A Polymer80 question for those who have built one

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gunsrfun1

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Hard to find a good forum for P80 nowadays, so I am relying on my go-to source for things that go bang: THR. Hoping someone can assist with this question.

I just bought a jig for a Polymer80 full-size pistol frame (PF940V2), and the frame and jig don't seem to be mating all that well. There is a significant gap in both ends of the jig with the frame installed, and that sure doesn't seem normal to me. Even taping it does not hold the jig fully shut.

The problem seems to be that when the frame is inserted into the jig, it is so tight that it's pushing the end of the jig outwards, causing the splaying you see in the photos.

I saw on another website that someone else had a similar problem. The pictures below are of his P80. My frame-and-jig looks exactly the same.

My question: Did those of you who have built a PF940V2 (full-size) frame experience this same issue with the jig? Or is it possible that the jig is just plain defective? (I've heard that P80's quality control isn't the best; could that be the issue?)

The vendor has offered to send me a replacement (after a bit of nudging by me), but I wonder if the replacement might be even worse.

Thanks
Jig5 - with frame inside.png Jig6 - with frame inside.png
 
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Most will tape the jig together before drilling the holes. I prefer using a good quality electrical tape and stretch it a bit to hold the jig together.

And yes every P80 jig I have used is that way. none of them fit together perfectly. I taped every jig and all frames turned out great.

PS; I was a member of the old Marine Gun Builder forum and quite a few of my technical write ups were even on the MGB Blog. Too bad all of that info is now gone.
 
^This^

The most important part of the build is to make sure your holes are lining up where they need to be. To bad some of the QC ain't where it should be but they are fun to build. I haven't had a single one turn out bad but sometimes the builder needs to jump through some hoops to get there. Teaches you a lot about building them though.
 
I figured out why this occurs, at least on the full-size frame and jig that I have: The jig is too small at both ends. If I pull the two halves of the jig apart and just set them down on the bottom edge, they are basically both straight from front to back. But when I put the blank inside either half of the jig, the two ends of the blank push the respective ends of the jig outward, because the blank is slightly too big for the blank. That's what creates the gap when you put the two halves together with the blank inside.
In other words, poor design and crappy QC.
I tried like heck to close the gaps with tape (several types), but without much luck; the splaying is very strong at both ends because the blank is pushing the jig ends outward.
We'll see if the replacement is any better.
 
All Polymer 80 jigs have that gap, some worse than others.

I have built plenty P80 frames and have had to tape up every single jig. This goes for the PF9SS (G43), 9402SC (G26), 940C (G19), 940 V2 (G17), 940CL, PF45 (G21), and the Strike 80 (G19) frames.

I tried like heck to close the gaps with tape (several types), but without much luck; the splaying is very strong at both ends because the blank is pushing the jig ends outward.

Hopefully the replacement is better. Again All of the jigs I have used over the years have some gap.

Quite a few of us on the old Marine Gun Builder Forum raise stink with Polymer 80 over the infamous nose droop on the Strike 80 frames. The reason for the nose drops was that P80 was taking the S80 frames out of the molds before they were cooled down enough. And I bet the same happened with your jig. Polymers can and will warp if cooled down too quickly or taken out of the molds too early.
 
I have two P80 frames/jigs that are untouched, since I bought them before I found put they couldn’t legally be built into guns here in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Ca. (They will remain unaltered until the day after I move to the USA.)

The PF94v2 standard frame jig has the splay at the rear, but its easy to close with tape if I needed to.

12DBA5A3-1BEA-4FB3-8440-186A2C3028AF.jpeg
EC809132-DC79-4ADC-A107-EF7E4B8F2210.jpeg 8E468149-D335-48F9-8EA5-BB9DC6B936FA.jpeg

The OF94C compact frame jig has the splay at the front. It, too is easy to close with tape.

3D10F8ED-F45C-400E-A751-0D752C0588FD.jpeg 58685DD8-5466-4E08-B27A-52A4C5EE9975.jpeg BFF271E4-9C1D-4B21-91A3-F6AD90120EA2.jpeg

I guess every one of these kits is an individual, but it sounds like the others who have completed their kits with the same jig issues did not have too much trouble making good frames. :thumbup:

If you finally complete your kit let us know what you think and how it shoots for you. :)

Stay safe.
 
Maybe you could heat the jig up with boiling water and then put the jig on the frame and clamp it while it cools. I have had to straighten out some warped grips that way.
 
I have not seen that issue .I tape the jig together with electric tape and drill!Also marine gun builder is the best source for the build info you seek.
 
I'm well aware of the gap; had it in the 940C and PF45 frames I built. This one is different. It's so pronounced and "molded in" that when you close one end with tape, the other end pops open, even if it's taped. It's all because the blank doesn't sit all the way down into the jig, due to crappy molding of the jig.
They are sending a replacement jig. Honestly, I wish they would send a refund; I'm done with P80's crappy quality control and their excuses.
And on that note ... anyone know anything about this company's frames? Would be nice for P80 to have some competition:
https://www.1776supplyco.com/product/geisler-19x-pistol-blank/
Made in Israel, which has a pretty good plastics manufacturing industry.
The jigs are available here:
https://dldhardware.com/products/geisler-jig
I'm intrigued ....
 
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Also marine gun builder is the best source for the build info you seek

The Marine Gun Builder forum is gone. It was shut down back in January of 2022. There are a couple of forums that have since popped up trying to be like the MGB forum but they aren't even close.

I was a member of the Marine Gun Builder Forum and quite a few of my technical write ups even made it to the MGB Blog. Though the Blog is gone too.
 
Yeah, he and his forum are sorely missed. You are right ... nothing else comes close. Some decent posts occasionally on Reddit, but still not equal to MGB.

The Marine Gun Builder forum is gone. It was shut down back in January of 2022. There are a couple of forums that have since popped up trying to be like the MGB forum but they aren't even close.

I was a member of the Marine Gun Builder Forum and quite a few of my technical write ups even made it to the MGB Blog. Though the Blog is gone too.
 
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