poly guns

[ussmarshall]

I have never owned a poky frame handgun I would welcome as much information as possible.my question about the whole plastic gun thing is how solid is it? Can I shoot it as much as I want just like an all steel gun? Or do I have to go easy on it? Are they rated for + p ammo? Any other pros cons you guys know would be great. I am thinking of geting a pocket 9mm and it seems to be universal that they are a poly frame design at lest the ones in my price range. Thinks

 

[Fiv3r]

I think you'll find that poly vs steel is going to come down to personal preference.

For the most part, polymer guns are just as durable if not more so than their metal counterparts, especially aluminum. Granted, the solid steel frame of a 1911 would probably make a better hammer than a Glock's plastic one, but I can't remember the last time I needed to pound a nail with an awkward $500 hammer

I like both polymer and steel. I have several of each. The steel ones are classic, timeless designs. However, they tend to be heavier. There is a lot to be said about a polymer semi auto that holds 2 and a half times the ammo of a 1911 and comes in at almost half the weight.

Polymer has proven to be durable, reliable, and cost effective. While there will always be a market and a need for a steel sidearm, the modern technology of the polymer pistol has more than proven itself to be the preferred method of manufacturing for the foreseeable future.

It's personal preference, of course. I would see if you could rent one of the pocket 9s to see if you like it before you buy. For me, I never could shoot the little buggers well. I'm a revolver guy if the gun drops below a 4" barrel.

Good luck

 

[handloader357]

Ive been a 1911 and wheel gun guy all my life. Over the past 3 years ive gotten 4 poly guns. 3 of them have been great, one's turned out to be a lemon. 3 out of 4 ain't bad i guess...

In all seriousness, the one I carry most is an XD, they're great guns, just different than their steel counterparts. My only gripe is they dont balance well when low on ammo. A full mag weighs more than the rest of the gun.

 

[jmr40]

The plastic guns will take at least as much punishment as any steel gun. And outlast aluminum framed guns by a wide margin/

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Polymer holds up just fine. I own steel and polymer guns, and like both. I see steel as shooters and heirlooms. Polymer is more of a tool to me, but works well.

Now one place I can't get past polymer is on a revolver. LCR is out for me.

 

[Strahley]

I don't treat polymer guns any differently than a steel one. I shoot, clean, and store them all the same

 

[ussmarshall]

Thanks that sells me on them and it is true they have been around a long time.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Started on revolvers in handguns back in the '70's....migrated to loving autoloaders. I have been out of shooting sports/guns/collecting for almost 30 years and revived my interest last Summer to get my skills back up for Illinois concealed carry.

I wanted nothing to do with polymer guns...never owned one, never shot one, thought they were ugly and could not imagine owning one.

My Wife and I and a small group of folks went on a binge to find the guns that inherently handled and shot well for each of us. We rented, borrowed, or bought virtually one of everything for the experience and to find our Soul Mate pistols. My two absolute favs by a landslide are both polymer guns....Glock 26 and a Beretta Px4 SC.

I have since purchased and personalized one of each and have moved right in and now actually prefer polymer framed guns and have a Ruger LCR and a Glock 42 (not yet in possession) for carry gun rotation. The weight savings and lower maintenance makes the difference. Love my polymer guns but still have a massive soft spot for my all steel guns like my Colt 1903's in .32 and my Dan Wesson and Smith and Wesson revolvers.

Rent a poly and shoot it...or buy a polymer framed gun and shoot it to get the taste. It's the modern gun - it's not gonna go away.

VooDoo

 

[tarosean]

my question about the whole plastic gun thing is how solid is it?

The slide takes the punishment in semi auto designs. Thats why frames have been built out of a variety of metals and processes . Poly framed guns have been around for 44yrs now. If there was serious issues they would have fallen by the wayside a long time ago not reproduced by every gun manufacturer out there.

Can I shoot it as much as I want just like an all steel gun?

Yes.

Or do I have to go easy on it?

I wouldnt leave it on your hot BBQ pit...

Are they rated for + p ammo?

A lot are.

Any other pros cons you guys know would be great.

Pro's and cons are more an individual thing. Mine would be different than other peoples. For instance I hate the triggers on poly guns, yet like the light weight.

 

[Spats McGee]

Check the owner's manual to find out if a particular poly gun is rated for +p. I don't have a great deal of experience with poly semiautos, having bought my first one about a year ago, but everything I've seen indicates that there's no need to baby them. If you find one you like, get it and shoot the ever-living snot out of it.

 

[Drail]

My biggest objection to poly framed guns is the top heavy balance you get when you place a steel slide and barrel above a lightweight frame especially with a double stack high cap magazine. With a loaded double stack magazine the first couple of rounds will produce X amount of recoil and as you work your way through the magazine the gun starts producing more and more muzzle lift. I have always preferred an all steel single stack gun's recoil characteristics. (or an all steel revolver) It's also interesting to watch a high speed slow motion video of say, a Glock firing and watch how much flex and distortion the frame goes through (it's a lot). There are videos on the net that show this. Lightweight guns are nice to carry all day but really weird to shoot.

