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Glock Frames?

By Yahoo Answers
2007-04-04 18:41:50
I am doing a college research paper paper on the evolution of polymer, specifically polymer handguns and want to find a source or some opinions of polymer frame life span. Also I am not really talking round count just life span in general such as break down and brittleness. I know that 20 or so years is all we have to go on but they have to be some real world facts or even personal opinions on the longevity of polymer frames.
Answered By: DJ
I personally prefer traditional single-action pistols in steel, namely the Browning Hi-Power, but have shot the Glock, HK. and XD a lot the past few years. To me, the 'revolution' that the Glock 17 prompted is not suspect due to the plastic, it's the bogus "safety" system, or lack thereof, depending on your perspective. No safety and a trigger that pulls like a Bostich staple gun seems to be the norm today and that's just really too bad. I listed some links that you can maybe harvest some stuff from on the topic for your research. Good Luck!
User: DJ
I personally prefer traditional single-action pistols in steel, namely the Browning Hi-Power, but have shot the Glock, HK. and XD a lot the past few years. To me, the 'revolution' that the Glock 17 prompted is not suspect due to the plastic, it's the bogus "safety" system, or lack thereof, depending on your perspective. No safety and a trigger that pulls like a Bostich staple gun seems to be the norm today and that's just really too bad. I listed some links that you can maybe harvest some stuff from on the topic for your research. Good Luck!
User: super682003
The polymer frames are tough as nails. you can drop them, drive over them, stomp on them, and they stand up to almost all kinds of punishment. Don't get confused into thinking that the Glock pistols are made entirely out of polymer. The Frame, the handle, trigger guard, and trigger are the only parts made of polymer. The slide, internal parts, and magazine contain more metal than a lot of small pocket pistols (Saturday Night Specials). I haven't had the chance to shoot a Glock, but I have done a lot of research on them.
User: H
Glocks have been around since the early Eighties and I've not heard of a single frame self destructing, wearing out, or melting because it was left in the sun. Glocks are super dependable and work in 100+ degrees F and sub-zero temperatures. Compared to steel frames which crack, wear out or rust, polymer seems to be better. I own three Glocks and have carried a first generation Model 20 .10mm for about 13 years without a malfunction. My other two Glocks are a Model 31 .357 Sig and a Model 26 .9mm. I think they are the perfect duty automatic. They've seen service in Alaska with the police and Afghanistan and Iraq with our armed forces. Good luck with your research paper. H
User: david m
First of all, Glock was not the first company do come out with a synthetic frame automatic pistol. In the late 1960s, Heckler&Koch ("HK") came out with the P-9 polymer 9mm and followed that up with a futuristic looking polymer framed pistol called the VP-70. These guns predate the Glock by a little more than a decade. Glock uses a high impact nylon composite for its frames. The exact ingredients (or "recipe") are a very guarded secret. For comparison sake, Ruger uses fiberglass and S&W uses nylon (on the Sigma) and fiberglass (on the MP series). THe lifespan of these gun frames cannot be measured realistically because they have only been around for about 40 years (HK, 1968). Plastics last a very,very long time. Gun polymers do not rust and cracking is very rare. They have flexibility that steel does not posess and are lighter than aluminum (which, by the way, was the first answer to steel). I have seen old HK pistols and the frames look like they were made yesterday (despite the "mod" look of the late 60s/early seventies). There is a theory that over time the dimensions change in plastic-injection molded frmaes due to shrinking. This theory is based on how heat is used to mold the frames and when something hot cools it also shrinks. BUT-the pressure of our atmosphere at our level would is so minor on such a frame that it might take hundreds of years for that shrinking to take place. I wish I had the link to the blog that I got this info from because it was stated a lot better. Supposedly there were some reports of "delamination" of the frame in the original Sigma F series gun, but I never saw it. You can outlive a steel frame, an aluminum frame (no doubt!), but not a good polymer frame. You will pass away from old age before one of those breaks on you. Even after a Glock has blown a barrel and cracked a slide, the frame is intact (even though the metal tabs inserted into the frame are ruined). I have seen pictures of this from a hotloaded glock 22 with a .357Sig stainless barrel that split in half all the way. The frame was only "ruined" because the top portion has inserted metal contact points that were mangled beyond repair. Glass is in all polymer frames. The more glass you have-the more "brittle the gun. I read ( and saw a picture) a stroy about a hotloaded 45ACP shell that cracked an HK USP frame right down the side of the grip. HK probbaly uses more glass in their frame than Glock. Not bad-just different. I like steel the best for weight retention and classic appeal. But I have a lot more respect for a polymer framed 9mm, for example, than an aluminum framed pistol. Aluminum was really a long, temporary midway point between the worlds of steel and plastic. Aluminum introduced the shooting world to a frame that oxidized less (and differently) and was lightweight. But it lacked durability and cracking was a result. Polymer cured those problems (for the most part). We will not see another material used with such success in our lifetime. I did a college paper (2 page shorty) on the history of plastics in gun manufacture. It all started with two plastic grip panels for an automatic pistol. Have fun writing and I hope I inspired you.
User: abdulnonoodle
I bought my first Glock in 1992 and still have it. I have shot it about 5,000 times, carried it in weather from over 100 degrees down to below 0 and never had a problem with it. The sides of it are worn a bit from rough handling at times, but as for the function, it is as close to perfect as anything made by man. I trust it with my life. I have 3 Glocks now, and they all are great.

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