Will a S&W M&P last for 50 years?

I've read that Glock has ran accelerated tests on their polymer frames that show no discernible degradation after 500 years. I think our M&P's will be around for a long time. Long before they degrade we'll probably invent some sort of preservative to protect it indefinitely.
 
If someone knew what was going to happen 50-100 years from now they'd be out buying a lottery ticket for tonite, only a few hours away.
 
TTSH said:
But I sure wouldn't be counting on it lasting and holding together for a lifetime like a metal gun. In my mind, they are barely one or two steps away from disposable like so many other plastic products today.
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That's the attitude of your generation. Disposable everything. Thankfully we're learning from your mistakes and understanding that plastic is too durable to waste on disposable things.
 
KnightsFan said:
That's the attitude of your generation. Disposable everything. Thankfully we're learning from your mistakes and understanding that plastic is too durable to waste on disposable things.
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I dispose of (recycle) my plastic toothbrush every three months. Does that really make me a bad person? :p

If you admire and prefer plastic guns, God bless you. No need to insult people.
 
To me, a better question is whether the current M&Ps are "timeless" designs (like 1911, BHP, etc.) that gun collectors 50yrs from now would prize and care to own.

I just don't see it. That applies to most combat tupperware these days.
 
Bkreutz said:
I'm one of the guys that shoots 60K a year through mine. I've replaced a trigger spring and a striker assembly. I doubt that the polymer pistols will last like a metal one though. Plastic starts drying out immediately after it's made (outgassing). eventually it turns very brittle. I don't know how long the particular polymer formula used by S&W will last but I don't think that any of them will be in a museum 400 years from now. (if there are any museums). Look at the plastics on a 40 year old car to see how it stands up to the elements. Mine still looks good at 60+ (and it functions perfectly) but it's only 14 months old.:D
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The science of materials has come a long way in a hurry.
Polymers now exist that can rival steel in terms of their durability. With proper care I see no reason that the M&P couldn't last 50 (or more) years. :cool:
 
Various old phenolics (Bakelite, micarta, etc.) seem to be the only plastics with proven real-world long-term durability. Due to cost and environmental concerns, among other issues, these aren't used much anymore. Like pretty much everything else nowadays, it's unlikely the plastics produced today are as good as these old unsafe/expensive/_______ (fill in the blank with whatever other reasons we hear things are no longer done the way they used to be) materials.

Furthermore, anyone who understands how Business operates knows companies do not build products designed to last a lifetime anymore. Planned obsolescence is the rule for everything from cars and guns to software and fast food menu items. Glock, S&W or any other plastic gunmaker really doesn't care if one of their current models deteriorates after 20, 30 or however many years. I mean, it's nice if they do last (see early Glocks discussed above) but there are no real consequences if they don't. No one is buying those old models anymore, anyway, so the company gets away with it.

Younger guys will try to pretend the plastic fantastics they're raised with are just as good, as legitimate, as steel and wood but count me among those extremely doubtful anyone will be collecting, let alone still shooting, the tupperware produced today 50 years from now. It's all soulless landfill fodder.
 
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M&Pmeister said:
To me, a better question is whether the current M&Ps are "timeless" designs (like 1911, BHP, etc.) that gun collectors 50yrs from now would prize and care to own.

I just don't see it. That applies to most combat tupperware these days.
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Well stated. Personal preferences aside, the very nature of plastic guns is that they will evolve and mutate more quickly. They are cheap to produce and cheap to change/alter/update for little more than marketing purposes. 50 years from now, I feel there will be few, if any, truly classic tupperware guns.
 
Protected One said:
The science of materials has come a long way in a hurry. Polymers now exist that can rival steel in terms of their durability...
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Good point but those polymers aren't the ones they're building guns with, otherwise none of us could afford them. You wouldn't be able to stipple them with a soldering iron, either. Face it, gun plastic is fairly low-quality considering the vast array of possibilities. It's basically thick milk jug material. ;)
 
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Cal44 said:
I read a sci-fi book set 1200 years in the future where the main character sneaks a 1911 pistol into a meeting. In those days, all hand weapons had energy sources and electronics and that were easy to scan for -- but no one worried about just a lump of metal.

