Polymer Pistol Longevity

[Pvt.Joker]

150 years from now, the only ones left will be a few NIB examples that have been preserved since new in museums and private collections, and a few more chewed-up, beat-up relics in the hands of the crusty old farts of the day who would rather have that obsolete oddity than a new, modern, and FAR more effective blaster death ray pistol.

[Joe Hadenuff]

Originally Posted by Pvt.Joker

150 years from now, the only ones left will be a few NIB examples that have been preserved since new in museums and private collections, and a few more chewed-up, beat-up relics in the hands of the crusty old farts of the day who would rather have that obsolete oddity than a new, modern, and FAR more effective blaster death ray pistol.

I'd give my left nut fer a silent raygun.

[500grains]

There are guns from the 1700s that still work fine. I think that today's guns will be good for 1000 yrs or more. A SWAT copper I know put over 100,000 rds through a Glock. At 90K rounds, Glock gave him a new barrel and some other parts.

[Gus]

I agree with buzgun ... direct sunlight would be a factor.

Plastic of today are drastically improved.

[Sanders]

Originally Posted by Gus

I agree with buzgun ... direct sunlight would be a factor.

Plastic of today are drastically improved.

Oils and solvents, as well.

I like my steel and wood guns, and I like my plastic fantastic guns (don't own a Gronk, though). I hope they are all around for long after I'm gone.

[10 Bears]

I have a feeling, that after I'm gone, I won't give a shit.

[44044]

Originally Posted by 10 Bears

I have a feeling, that after I'm gone, I won't give a shit.

I know what you mean...

But I still worry about the here and now

[Pogo]

Originally Posted by 500grains

There are guns from the 1700s that still work fine. I think that today's guns will be good for 1000 yrs or more. A SWAT copper I know put over 100,000 rds through a Glock. At 90K rounds, Glock gave him a new barrel and some other parts.

One nice thing about a Glock is if something should wear out or break, the company will replace the part for free. And anybody with good mechanical skills and minimal tools can change any part on one.

[buzgun]

Just an anecdotal story : I used to know a guy who was in the surplus gun part business.......this guy bought a very large (many thousands) of the M14 gun stocks off the guns that were destroyed.....these gun stocks were shipped in the actual shipping containers that the gun companies shipped the complete rifles in .....100 rifles each......Well some of these stocks were the M14E2 stocks with the rubber butt pads and front grips....the rubber had turned into a sticky fluid mass of gooo...because someone had put probably cosmoline on the metal portion of the buttplate for long term storage and the cosmoline dissolved the rubber.

[Silver Bullet]

Originally Posted by Joe Hadenuff

Do you think a polymer pistol will still work 150 years from now like a steel pistol would ? Assuming both were taken care of.I'm thinking the polymer will definately not.I'm wondering if they would even make 50-75 yrs. Well?

This is a subject that I have extensively studied. There's NOT a great deal of published information on polymer gun parts. (There's also not a lot of published empirical test data on the wear rates and durability of MIM gun parts, either; and I'm equally suspicious of both.) I've done enough reading to feel confident to make the following predictions:

1. According to historical observations made at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, none of the plastic artifacts in their collections have stood up well over an extended period of time like, say, 50 + years. Sunlight, heat, and humidity each takes it's toll on all forms of petroleum-based plastic; and celluloids seem to suffer the most rapid forms of deterioration.

2. Plastic polymers have entirely different wear and deterioration characteristics than wood and steel. Personally, I strongly suspect that there aren't going to be any serviceable 100 year old + polymer frame pistols. (However, I'd love to be proven wrong.)

Several things I've noticed about Glocks:

1. Many of the major police agencies do NOT continue to field their polymer frame pistols beyond 35 to 40 thousand fired rounds; and among those agencies that do, reliability seems to fall off; and their department armorers get to see disproportionate numbers of older polymer frame pistols.

2. Older polymer frames do begin to show stress cracks around the pin holes and thinner parts of the frame.

3. No polymer frame likes hot water; so the IGF geniuses who've bragged about washing their dirty Glocks in the dishwasher are, in effect, significantly weakening their polymer frames. Same thing goes for all those who've dipped their Glocks in boiling water in order to cure the (imaginary) problem with Glock, 'pig nose'.

4. The most ultraviolet (sunlight) resistant polymer color is jet black. All other plastic colors experience a much faster rate of structural weakening and frame deterioration. (This is the reason, 'Why' carbon lampblack was deliberately added to the original Glock frames.)

5. I can't prove it; and I'm not aware of any data on the subject; but I suspect that the larger police agencies do not continue to field their well used, plastic frame, service pistols much beyond eight to ten years. (I doubt that it's all about economics; and I'd love to know the real reason, 'Why'?)

Here's some, 'fun reading' for those who are interested - Warning: The future doesn't look especially bright for any petroleum-based plastic!

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mome/hd_mome.htm

http://www.getty.edu/conservation/pu...s_plastic.html

And, for those who really want to wade into an investigation of plastics there's always:

http://www.getty.edu/conservation/pu.../pdf/v29n1.pdf

In addition to all of the wear and deterioration factors discussed in these articles, plastic firearm frames experience, yet, another problem that can significantly weaken them ....... VIBRATION! My own general recommendations? Don't do what I've done; and, IN ALL POLYMER FRAME PISTOLS ABOVE 9 X 19MM, keep your fired round counts below 40 to 50 thousand rounds. Neither do I think it's a good idea to regularly practice with +P+ ammunition. (I'm NOT saying not to use high pressure ammo; I'm only saying to be aware of how often you use it - OK.)