"Pot metal" in guns?
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PaulBk
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pot' met"al
1. an alloy of copper and lead, formerly used for making plumbing fixtures, bearings, etc.
2. cast iron of a quality suitable for making pots.
3. a low-grade nonferrous alloy used for die casting.
-PB
1. an alloy of copper and lead, formerly used for making plumbing fixtures, bearings, etc.
2. cast iron of a quality suitable for making pots.
3. a low-grade nonferrous alloy used for die casting.
-PB
Carl N. Brown
Member
The die casr, zinc alloys used for "low melting point" pistol frames like
the RG10, starter pistols and paper cap guns.
The term "pot metal" is sometimes used to disparage aluminum, but
aluminum can be quite tough, if not as prestigious or
traditional as steel.
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edit fer spellink
the RG10, starter pistols and paper cap guns.
The term "pot metal" is sometimes used to disparage aluminum, but
aluminum can be quite tough, if not as prestigious or
traditional as steel.
-----------------
edit fer spellink
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atblis
Member
Hmm
Sig Mosquitio
Walther P22
Aren't they made from pot metal?
Sig Mosquitio
Walther P22
Aren't they made from pot metal?
No. The Walther is made of tenifer finished carbon steel, same stuff as the P99. That's why the thing costs so danged much.
I never get tired of the 'Oh, the P22 is just a converted blank gun that's been cast out of zinc!" rumor. Stick a magnet to one if you don't believe me. Zinc and aluminum aren't magnetic, steel is.
The term potmetal arose (if you were wondering) from the fact that it's usually mixture of whatever's around that could be melted in a pot. Then, naturally, it gets moulded into whatever junk whoever is making (you can usually fill those blanks in with "saturday night specials" and "the Brazilians", respectively).
Nowadays it means lots of stuff, and most of it less than desirable. In the hardware business, we've taken 'potmetal' to mean cheap zinc castings. Shoddy alloy or cast aluminum gets another term - 'monkey metal'.
I never get tired of the 'Oh, the P22 is just a converted blank gun that's been cast out of zinc!" rumor. Stick a magnet to one if you don't believe me. Zinc and aluminum aren't magnetic, steel is.
The term potmetal arose (if you were wondering) from the fact that it's usually mixture of whatever's around that could be melted in a pot. Then, naturally, it gets moulded into whatever junk whoever is making (you can usually fill those blanks in with "saturday night specials" and "the Brazilians", respectively).
Nowadays it means lots of stuff, and most of it less than desirable. In the hardware business, we've taken 'potmetal' to mean cheap zinc castings. Shoddy alloy or cast aluminum gets another term - 'monkey metal'.
Berek
Member
f4t9r said:
Glock = Revereware?
Aguila Blanca
Member
Nah.Berek said:
Revere Ware is stainless steel with a copper cladding on the bottom. Glocks are Tupperware -- everybody knows that.
Rumble
Member
Zero_DgZ said:
Only if you remember to burp them.
AZ Jeff
Member
The metal M597 magazines are pressure die cast out of magnesium. It's light (lighter than aluminum), but relatively strong.phed said:
"Pot metal" generally refers to a zinc die casting called "Zamak". It has a relatively low melting point (much lower that magnesium), and can mold in fine detials quite well.
Zamak is DEFINITELY not a strong as magnesium or aluminum.
mainmech48
Member
Zero-DgZ nailed the definition. Comparatively low-melting point alloys, usually composed primarily of zinc. Used more for their casting, electroplating, and other ease-of-manufacture characteristics and low capital investment/materials costs than durability or strength.
The last two qualities are determined at least as much by how "sophisticated" the casting process used is as they are the choice of specific alloy composition, IMO.
The term started out being a pretty apt disparagement. The low quality alloys and processes used for die casting toys and cheap consumer goods became notorious for good reason. They tended to be brittle, porous, and have very poor resistance to both impact and friction stresses incurred during normal use.
The reflexive Luddites adopted it to cover any non-ferrous metal. Some would go so far as to view any sort of casting, regardless of process or material, as inherently "inferior" and therefore suspect. You'd think that fifty-odd years of Rugers would've pretty much closed that book, but....
I've even read and heard of lots of the closet-variety Luddites who'll automatically replace any MIM part, just because it ain't made the way Grampie's was. Generally, the rationale is that somebody told them it might break or wear out
The last two qualities are determined at least as much by how "sophisticated" the casting process used is as they are the choice of specific alloy composition, IMO.
The term started out being a pretty apt disparagement. The low quality alloys and processes used for die casting toys and cheap consumer goods became notorious for good reason. They tended to be brittle, porous, and have very poor resistance to both impact and friction stresses incurred during normal use.
The reflexive Luddites adopted it to cover any non-ferrous metal. Some would go so far as to view any sort of casting, regardless of process or material, as inherently "inferior" and therefore suspect. You'd think that fifty-odd years of Rugers would've pretty much closed that book, but....
