Polymer guns in a hot car, are they safe to shoot?
- Thread starter scotjute
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Fine Figure of a Man
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Polymer guns aren't new and if they are not too hot to hold onto they are safe to shoot.
Old Dog
Member
Yes.
Carl N. Brown
Member
Haven't polymer frame guns been issued and used in desert battlefields? I think if there has been a problem with polymer frame guns and high temperatures, there would have been lotsa stories by now.
I read a complaint that when an early model plastic stock "snake charmer" shotgun carried on a boat as shark repellant was left on the deck in hot summer sun, the stock warped. The plastic stock was inferior material than modern polymer used by reputable gun makers and objects on an open deck in near-tropic sunlight can get hotter than those in the inside compartments of car. If a polymer gun was left exposed to the sun on the dashboard or sundeck of a car, you would have a smashed window and no gun.
Added: Quick Google search shows that the air inside a car on a sunny day with outside temperature 70 degrees, can reach 104 degrees in 30 minutes and 112 degrees in an hour; outside 80, inside 130; outside 100, inside 172. The steering wheel can get too hot to handle. But a gun in a closed container in a car will heat more slowly as the air temperature goes up especially if the container is not in direct sunlight.
I read a complaint that when an early model plastic stock "snake charmer" shotgun carried on a boat as shark repellant was left on the deck in hot summer sun, the stock warped. The plastic stock was inferior material than modern polymer used by reputable gun makers and objects on an open deck in near-tropic sunlight can get hotter than those in the inside compartments of car. If a polymer gun was left exposed to the sun on the dashboard or sundeck of a car, you would have a smashed window and no gun.
Added: Quick Google search shows that the air inside a car on a sunny day with outside temperature 70 degrees, can reach 104 degrees in 30 minutes and 112 degrees in an hour; outside 80, inside 130; outside 100, inside 172. The steering wheel can get too hot to handle. But a gun in a closed container in a car will heat more slowly as the air temperature goes up especially if the container is not in direct sunlight.
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RETG
Member
I know the H&K USP models were tested between -44 to +160 to shoot with no problems, and in some of those tests, it included taking the gun from -44 to +160 and from +160 to -44 as fast as possible. However, from personal experience, carrying a H&K USP in the Arabian desert where temps can get up to 130 and are usually around 120, the gun did not melt.
I'm assuming other polymers handgun manufactures test their weapons as thoroughly, since they are also used in extremely hot and cold climate around the world.
I'm assuming other polymers handgun manufactures test their weapons as thoroughly, since they are also used in extremely hot and cold climate around the world.
MedWheeler
Member
Much of the typical car's interior is polymer.
FL-NC
Member
Our glocks did fine in iraq and afg.and many other "warm" places. Its pretty hot in a mideastern desert.
Riomouse911
Member
I work in a desert county, it'll get plenty toasty-toasty in the cars and in the trunks in the summertime. Never had an issue with Glock guns or P-mag AR mags folding up in the heat
Not all polymers are the same material. Various plastics have been used in firearms for coming up on 100 years.(Most of the plastics of 8 decades ago were only used in stocks and grips but we have well over 50 years of the structural use of plastics in firearms.) Most of the current "poylmers" are some formulation of nylon. The melting point varies by formulae but the lowest nylon melting point that I am aware of is over 400 degrees fahrenheit. Loss of strength occurs at lower temps but still well over 300 degreesF.............so hot cars are not really an issue. Throwing it in the fire is a rather bad idea but if you want to boil it to clean it you'll be alright.
Vern Humphrey
Member
I would be more worried about the ammunition. Some powders are temperature sensitive and pressures can go up in very hot conditions. That was one of the problems with the .458 Winchester Magnum -- powder would clump up and burning conditions change if ammo was left on the dash of the Land Rover.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
An excellent point that I've never thought of before.
Other than that obvious answer, yes I had a Glock that was my car gun for years and it spent many a day in a car during hot Southeast Texas summers.
MedWheeler
Member
^^ Yep. That would be hot.
