opinions on rifles going polymer

T

tahunua001

New member
hello all.
I was just curious how the current crop of rifle enthusiasts feel about rifles made from polymer. I know I shoot polymer pistols all the time and actually prefer many plastic offerings to a lot of the metal framed handguns out there but with rifles it is a whole other story. case in point
http://newfrontierarmory.com/catalo...=product_info&cPath=245_285&products_id=34089
the cheap son of a gun in me is thinking man it would be nice to have an entire lower half for $100+FFL but something is still pulling me back. for the most part I haven't had much liking for a lot of the more modern rifle designs. I really liked the CX4 but it seems like it would be a pain in the rear to strip down but other than that none of the other designs were really my cup of tea.

back to a known platform where there are both metal and polymers being made. are there any practical differences in the durability of a rifle that's made with a plastic lower and one that's made with an alluminum lower?
 
When done well, there isn't likely to be much difference.

Not all polymer lowers (say, for AR-15s) have been done well.

Newer designs (SCAR, ACR) use polymer receivers and they seem to work well enough. Personally, I tend to stick with what the rifle was designed around- for AR-15s, that's a forged aluminum receiver. If I were going for an ultra lightweight build (not just one that leans lightweight), sure, polymer would be a way to cut that weight down a bit more, but in order for it to matter, you'd need to keep EVERYTHING as light as possible. Saving 7 ounces on the complete lower is pointless when you just go hanging heavy rail systems and other cheap crap off the thing.

I also would tend to be suspicious of a complete lower for $100, especially considering quality LPKs alone tend to cost at least $60 or so. That leaves $40 for the stock, receiver extension, action spring, buffer, and receiver itself. For a budget build, sure, but I'm wondering where those corners got cut. Quality polymer costs a good deal to do right- molds and the equipment to make them are quite expensive and recouping that investment means you can't just sell the things for a rock bottom price.

I'd really like to see somebody run one of these lowers through a carbine course and see if it holds up.
 
I have considered it. looking at the picture in the link it's obvious that everything in that lower is plastic including the trigger. I have been tempted to get one and one of the last remaining 5.45 M&P uppers and shoot a couple crates of 5.45 and slap it around a little for good measure but that would require about $800 once you factor in ammo which is a lot for a gun with a higher than average chance of being mediocre.

at the very least my brother has a whole box of spare spare AR parts in his basement and I still have the old trigger from my accurized AR so I'm sure I could swap broken parts out as I went along too.
 
I know its happening and I have been told some of the benefits but well I guess I'm a bit old fashioned.

I like my handguns to have at least a steel frame and slide. I prefer my ARs to be high quality aluminum...

Nothing against those who go polymer though - their choice to make.
 
Hmmmmm, I get a bunch of budget lowers plus a bunch of budget uppers, a few cans of desert tan paint.... and tada!! I'm in the AR business.
 
Polymers have their uses and weight savings are usually good BUT.

Heavier calibers need weight to make them more manageable / tolerable.
Some polymers are susceptible to common solvents damaging them beyond repair (see Marlin Camp X trigger guard meltdown).
Plastic parts usually wear out faster than metal; parts that come off and on a lot may be better off being metal.

Polymer use in firearms has been a good thing when the proper materials are selected and used for the proper application.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top