I've even read and heard of lots of the closet-variety Luddites who'll automatically replace any MIM part, just because it ain't made the way Grampie's was. Generally, the rationale is that somebody told them it might break or wear out
Sorry folks, but some of the answers are way out. The term "pot metal" goes back long before many of those alloys ever existed. Nor does it have anything to do with what is melted in a pot.
The term comes from the big old cast iron cooking pots, like those you see in pictures hanging in a fireplace. In other words, a poor quality cast iron, used where strength was not a requirment.
The term is often applied to cheap revolvers, especially those imported from Spain in the 1920's and 1930's, but could also apply to other guns made from cheap cast iron, including many American guns of reasonable quality. The Spanish guns gained a bad reputation not only because of the material, but also because of poor workmanship; they were also chambered for .32-20 and .38 Special, which made them more likely to blow up than other iron guns made for low power .32 and .38 cartridges.
Jim
The term comes from the big old cast iron cooking pots, like those you see in pictures hanging in a fireplace. In other words, a poor quality cast iron, used where strength was not a requirment.
The term is often applied to cheap revolvers, especially those imported from Spain in the 1920's and 1930's, but could also apply to other guns made from cheap cast iron, including many American guns of reasonable quality. The Spanish guns gained a bad reputation not only because of the material, but also because of poor workmanship; they were also chambered for .32-20 and .38 Special, which made them more likely to blow up than other iron guns made for low power .32 and .38 cartridges.
Jim
The modern meaning of Pot Metal is this. "Any device you wish to disparage, when in truth you know absolutely nothing about it, can be said to be made from Pot Metal". And that's the meaning I hear most of the time since most people don't have a clue what it really is.
atblis
Member
P22
"No. The Walther is made of tenifer finished carbon steel, same stuff as the P99. That's why the thing costs so danged much."
Are they expensive? The last time I looked they were $239, and probably not even worth that. I am pretty sure the slide is "pot metal."
"No. The Walther is made of tenifer finished carbon steel, same stuff as the P99. That's why the thing costs so danged much."
Are they expensive? The last time I looked they were $239, and probably not even worth that. I am pretty sure the slide is "pot metal."
This is a good question. This is one of those terms that I have used in the past without really thinking. For me "pot metal" meant cheap cast metal of low quality. It has to be cast in my mind. I assumed it meant a mix of whatever metals they could throw into the pot, kind of like a stew. I was thinking something like cast Zinc with other metals thrown in.
The Hi-Points are made from some type of Zinc and I think they are cast. In my book, they would be considered "pot metal" guns. I can't think of any other current production guns that are made from Zinc. I heard that the SIG Mosquitio is made from this stuff as well.
The Hi-Points are made from some type of Zinc and I think they are cast. In my book, they would be considered "pot metal" guns. I can't think of any other current production guns that are made from Zinc. I heard that the SIG Mosquitio is made from this stuff as well.
chris in va
Member
Albanian beat me to it. My HiPoint carbine is made of the zinc stuff, but other than my Sig it's the most reliable firearm I own.
According to Wikipedia
Let's get our definitions straight----
"An alloy of various metals, primarily copper and lead. It is frequently employed in casting, due to its low melting point. There were many formulas; the term is generic.
Although cookpots in the nineteenth century were made of a cast iron that is not a modern structural material, the term does not refer to this cheap metal but to the fact that the metal could melt in a pot and be easily cast.
It was used for all sorts of fitments in cheap machinery, including cars. Radiator caps, door handles, carburetor bowls, and handles which incorporated fastening threads were made of this metal, for example. These would be stronger than still cheaper alternatives, but wouldn't be as strong as a part machined from steel or bronze, and are subject to breakage and pitting. Auto restorers can find them hard to replace. In the 1950s, the fancy moulded taillight housings, for example, were switched to be made of zinc and then chrome-plated."
(edited to add quotation marks)
I have found Wikipedia to be a pretty reliable source of information like this.
K
Let's get our definitions straight----
"An alloy of various metals, primarily copper and lead. It is frequently employed in casting, due to its low melting point. There were many formulas; the term is generic.
Although cookpots in the nineteenth century were made of a cast iron that is not a modern structural material, the term does not refer to this cheap metal but to the fact that the metal could melt in a pot and be easily cast.
It was used for all sorts of fitments in cheap machinery, including cars. Radiator caps, door handles, carburetor bowls, and handles which incorporated fastening threads were made of this metal, for example. These would be stronger than still cheaper alternatives, but wouldn't be as strong as a part machined from steel or bronze, and are subject to breakage and pitting. Auto restorers can find them hard to replace. In the 1950s, the fancy moulded taillight housings, for example, were switched to be made of zinc and then chrome-plated."
(edited to add quotation marks)
I have found Wikipedia to be a pretty reliable source of information like this.
K
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