She pulls out her 1911 and shoots all the bad guys and rescues the hostages.
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I LOVE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bet every one of us has seen, if not owned, firearms that were 50 or 100 years old, or older. I daresay some of those old dueling pistols are 200 and 300 years old. Yep, guns are built to last!

***GRJ***
 
Rick_A said:
There's quite a few Gen1 Glocks out there, showing little more than holster wear and smoothened grip textures. I imagine treated properly they'll make it nearly indefinitely.

There's a lot of older rifles floating around with bakelite and other early polymers. They tend to not look pretty but it's worth noting.

Anything that can last 50k or more rounds and still be serviceable is a pretty durable firearm.
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I have not seen a Gen 1 Glock in forever. They were OK proof of concept guns. Their last-ability was terrible. If you put one away new. You have junk in your safe. Gashed magazines and a frame that scratched like, well, plastic. Watched a LE officer scratch the slide with a fmj bullet and pronounce the finish unharmed. A year later the marks were still there.
Glock is a great tool today, but its evolution not original engineering. What sold the gun to LE was spray and pray capacity and it was light.
Since at the time I carried the 39oz empty 4506 I was very sympathetic after 8 or 10 hours.
The 4506 will go to the son, but the new M&P 9 I bought is a tool I will dispose of when no longer needed.
 
I have a full size 9mm. The question is, will I last 50 more years?:eek: I fully expect that the gun will, and my grandchildren will have for even longer.
 
-db- said:
Furthermore, anyone who understands how Business operates knows companies do not build products designed to last a lifetime anymore. Planned obsolescence is the rule for everything from cars and guns to software and fast food menu items. Glock, S&W or any other plastic gunmaker really doesn't care if one of their current models deteriorates after 20, 30 or however many years. I mean, it's nice if they do last (see early Glocks discussed above) but there are no real consequences if they don't. No one is buying those old models anymore, anyway, so the company gets away with it.
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Exactly. Mister Glock didn't decide to build plastic guns because he thought they would last longer. He decided to build plastic guns because he could build them cheaper and sell them cheaper; hence, a huge military & police market advantage. And he was right and he became wildly rich and successful.

Any gun can last 50 or more years if you don't use it and take very good care of it. But the above point is correct. No one expects these plastic guns to remain in service and be relied upon for that long. Newer, better, prettier plastic guns will come along and the old ones will be recycled. Gun manufacturers have discovered planned obsolescence and can see that there is a lot more money to be made that way than the old way. Such is life in the 21st century.
 
"Soulless landfill fodder".
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Now there's a quote worth keeping.

There is quite a lot of difference between a classic design and an item that will last a long time. I do think today's combat Tupperware will last a long time and be worthy of FAMILY heirloom status simply because Granddad carried the piece, protected his home with the piece, or even hunted with it (think modern sporting rifles in that context). Whether history will treat such items that kindly, whether there will be a Combat Tupperware Collector's Association or Discussion Forum, that's a whole different subject. I would tend to doubt it.

***GRJ***
 
Although not a pistol; this old gal is still doing yeoman duty at 111. It's a L C Smith Grade 3 that was built in 1903. The only thing I replaced on it was the butt pad that had gotten harder then a rock.
The barrels are mirror and the gun still locks up like the proverbial bank vault.
With proper care I see no reason why this shotgun won't still be shooting in another 100 years.
Jim
 
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There are varying grades of plastic and plastic technology has improved over the years. A milk jug for example is designed to biodegrade but sit one outside and it will still take a few years. Tupperware is a soft plastic so it does degrade after a while and part of their scam is to give you credit for the lid that has been discontinued but they your color coordinated kitchen doesn't match so you want to buy all new stuff.
Quality plastics can last. I have tools with plastic handles that my father bought in the 70's that are still fine.
Besides in 50 years from now we'll stick the frame in out 3d scanner and print out a new one in our 3d printer.
 
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