Many polymers degrade over time. Certain things rapidly increase this. One of the simple things is UV light. Glock polymers in fact have small additives to help resist this somewhat.
I reviewed the Glock polymer recipe once, and I believe it was something similar to predominantly nylon 6 with a small percent of additives to change properties. Don't think items of nylon fabric, think solid block, dense durable plastic.
Well it will still hold its shape and be fine after some time, but after time it would become more brittle and a drop or impact that would be absorbed without damage now would crack it then.
Metal firearms on the other hand will last forever if protected from corrosion and oxidation. This means a well oiled steel firearm will last centuries and be just as durable then. Now the number of fired rounds in the short term may be similar.
Personaly I think the days of the best firearm production are gone. When real heavy hardwoods were used for stocks. When solid forged steel was used.
When there was no question you had a solid reliable firearm that could take serious abuse, not just fire many rounds.
This applies even to rifles. How long do you think a modern AR will be a nice weapon with mediocre care? How long did BARs last? Garands? I think the M14 will last a long time as well. That was the last nice standard battle rifle IMHO.
Of course that hardly matters because you get presidents like Clinton ordering the destruction of all those old stockpiles of fine working firearms that would last centuries. :banghead:
Now if people all had thier own polymer molds then there would be a significant advantage to Polymer pistols. The amount of polymer to make a pistol would probably cost you all of $10. The slide and small components would total more. Seriously how much do you think bulk Nylon costs? If you had a crack, or abrasion, or just wear, you could toss it back in the mold, add a little extra Polymer and remelt it as good as new.
I remember hearing the cost of a Glock if cost was factored in relative to other firearms would be around $100. That it mainly costs more because it is priced in accordance with firearms of similar quality, reliability, and capability. Pricing it much lower would in fact probably make many view it as cheap and inferior due to the "get what you pay for" mentality.
The slide costs more to manufacture than the reciever.
You don't have many cutting parts to wear out melting plastic. No forging, stamping etc. This means not just cheaper in materials, but cheaper to manufacture over time. You just melt in desired shape and give some finishing touches, add other components and good to go. It also means you can create the perfect shape very easily. Going from concept to production takes very little effort with polymer if you got a good action.
I reviewed the Glock polymer recipe once, and I believe it was something similar to predominantly nylon 6 with a small percent of additives to change properties. Don't think items of nylon fabric, think solid block, dense durable plastic.
Well it will still hold its shape and be fine after some time, but after time it would become more brittle and a drop or impact that would be absorbed without damage now would crack it then.
Metal firearms on the other hand will last forever if protected from corrosion and oxidation. This means a well oiled steel firearm will last centuries and be just as durable then. Now the number of fired rounds in the short term may be similar.
Personaly I think the days of the best firearm production are gone. When real heavy hardwoods were used for stocks. When solid forged steel was used.
When there was no question you had a solid reliable firearm that could take serious abuse, not just fire many rounds.
This applies even to rifles. How long do you think a modern AR will be a nice weapon with mediocre care? How long did BARs last? Garands? I think the M14 will last a long time as well. That was the last nice standard battle rifle IMHO.
Of course that hardly matters because you get presidents like Clinton ordering the destruction of all those old stockpiles of fine working firearms that would last centuries. :banghead:
Now if people all had thier own polymer molds then there would be a significant advantage to Polymer pistols. The amount of polymer to make a pistol would probably cost you all of $10. The slide and small components would total more. Seriously how much do you think bulk Nylon costs? If you had a crack, or abrasion, or just wear, you could toss it back in the mold, add a little extra Polymer and remelt it as good as new.
I remember hearing the cost of a Glock if cost was factored in relative to other firearms would be around $100. That it mainly costs more because it is priced in accordance with firearms of similar quality, reliability, and capability. Pricing it much lower would in fact probably make many view it as cheap and inferior due to the "get what you pay for" mentality.
The slide costs more to manufacture than the reciever.
You don't have many cutting parts to wear out melting plastic. No forging, stamping etc. This means not just cheaper in materials, but cheaper to manufacture over time. You just melt in desired shape and give some finishing touches, add other components and good to go. It also means you can create the perfect shape very easily. Going from concept to production takes very little effort with polymer if you got a good action.