Polymer Revolvers, Trend or Gimmick?

[harmon rabb]

Gimmick, definitely.

Just like the Glock. Remember them?

post of the day

 

[LawofThirds]

I've got to agree with ArmedBear. If there was a weight decrease, an increase in capacity, or some other tangible benefit to the polymer BESIDES cheaper manufacturing (which isn't passed on to the end consumer), I could see it as an advance. With the glock they managed to cram a whole bunch of rounds into a lightweight, easy to use gun that would eat anything short of rocks. The comparison isn't apt. It would be like slapping a polymer single stack frame onto a 1911 and then calling it an improvement over an identical weight alloy one.

At 250-300, I'd be all over it. At 400, I'll buy a 642. It's like trying to sell a chevy cobalt at BMW 3 series prices. My problem is not with the product, but rather the price.

 

[sw282]

Rumor has it a Glock selling for $500 cost app $70 to make is strong evidence that plastic revolvers are here to stay and will become more numerous in the future.

 

[sleepyone]

"From the reviews of the Ruger and preliminary reports of the S&W as conveyed in Hangunner magazine, the polymer frame absorbs some of the recoil that an all-metal frame delivers directly to the hand. So that the plastic compensates a bit for the reduction in weight, making for a better shooting experience. The only way to determine this, of course, will be in one's one personal testing."

I have the LCR and the 642. There is a noticeable difference in recoil. The LCR is much more plesant to shoot. My wife chose the LCR because of the lighter trigger pull and the larger grip. I like both equally. I thought the LCR was ugly at first, but it kind of grows on you.

 

[ArmedBear]

With the glock they managed to cram a whole bunch of rounds into a lightweight, easy to use gun that would eat anything short of rocks.

We forget in 2010, that the Glock really changed the game in semiautos. Most cops used revolvers when Glocks came on the scene, because semiautos were typically finicky, had relatively complicated controls, and most offered little capacity advantage over a wheelgun. The Glock offered something that was as simple to use as a revolver, held far more rounds, didn't weigh too much, and was reliable.

Polymer was incidental; the Glock would have been an equally significant player if it had an aluminum frame and the same overall weight. People didn't buy the Glock because it had a new frame material; they bought it because of its features, function, and price (whatever Glock's margin on the things, they are typicall cheaper to buy than quality all-metal guns). If plastic allowed Glock to offer those features, that was fine, but the plastic itself wasn't the selling point.

 

[esquare]

I don't really see the weight savings of the polymer LCR, and I didn't feel the recoil advantages compared to shooting a similar airweight. Both are stout with stout loads.

However, it's (LCR) a pretty small gun, and I think the best thing about it is the trigger. That trigger is just wonderful. I would buy the gun for that reason.

 

[ArmedBear]

I didn't feel the recoil advantages compared to shooting a similar airweight.

I think that the grip makes a lot of difference. The boot grip on my 642 is just enough to hold on to, but it fits well in a pocket. The 3-finger grip with a rubber over the backstrap, on my Model 60, is easier to shoot well, and makes the recoil of full-house .357 handloads quite manageable.

The J-frame has been around for so long that various grips are readily available. If you want less felt recoil but don't care about size, you can get long, fat grips. You can change them out with one screw, if you change carry methods.

I suspect that some of the felt recoil differences between an LCR and a 642 are from differences in grips, not the bit of plastic. The Ruger trigger is a new cam design AFAIK, and it's something others might want to emulate. However, my 642 trigger is quite good, and bone-stock, too -- maybe not all of them are finished as well, because I have heard reports that don't sound at all like the triggers in my J-frames.

 

[oldfool]

ditto post #4

TREND, expect to see a LOT more of the same
same as blocky glocky plastic autos
they strive too mightily to re-define cheaper manufacture as "better", so they can increase their profit margins, not your performance margins
my hand flexes when I fire a round, I don't need my handgun to flex

sometime in the not so distant future, plastic revolver kabooms will join
"wussie 380" and "40 caliber kabooms" and "airweight magnum IL lockups" as most popular "he/she touched me 1st" word wars on gun forums

because they will push plastic too far, foregone conclusion
(already we see 357 mag in plastic, so how long before we see 44 mag ??)

but Ruger just might have something "new and improved" re: the DAO trigger on that LCR, I would like to try one for just that... but if 'tis so, I would rather they would put it in steel, not aluminum/scandium/plastic

PS
any day now, some company is going to do a massive sales pitch on the amazing technological advances in pot metal frames... I can hardly wait

 

[Elmer]

Think it will turn out that they'll sell all they can make...despite what any of us think.....