Metal in plastic lowers loosening up?

[Bulletski]

Hi all:
I ran across a video on YouTube where the guy brought up an interesting point.
He said that, in time, the metal parts - like the pins and the slide rail pieces will loosen up in an auto with a plastic lower. The pins will walk out and those slide rail pieces that are molded into the frame will pretty much do the same.
This does seem to make sense - if the gun is shot to any great extent.
Naturally, if the gun is shot once or twice a year it won't matter.

Anyway, have any of you ever experienced this with autos with plastic lowers?

 

[mcb]

I personally have an XD-40 that has somewhere around 40,000 rds through it. Nothing is loose in the lower.

There have been many examples of Glocks, M&P's, XDs etc going over 100,000 rds. They are usually pretty worn out buy that time but with a few parts replaced (springs and such) they continue to function. The polymer lowers have proven robust to some pretty heavy abuse and hard use and the pins and locking block coming loose in the polymer lower does not seem to have every become a wide spread issue for any of the major polymer lower handguns.

 

[cslinger]

The VP70 was for all intents the first poly frame gun and they are still out there being shot, course some of them are still waiting for there first trigger pull to finish but I digress.

There are many Gen 2 and to a lesser extent Gen 1 Glocks being shot.

I’ve seen more pins walk on an alloy or even steel gun the. Polymer. It can happen with any firearm. I have a fair bit of shooting behind all three.

Now what will happen to polymer after 100-200 years......don’t know....won’t care.

From a “short term” durability standpoint, I would argue something like a Glock 17 would wipe the floor with many if not the vast majority of metal framed firearms in terms of round count, and I do t say that as a “Glock guy”. There is a USP .45 that, I believe, Federal uses or has used as a test gun that had documented over 200,000 shots before they sent it to HK just to ask them if it should have a check up. No 1911 is going to do that.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

I've been shooting a CZ-75 SP-01 Phantom in training classes and IDPA for nearly a decade now. It's been through more than one set of springs, a health diet of magazines and had to have new tritium sight put on. No pins walking and no trouble with the rail inserts though.

Not saying it doesn't happen, but I suspect it happens largely to guns that were already on the poor side of quality scale.

 

[edwardware]

He said that, in time, the metal parts - like the pins and the slide rail pieces will loosen up in an auto with a plastic lower.

And what did he have on hand as an example?

Sounds like someone with an entry-level knowledge of polymer properties and an axe to grind. Betcha there's been a shot fired from a Glock for every breath he's ever taken, and I think Glock has a passable handle on steel/polymer composite durability.

 

[huntsman]

My gen2 G23 left the factory in Jan of 95, since I’m second owner I can’t testify to round count.

But if and when it falls apart I’ll bury it in the backyard Poor a shot schnapps toast Gaston and buy another.

 

[Bulletski]

The guy who's video I saw on this subject is on YouTube and his ID is "Yankee Marshall". I went to his channel but couldn't find the video in question. You could check him out for a laugh if nothing else.

 

[JTQ]

He said that, in time, the metal parts - like the pins and the slide rail pieces will loosen up in an auto with a plastic lower. The pins will walk out and those slide rail pieces that are molded into the frame will pretty much do the same.
This does seem to make sense - if the gun is shot to any great extent.

I don't think shooting it a lot would make much of a difference, but detail stripping it a lot certainly could.

The more times you drive the pins in and out of the frame, the more wear you get, and will eventually make the connection between hole and pin looser.

 

[PO2Hammer]

1911 fans are running out of complaints about poly pistols???

 

[dogtown tom]

The guy who's video I saw on this subject is on YouTube and his ID is "Yankee Marshall"....

There is your answer.
TYM has little credibility and posts videos simply to troll for clicks.

 

[mcb]

1911 fans are running out of complaints about poly pistols???

I have never been much of a 1911 fan but I have always though the 1911 fanboy always held a "best trigger potential" trump card when it came to comparing handguns.

 

[nofendertom]

I have had the front rails loosen up on a SAR B6C with about 500rds through it.

 

[Pat Riot]

The guy who's video I saw on this subject is on YouTube and his ID is "Yankee Marshall". I went to his channel but couldn't find the video in question. You could check him out for a laugh if nothing else.

That explains it. That guy is a piece of work.

It pains me to be that nice in regards to that guy.

 

[tarosean]

Plenty of accounts on the ol internet of plastic fantastic loosing frame rails.. is it an issue or tolerance stacking? Plenty of metal/alloy guns with broken frames on the intereb also..

shoot your gun enough its gonna break stuff. Period the end..

Run what ya brung

 

[sigarms228]

That YM guy has a wild imagination.

 

[Snowdog]

I did have a similar issue with my first P32 (1st gen) after about a decade of use. The metal magazines shaved enough of the magazine catch that it sat about an 1/8 of an inch below the bottom of the grip. It was still reliable, but I knew the mag was becoming loose-fitting and it annoyed me.

I reached out to Kel-tec and they sent me, free of charge, two replacement mag catches that fixed the issue.
I'm simply more aware now that before I eject a magazine, I press up on the base of the inserted magazine and only then do I press the magazine release.

 

[CapnMac]

I ran across a video on YouTube where the guy brought up an interesting point.
He said that, in time, the metal parts - like the pins and the slide rail pieces will loosen up in an auto with a plastic lower.

Have to wonder what credentials other than "guy on youtube" brings to the table.

After all, I know a number of people who are convinced that all automotive fluids are just 20 weight oil in various colors--and the difference only exists to bilk you out of much moola.

I know of otherwise entirely reasonably rational people who believe rifle rounds develop "lift" and will defy gravity.

I also know people who thing all "plastic" is the same, too. Despite the fact that there are easily a 150 broad varieties of polymers, and that's before we examine the things that can be added to the polymers in manufacturing--like glass fibre. Not all "plastics" are thermoplastic. We very commonly embed things in acrylic plastics with every expectation that they will remain immobile.

The people who make firearms generally have to go through a great deal of extensive testing before being brought to market. A company the brought a product to market that began to fail in a tiny fraction of its service life would be buried in lawsuits within weeks of opening. Yet, this is believed, despite all evidence to the contrary.

 

[Patocazador]

"Metal in plastic lowers loosening up?"

I thought this was about lower dentures at first.

 

[GreenBrassKitty]

Glock had to test their pistol extensively to meet the specification requirements for the Austrian military. Don’t think they’re to replace them every 2k or 200k rounds fired just through training alone.

 

[mgmorden]

I like The Yankee Marshall but his claims are often dubious or sometimes just incorrect.

Polymer guns are plenty durable enough. Hell virtually every new military gun (rifle or pistol) being developed these days is made mostly of polymer. Some rifle designs even have polymer hammers (for example, the FS2000).

From an aesthetics standpoint, I definitely get it. I don't like the feel of polymer and nothing screams "cheap' to me like seeing a plastic mold line in my gun, but at the end of the day that's just looks and polymer guns function just fine. No clue how their long term durability will be but we still haven't really seen any of them break just due to age yet.