The older I get…….

[br549arkie]

I have one polymer a Sig 290RS and most likely it will be the only one I'll ever own. Just don't care for the plastic. Heck I've only started accepting aluminum frames in the last decade or so.

 

[Hangingrock]

MY EDC is a S&W Shield .

 

[dweis]

At 81 with sever basalthumb arthritis in both hands, almost unable to rack a 9mm, and not being good with a revolver, I am so happy that I have a Ruger Secirity 380 Lite rack. It’s polymers lower does not matter especially because it has near full length metal slide rails. I was feeli desperate, but now that gun makes me feel secure.

 

[jar]

At 81 with sever basalthumb arthritis in both hands, almost unable to rack a 9mm, and not being good with a revolver, I am so happy that I have a Ruger Secirity 380 Lite rack. It’s polymers lower does not matter especially because it has near full length metal slide rails. I was feeli desperate, but now that gun makes me feel secure.

Agreed. It's nice us old curmudgeons have some options for off days. I find the right holster for an individual handguns makes the actual weight of one of my 1911s or S&W Highway Patrolman almost a non-issue even on my not great days but my Walther CCP M2+ 380, Ruger Security 380 or S&W 380EZ are what get carried on the bad days. On a good day I can even rack the slide on my Savage 1907 (springs like an off-road Dune Buggy suspension) but there are days when that just plain ain't happening.

 

[jmorris]

All this Tupperware just does not appeal to me. I have only one plastic pistol and that is a Sig P365. Not a range gun or target pistol for sure. Just for when I want a little more to carry than a J frame. So I guess my age is showing. How many on here feel the same? Surly I am not the only one.

No, you are not the only one that’s not in love with plastic pistols but is smart enough to to recognize the benefits they have.

 

[drk1]

A little more discrimination in the shows you attend might prove rewarding. Focus on the "collectors' shows" such as the Colorado Gun Collectors Show, the Missouri Arms Collector's Show, National Gun Day Show, Ohio Gun Collectors Association show, National Automatic Pistol Collectors Show, Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show and others that cater to the "older stuff." They may be a little far from home, but if you attend one or two or three shows a year that offer what intersts you, wouldn't it be worth it? Just a thought. Best of luck.

 

[PistoleroWadcutterGANG]

The older I get ……. The more I’m open to new stuff. Since my days of being able to experience new things are getting fewer. I don’t wanna miss out. I like my polymer firearms. I like my alloys/steel firearms. The older I get I’m certain that it’s a damn shame that new cadet / mkII BSA actions aren’t being made. That I will not buy Henry.

 

[citizenconn]

But, as much as I adore my .45 1911s, I do generally find both my HK45c and Glock 21 handle the .45 more pleasantly than even a steel 1911, shoot just as well, and are generally faster for me during drills.

I have picked up a few aluminum and scandium framed 4 & 4.25" 1911s in .45 ACP the last few years and have found them to be a very acceptable alternative to my 5" all-steel 1911s. An extended beavertail is much preferred. I enjoy shooting them much more than I did my Glock 36 and S&W Shield in .45 ACP, plus I'm much more accurate with them to boot.
The only polymer framed pistol left in the household is my wife's carry gun.

 

[InTheSwamp]

There certainly is more charm and character to a gun that is steel and wood, but polymer guns have their place too ... even if they're not as exciting visually.

I find few handguns, if any, as visually exciting as the HK USP Expert - a plastic gun.

 

[JR24]

I have picked up a few aluminum and scandium framed 4 & 4.25" 1911s in .45 ACP the last few years and have found them to be a very acceptable alternative to my 5" all-steel 1911s. An extended beavertail is much preferred. I enjoy shooting them much more than I did my Glock 36 and S&W Shield in .45 ACP, plus I'm much more accurate with them to boot.
The only polymer framed pistol left in the household is my wife's carry gun.

Yep, we are different. I’ve had a number of aluminum 1911s in government, commander, cco and officer sizes and just don’t like them on .45. I also didn’t really like the Glock 36 too much for shooting, or the 30S.

For me, that little(ish) HK45c recoils less than my Kimber Warrior (steel and a rail, plus it’s got a beefy spring) and the Glock 21 doesn’t even feel like a .45.

 

[The Night Rider]

To directly answer the question I have one metal handgun and it's a third generation Smith & Wesson. Everything else is plastic.

I don't think I've been to a gun show and at least 10 years. I bought my last gun in June of 2018 and I'm fairly certain it really is going to be the last gun I ever buy.

In Colorado Springs it seems like all the gun shows are hosted by SerToMa and they amount to every pawn shop in town renting a booth and bringing all the inventory they can't sell down to the gun show and dumping it on the table at ridiculously inflated prices.

Everything else was fat dudes in jungle uniforms selling Vietnam memorabilia and Patriot Press books.

I think the last thing I even bought at a gun show was a Thundershirt for my dog and it didn't work.

The other thing that I think ruined me for guns was carrying one at work. It was more a pain in the ass than anything else and I was restricted by City Ordinance and company policy as to what I could carry anyway.

I won't say the guns bore me (but they kind of do) it's more like they don't excite me anymore. They're like the tools in my toolbox. I use them, I maintain them I maintain my skill level with them but other than that they're not something I give a whole lot of thought to.

