Polymer slides

D

dyl

New member
I don't get to say this much but I'll say it now: I knew it!!!!

In 2011, someone started a thread called "Next Generation of Weapons". https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467833&highlight=polymerAnd I mentioned polymer slides. I went back and found my post, #17. Here it is

In the interest of money and weight
Polymer!

Polymer slides with all contact/impact parts being steel. I think the barrels would still be steel. Perhaps the polymer could be impregnated with elements giving them some metallic qualities for heat dissipation and resistance or whatnot.

But the bulk of slides for Semi-auto pistols could probably be made of polymer. Unless I'm mistaken it's the chamber and the barrel that takes most of the pressure.

If it works, a slide could last indefinitely and the small contact metal parts could be replaced if/when needed - much like polymer frames we have today.

Maybe this doesn't count as a next whole "generation" but it would be an advance in technology. Weight reduction would be big benefit and we're not talkin just a couple ounces.
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HAHA! I was right! (the Glock 44 has a mostly polymer slide). Do I get a cookie?
Now if only I could be right about something that matters. Perhaps Glock would like to hire a new visionary. Me :D
 
Go back to whence you came time wizard! But in all seriousness, I'm sure a lot of .22 pistols could be equipped with a mostly polymer frame.
 
To be fair, Kel-Tech already accomplished this in 2011, didn't they? Unless I'm mistaken, the slide of the Kel-Tec PMR-30 is mostly polymer.

That being said, the Glock 44 is chambered in .22LR, which has extremely low bolt thrust, ergo it's possible to make several key components out of materials of lesser tensile strength. In fact, many .22LR firearms in this day and age have slides made of injection molded, zinc alloys such as ZAMAK, and while ZAMAK can be made to withstand the force of powerful centerfire cartridges, (see Hi-Point) it has to be extremely thick to do so.

So yeah, I doubt that we'll ever see firearms with slides made mostly of polymer chambered in anything more powerful than .22WMR, not unless firearms are completely redesigned, that is, and even then they certainly won't be known for their durability.

I'm not putting down polymer either, it works extremely well as a frame material, and appears to hold up very well to use, as evidenced by older designs such as the H&K VP-70 and Gen 1 Glock 17 which are still floating around today, despite being shot frequently. However, I can't see it being used as a substitute for steel in the slides of firearms of current design. Polycase has been trying to perfect a polymer matrix which can be used as a substitute for brass cases for use in conflict zones so that insurgents cannot reload spent brass, and despite having some success making bullets out of a polymer/copper matrix, they still haven't been successful in producing cases which can withstand at least one shot without a split, blowout, or case head separation occurring.
 
My thought is that mass is more of a problem than the strength of the materials. If a sufficiently strong steel bolt could be locked to the barrel and held in a polymer carrier, and sufficient material such as steel to take the hammering against a fully-compressed recoil spring at the front of that carrier, pretty much all the other issues have been addressed. Those issues being wear at the slide-frame interfaces and recoil impact of the recoil spring against the frame. I think what you'd be trying to accomplish with a polymer slide is less machining--mainly. That might be the case, and you'd probably use stamped parts integrated into the polymer 'chassis' where you did need steel.

Still, now you have a significantly lighter slide--leaving your only choice for handling recoil a stronger spring or a spring-damper system (which I'm surprised has not been successfully developed). So, very light slide, very strong spring--very high cycling speed and potentially a lot of harsher starts and stops as that thing now slams home, and the average user can retract the slide at all.

I'm sure someone is thinking about it though. If it is significantly cheaper to make, and Marketing can spin it as a technical advancement, it will be made.
 
Eh, it's a .22. There's been single-shot .22's where lockup is provided solely by hammer geometry.

For a centerfire, you are still going to need a lot of mass to buffer the action.

But it's not hopeless. If anything, it makes me wonder how viable tungsten-infused plastic (Sig TXG style) would be for a pistol slide. Sure, it would probably need a few steel inserts. But what if it did work?
 
If anything, it makes me wonder how viable tungsten-infused plastic (Sig TXG style) would be for a pistol slide. Sure, it would probably need a few steel inserts. But what if it did work?
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Good point, I forgot that Sig infused their grips with tungsten (and that they're pricey).

Wait a minute, did I predict this too?
Perhaps the polymer could be impregnated with elements giving them some metallic qualities for heat dissipation and resistance or whatnot.
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- haha! Can I have my own radio show yet?

I'll tell you what kozak6, if more start doing polymer slides, it means manufacturers will be saving money on materials, manufacturing and tooling... and make more money per slide. Less milling/finishing. More casting. And prices will stay the same for consumers because it'll be advertised as an advantage. After all, plastic doesn't rust ;)

Can't wait till we see the first wave of nasty home-stippled slides. DIY skeletonized slides.

It would change people's concerns about finish wear and holster type. If polymer slides become *very* common someday, it could affect refinishing businesses, although there would always be long guns and metal pistols already in circulation.
 
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