suit your needs.

Glock 23.4. Carefully fit to my hand. With a smooth 35 trigger and carry magwell added. My Glock 43x is quickly becoming a plucky little friend as well.

My Glocks, walks the walk. Get some targets and a shot timer.

Crunch and tic triggers, and aesthetic appearance, pale in comparison to superior performance. I became plenty emotionally attached to my Glocks when I started wasting my peers, when competing with them. Simple ccw drills. Draw and a dualing tree. It's got plenty of soul.

I still have two 1911's in my quiver. They have their niche. I dont feel that they have more soul. They have a niche in the commander and government sizes. I've sold all of the officers and cco's because theyre obsolete. (So much soul that they're dead ghosts?)

Which has more soul?:
-A cute, pretty, skirt wearing, chiwauwa that only likes your wife and bites you.
- A Belgian Malinois that'll walk into battle along side you and is perfectly obedient to you, for life?

Which has more soul:
-An exotic sports car that rusts continuosly, never starts, and costs a fortune.
-An all black FFR Cobra that starts every time, has a fiberglass body, and hasn't needed more than oil filters, pads, and tires in 10 years. Not to mention, it's nearly always far quicker than the above, when driven by you.

Paintings don't have soul. In my world, reliable tools do. Yes I have a favorite hammer. It's older than me.