My interest is more limited to reading forums like this and commenting on topics that interest me

 

[The Night Rider]

When I want more than a J frame is all the time. The Beretta or Hi Power easily preferred in hand to defend myself over a snub.

That's really awkward phrasing bro.

How about

If I had to defend myself I'd certainly prefer a Beretta or a High Power over a snubby.

 

[doubleh]

At 81 with sever basalthumb arthritis in both hands, almost unable to rack a 9mm, and not being good with a revolver, I am so happy that I have a Ruger Secirity 380 Lite rack. It’s polymers lower does not matter especially because it has near full length metal slide rails. I was feeli desperate, but now that gun makes me feel secure.

I have four years on you but am lucky that arther has pretty much left my hands alone. My problem is that about ten years ago I managed to nick my left thumb with a table saw. It left a barely visable scar but the damage was inside to the nerves and my thumb is numb and for some reason very weak now and I am constantly dropping things even though I think I am hold them tightly. It also causes me to have difficulty racking the slides on most pistols. I found a slide racker assist gadget on Amazon, bought it, and found that it is a BIG help at the range while playing around with my simi-auto handguns.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

I find my steel Kahr K9 and my G43 are virtual twins, sizewise. I shoot the K9 well and the weight sure soaks up the recoil. But the G43 and a 9mm Shield are both a lot easier to live with. The Tupperware guns each see a lot more activity than the K9.

 

[Gladius]

Yup. The older I get, the less interested I am in the latest thing (that goes across the board -- guns, clothes, music, cars, you name it). Give me a good old DA revolver or old-school metal-frame auto pistol any day and I'll be happy (that being said, I do have a couple plastic pistols, they're good working guns, but nothing more).

 

[Col. Harrumph]

Surly I am not the only one.

You want surly?
<-- This is surly.

 

[jdsingleshot]

Wish we could hear what will be said about polymer 50 years from now. I have never met an aged piece of plastic that had not in some way changed for the worse.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

Wish we could hear what will be said about polymer 50 years from now. I have never met an aged piece of plastic that had not in some way changed for the worse.

Well, according to the internet gurus, the BMWs use plastic in the engine bay that deteriorates and breaks after a few years. If BMWs really are the best, they must use good plastic. So expect plastic guns to eventually face the same fate. Only thing working in our favor is smaller heat cycles.

 

[tarosean]

Wish we could hear what will be said about polymer 50 years from now. I have never met an aged piece of plastic that had not in some way changed for the worse.

There have been poly pistols on the market for over 50 yrs right now. Or do you want to see a 100yr old poly pistol?

 

[Hookeye]

Older I get the more I like plastic stocks on hunting rifles.
Wish Anschutz did a heavy sporter .22 in synth stock.

Carried classic steel revs and autos for decades.
Now its a Sig or HK plastic frame.

Almost went for the Citori Hunter w synth stock. May yet in 12 ga.

The first ding in a new walnut stock really hurts.

 

[jdsingleshot]

I wouldn't mind seeing a well used 50-year-old example, but yeah, I should have said 100 years. Four of my rifles and one of my shotguns are more than 100 years old and still work perfectly and look good.

Even one of those had a broken synthetic buttplate.

 

[2zulu1]

While I own a few polymers, I'm old-fashioned in the sense I feel more comfortable shooting the .357mag compared to Glocks. I like and still carry 1911s during the warmer Arizona months...and .357s on the ranch during our short high desert Arizona winters. At one time I was Colt 1911, Delta Elite on the hip as I type, and S&W wheelguns guy, love the 686P L-frames...I'm still a Colt 1911 (they work out of the box) guy, with more modern revolvers...



and this Winchester '92 saddle ring carbine in .44mag...




Colts and Winchesters in the modern Old West...history repeats itself...

From a couple of weeks ago training session with movement, Python 3", 90 rounds of Fiocchi 148gr JHPs and Federal 158gr JSPs .357mag ammunition, all shots double action..



Need more practice point shooting, cylinder dump, can see the missed shots @45 degree angle while stepping backwards...at 74yo, working at getting better groups.

 

[Jim Watson]

the BMWs use plastic in the engine bay that deteriorates and breaks after a few years.

Yup. Plastic water pump impeller disintegrated and left me on the side.

 

[tark]

I have said this a million times: Real guns are made from steel and wood. Having read that, please hold back on you immediate urge to regurgitate until you read the next sentence.

For a new to firearms person wanting a pistol for self defense, there is no better gun that a Glock, or something like it. ( or a D/A revolver ) You pick it up, point it, and pull the trigger. It goes bang, and awaits the next trigger pull. These are all instinctive moves that require no manual of arms training. Nothing to remember under the stress of a of a potentially lethal situation. Especially for someone who has never been in a life threatening situation before.

Plastic "guns" fill a vital role in this day and age.

They just aren't "real guns." You may now.

And no, my Gen. 1 Glock 17 is NOT for sale.

 

[tarosean]

Plastic "guns" fill a vital role in this day and age.

The word is disposable.
Just like so many things now-a-days.

And no, my Gen. 1 Glock 17 is NOT for sale.

Tis interesting they have been around for decades but it would be like collecting boogers if you ask me. I say that as a Glock owner