 

[hardluk1]

ussmarshall. Theres not many 9MM's that really make good pocket pistols if any. They can max the limits of clean look carry'n in a pocket. I CC'd a 9mm in my front pocket at work for some years but away from work and now that I am retired I only pocket CC now when wearing bib overall's. working around the yard. Other wise its easier to step up a size and iwb it.

They all can use some grip aid, I use old free used 1.75" inner tube found at bike shops. With all +P rated pistol use a good quality mid weight bullet to be sure the slide makes a for rack. Some have some of the heaviest recoil spring out there and some cheap 115gr will not make it cycle when new or for a 100 rounds or so. Then they will run on it too. Gota soften them up a bit.

You will hear this and that about brands and most times a persons skill, common sense and ammo play into how well a pistol runs for a owner. Seems the smaller a pistol is the more trouble you can have and makers produce an occasional turd to be fixed. . Production is high today so they get out. I carry one many complain about but have close to 1600 trouble free rounds fired in it.

For many a cm9/nano/solo sized pistol is about as large as you want to pocket others will streatch that a bit.

Chart below well give you a load of info. Then handle any you can find.
http://www.southernoutdoorlife.com/mouseguns/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

 

[usp9]

I've had two all steel guns fail, as in develop a crack. I've yet to see one of my polymer guns have a problem, and I shoot them more than the other. Polymer works for me just fine.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

I grew up shooting revolvers and a few all steel semi-autos. Even after Glock became really popular, I couldn't stand they way they felt. But that all changed a couple months ago when I was looking for a new pistol. The first time I had the Smith SD40-VE in my hand, it felt like it was made for me personally. It does tend to have a little more muzzle flip when the mag is running empty, but I flat out love shooting this pistol!

L8R,
Matt

 

[DaisyCutter]

I'm sure at some time in the past, there was a couple salty old babylonian warriors scoffing at and distrusting the new iron weaponry on ye olde bronze sword forum.

 

[Blue Brick]

And outlast aluminum framed guns by a wide margin

The Ruger P-Series used a Anodized hard coated Aluminum alloy frame.

The P-85 barrel’s was plugged with a Steel rod and fired with military high-pressure M882 ammunition and the only damage was bent extractor that separated from the slide as the case was removed from the chamber.

 

[BSA1]

As a dyed in the wool clinging to my Bible and Guns shooter I have also resisted polymer frame semi-autos until shoulder surgery a year ago on my strong side forced me to shoot weak handed for three months. My daughter has a Ruger SR9c that I shot during that time and I really enjoyed it. My weak hand shooting really stinks but that Ruger never jammed once and the trigger pull was so manageable I could keep all my shots in the black on a bullseye target.

 

[XD 45acp]

Just flipped the 10K round count on my XD45acp service model. Never had an issue.

 

[jjones45]

Polymer's the new steel, lol. On a serious note 3 out of the last 4 handguns I've bought have been polymer and I have no regrets. My steel guns are heavier and tend to rust. For carry I prefer poly, for HD it doesn't matter. For what it's worth I have a glock 23 that has thousands upon thousands of the high pressure 40 s&w rounds thru it and doesn't show any signs of being shot out yet. Just like any other gun, if you take care of them they will take care of you. There is still a special place in my heart for an all steel gun, but equally for the plastic fantastics. Like stated in a prior post, polymer revolvers just don't seem right. I'm on the fence about polymer AR lowers as well

 

[Nom de Forum]

I'm sure at some time in the past, there was a couple salty old babylonian warriors scoffing at and distrusting the new iron weaponry on ye olde bronze sword forum.

A more pertinent comment than many may imagine. Poly guns have really only been a factor for about 30 years. It took centuries before iron weapons became completely dominant over bronze. The early iron weapons were made with such low quality iron that they had little superiority to the high quality bronze alloys that had been perfected over centuries. Do a little searching online and I am sure you can find a demonstration of accurate reproductions of early iron swords pitted against contemporaneous bronze swords. The results will surprise you with how good the bronze swords were. This and the fact bronze was easier to work with and well understood contributed also. What really helped iron was it was much easier to find and cheaper. Bronze requires tin and tin was a difficult to get metal for many of the Bronze Era civilizations. I would not want to bet we will not see synthetics developed just like iron to the point they completely supersede metal for firearms manufacture if hand held directed energy weapons don't arrive before that time.

 

[LT.Diver]

I've got a second generation Glock 19 that I bought in 1992. I couldn't tell you how many thousands of rounds I've put through that thing, but it's still going strong.