Folks,
I appreciate the replies, I really do, but the gist of my question wasn't why the steel-framed S&W autos have been eclipsed by polymer-that's a no-brainer-but why the aluminum-framed Smiths seemed to have been passed by Sig and Beretta when those two companies are providing a very similar product?
Best,
Heekma
In a word, Profit.
Gunmakers exist to generate a profit from buying and selling firearms and their related parts & components. This point must be stated at the outset, as only with that idea understood can my answer to your question make sense.
Beretta & Sig make money on metal frame pistols due to the U.S. Government. The largest reason metal frame Sigs and Berettas are even a viable product on the civilian gun counter can be credited to Uncle Sugar.
Today a Beretta 92 is considered in the category of the expensive range toy, as is Sig which is fast becoming a boutique niche brand of firearms. The wife has her Jimmy Choo shoes, and the husband has his Sig 229 pistol.
As far as daily use and carry goes, the current generation of concealed carry shoppers look for lightweight polymer frame guns that are easy to carry and shoot.From the standpoint of the individual user polymer does one thing that metal cant, and that's shooter fitment. The 1911 gets a pass on account of its single stack frame and chamber size, but double stack metal frame guns are a literal pain to hold and carry.Even for my hands they do not feel ideal, and to the female gun shopper 90% of double stack metal 9mm's aren't remotely useable to their hands.My 5906 didn't fit my mother's hands at all, but id bet real money an M&P9 with the small backstrap would work perfect.
A man today can share the same exact pistol with his wife or daughter by simply switching a part on the grip frame.That wasn't possible without two different guns being used in the past.
For the manufacturer the advantages of polymer are a little less charitable.
Milling a metal frame is much more expensive in terms of cost to manufacture than polymer, and its harder to do in a limited time frame. Glock by some sources can make a polymer frame in 85 seconds.
Time to build is a factor because having customer orders backed up may sound good for marketing but its very bad for business, as that backlogged customer base represents revenue that you could have in your pockets now if you had the capacity. Ruger is learning that lesson now with their own 1911 model, which is so hard to find dealers have 37 person wait lists for the weapon. Mutiply that times just ten FFLs and that is a lot of money Ruger is losing for not being able to churn out product fast enough. Had the SR1911 been made out of polymer such a backlog wouldn't exist.
Thus from the gun company's standpoint, they would like to see a marketplace where the only metal guns up for sale are ones on special order for four figures a pop, with polymer being the frame of choice for everything else. In probably 10 years they'll get their wish.