22250Rem
Member
I've had a Glock 19 since 2012 ( my first polymer gun) and have been on alert for high temp horror stories about polymer guns ever since. So far; based on what I've seen & heard here and other places I've pretty much stopped worrying about it. If there were some real world, verified, stories about it I think I would have come across some of them by now.
Polymer and composites were initially used in WWII for a variety of things, including bomber parts. The items that first got notice were nylons. They got noticed a lot.
First polymer rifle was the Nylon 66 in 1962. The AR15 and M16 were introduced in the late 60's and there are no complaints about the composite furniture on them. First handgun was the HK VP70, 1970. The Glock was introduced in 1983. The US Army is now issuing the SIG M17 composite handgun today.
We've had plastic guns about 35 years before plastic intake manifolds. Mark Holtzberg was offering composite pistons with aluminum crowns for Mini's in the early 70's. Plastic parts on engines are now commonplace, altho some owners and mechanics can point to certain items on specific models as a continuing hassle.
Different plastics, polymers, and composites, different strengths and heat tolerances, same as metals. Don't forget that at one time all stainless pistols using the same alloy on the frame and slide had galling issues. Material selection goes far beyond simple concepts.
First polymer rifle was the Nylon 66 in 1962. The AR15 and M16 were introduced in the late 60's and there are no complaints about the composite furniture on them. First handgun was the HK VP70, 1970. The Glock was introduced in 1983. The US Army is now issuing the SIG M17 composite handgun today.
We've had plastic guns about 35 years before plastic intake manifolds. Mark Holtzberg was offering composite pistons with aluminum crowns for Mini's in the early 70's. Plastic parts on engines are now commonplace, altho some owners and mechanics can point to certain items on specific models as a continuing hassle.
Different plastics, polymers, and composites, different strengths and heat tolerances, same as metals. Don't forget that at one time all stainless pistols using the same alloy on the frame and slide had galling issues. Material selection goes far beyond simple concepts.
chicharrones
needs more ammo
Car interiors and now car engine intake manifolds. Yep, I forgot about intake manifolds as well.
I still don't trust polymer intake manifolds and the "rubber" seals they have, but the seals are very easy to change out compared to a gasket on an old school cast iron or alloy intake manifold.
I'm so glad that none of my firearms have rubber seals that need changing out.
I still don't trust polymer intake manifolds and the "rubber" seals they have, but the seals are very easy to change out compared to a gasket on an old school cast iron or alloy intake manifold.
I'm so glad that none of my firearms have rubber seals that need changing out.
I have a polymer SAR B6P that sits in my car morning noon and night. It's been through a couple of hot summers and a couple of cold winters. Granted that Illinois isn't as hot as Texas or Iraq, but my car has sat in the middle of an asphalt parking lot and baked under the summer sun quite a few times, and its been out in the cold for below zero weather.
So far the polymer hasn't shown any discoloration or any signs of wear and the gun has never had a single malfunction.
So far the polymer hasn't shown any discoloration or any signs of wear and the gun has never had a single malfunction.
There was a video a few years ago where a guy's FNX pistol grip was really soft after being in the sun. I think most concluded it was a FN specific problem.
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/08/10/flexible-fnx-magwell/
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/08/10/flexible-fnx-magwell/
stchman
Member
Tim over at the Military Arms Channel does 1000 round stress tests and he shows the guns getting VERY hot (200F+) and they still work.
presspuller
Member
Most polymers have a working temp of mid 400 degs to mid 500 degs (f).
tipoc
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Well I hope your not talking about leaving a gun inside a vehicle in the direct sunlight. In which case the greater threat is it will be stolen.
Ask yourself what else melts in your vehicle when it's tucked away out of sight, aside from chocolate bars.
What else warps? That a gun will warp in the heat of a trunk or closed vehicle, is what concerns most folks who worry about this.
But as others have said, the many things inside a vehicle that are made of plastics, the console, the steering wheel, the dash, etc. do not warp. They are also made of plastics that are less durable than those used in firearms.
The AR15 has been around over 50 years. No melt, no warp.
tipoc
Carl N. Brown
Member
Google returns the melting point of Nylon 66 as Fahrenheit 516, sixty-five degrees above the ignition point of book paper Fahrenheit 451.
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