Polymer frame life expectancy?

[Tony2much]

I was just looking at some of my older Pre-1970 handguns and how remarkably well they have held up over the years, when it occurred to me that my newer polymer framed S&W M&P's may not look as good in 40 years. About how long is the average life expectancy of a polymer frame? Will there come a time when they eventually become fragile or brittle and too dangerous to shoot? What effect does gun oil and cleaning solutions have on breaking down the polymer?

 

[RobzGuns]

I dunno about M&Ps, but my 24 Y/O G19 still works as good as new.

 

[robertrwalsh]

There is at least one Glock 17 documented as having 1 million rounds through it and the frame is still fine.

 

[v-13]

My 21 yr old Glock Model 19 is holding up just fine as well. Has about 5,000 rounds thru it.

 

[murphydog]

I suspect that in the absence of extreme conditions (melting hot, freezing cold plus trauma, extremely caustic chemicals, etc.) the polymer essentially has an infinite life. The metal parts absorb all the stress of firing.

 

[arjay]

Ive yet to see a plastic that doesn't degrade over a long period of time,especially if its exposed to uv and radiation.

 

[Tony2much]

Ive yet to see a plastic that doesn't degrade over a long period of time,especially if its exposed to uv and radiation.

That's what brought me to my initial question. I'm also somewhat concerned as to the effects of oil and cleaning solvents. I wouldn't be surprised if we find out in the future that the polymers aren't impervious to certain gun cleaning related chemicals and new products designed specifically for polymer are developed. I realize that polymer characteristics are different from typical plastic products, but I've also seen how quickly plastic can be degraded with certain chemicals and even limited uv exposure.

 

[arjay]

I kinda think the engineers had the same worries when they came up with those chunky designs :-D

 

[S&W45Colt]

...and metal rusts. Moral of the story? Any gun improperly treated or stored has a shortened lifespan.

Yet another, let's find a way to criticize and attack polymer guns thread.

How overdone, repetitive, boring, trite, uninspiring, bogus etc etc ad nauseam.

Seriously, this subject and anything near it should be grounds for flogging on here. There has to be at least two similar posts on here a week, just slightly different ways to get there in the different posts.

I don't know if this was the OP's intent, maybe not, but it's easy enough to predict where this thread is going unless some merciful Admin locks it.

Rant over, forgive me, I just get tired of the continual rehashing of the subjects of how bad polymer guns, much less Glocks are on here.

 

[williamcrane]

Well that's why I treat my S&W 1911 like a steel gun and my M&P like a polymer.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

 

[WR Moore]

If you've ever had a metal framed handgun in you hand for an extended period of time in very cold weather, you'll love polymer.

Seriously, if you note, the wear parts of the M&P frame are not only metal, but they are replaceable metal parts that lock into a stainless chassis embedded in the polymer frame. This is entirely different from some other products that either have no metal parts or that cast the metal parts into the frame.

It's also different from the conventional/traditional metal frame, where if frame rails or the locking block breaks, you have to scrap the entire frame instead of just replacing the broken bit.

Current replacment cost for an M&P frame is about $200. There were some threads long ago showing what bored puppies can do to a polymer frame. Score one for metal frames.

 

[Houdini1953]

The poly frame should outlive you unless you set fire to it or run over it with a tank or bulldozer!

 

[TheMystro]

Remember, guns built 50 years ago were built out of the material they were because they had to. The materials today are so advanced, no one 50 years ago could even imagine them. Its popular to be nostalgic with the old guns with their fit and finish but the good old days are now and today's guns are held to a much higher standard. Its hard to find a genuine crappy gun now days yet only 30 years ago there were plenty to choose from and no one had a internet to broadcast it.

 

[rwsmith]

This is not.....

This is not your Grandfather's 'plastic'. I'm not saying that it's indestructable, but don't expect it to fall apart like the vinyl they used to put on car dashboards.

 

[gen3guy]

So far its been about 30 years. Time will tell. I doubt that the polymer used in the Glocks and M&Ps of today will degrade under environmental conditions the same way that "plastic" does. However, we only have about 3 decades of data so we'll see.

 

[Tony2much]

...and metal rusts. Moral of the story? Any gun improperly treated or stored has a shortened lifespan.

Yet another, let's find a way to criticize and attack polymer guns thread.

How overdone, repetitive, boring, trite, uninspiring, bogus etc etc ad nauseam.

Seriously, this subject and anything near it should be grounds for flogging on here. There has to be at least two similar posts on here a week, just slightly different ways to get there in the different posts.

I don't know if this was the OP's intent, maybe not, but it's easy enough to predict where this thread is going unless some merciful Admin locks it.

Rant over, forgive me, I just get tired of the continual rehashing of the subjects of how bad polymer guns, much less Glocks are on here.

Wow. Sorry I asked. If you look at the number of posts I've put up, you can see I'm new to this forum and if asking the wrong question is all it takes to get flogged, maybe I came to the wrong place.

I've been buying and selling guns for over 30 years, but I just purchased and have been thoroughly enjoying my first few polymer S&W M&P firearms and didn't know what to expect. It was not an effort to create a controversy over polymer vs metal, but just an honest question looking for someone who might be able to shed some light on my concerns.

Thanks for your friendly welcome and help.

 

[S&W45Colt]

Wow. Sorry I asked. If you look at the number of posts I've put up, you can see I'm new to this forum and if asking the wrong question is all it takes to get flogged, maybe I came to the wrong place.

I've been buying and selling guns for over 30 years, but I just purchased and have been thoroughly enjoying my first few polymer S&W M&P firearms and didn't know what to expect. It was not an effort to create a controversy over polymer vs metal, but just an honest question looking for someone who might be able to shed some light on my concerns.

Thanks for your friendly welcome and help.

I said it may not have been your intention to start another one of the polymer bashing threads. Meaning, my comments were not specifically aimed at you. I'm sorry if you took it that way.

The flogging thing is obviously rhetoric....it's not like we actually get together in the same room.

Your post just hit on one of about three areas that are done to death subjects on here. Polymer vs Metal, Should I carry one in the Chamber and new S&W bashing, the latter of which the Mods ended.

Don't take it personally, you just stumbled unknowingly into a mine field.

Welcome to the Forum, all in all it's a pretty friendly place. My apologies if you personally felt attacked, it's the continual threads on the subject I was railing against, not you personally.

Have a good evening.

 

[rags]

I think plastic, in general, takes a few billion years to biodegrade if buried in the ground. I think you're safe.

 

[bobelk99]

I suspect that in the absence of extreme conditions (melting hot, freezing cold plus trauma, extremely caustic chemicals, etc.) the polymer essentially has an infinite life. The metal parts absorb all the stress of firing.

I second the quote.

I think that translates into one lifetime +.

I too have an 'old' heavily use Glock with no issues.

I also have a Wilson KZ45 of some age and use, that appears the same as when produced.

 

[bobelk99]

Consider this:

10 years ago I was involved with some expensive equipment that had a number of critical tolerance metal contact areas. The manufacturer, as part of scheduled maintenance, replaced a number of metal contact areas with a special polymer. Reason was that the non-metal surfaces had a longer lifespan under use.

Just saying...