Polymer vs Steel frame...which do you prefer?

Polymer or Steel?

  • Polymer

    Votes: 36 26.3%

  • Steel

    Votes: 101 73.7%
  • Total voters
    137
  • Poll closed .
I prefer steel or aluminum but I own or have owned many polymer framed guns. Nothing wrong with a good poly gun.
 
sorry about only putting steel and polymer as the options...I should've put METAL and polymer. That's really what I meant. Just seems that most of the metal framed guns are made of steel. Again, sorry about the limited options. Wish I could change the options.
 
I like steel or alloy but I can live with a nice hammer fired polymer. Just wish they would make the polymer frame the same way they make the metal ones, with grip panels.
 
Mark,

I could never carry the Stingray, simply too heavy to even consider.
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Given that you shoot your Stingray well, consider trying to carry it. Yes, it's about 50% heavier than your Taurus, but a holster on a sturdy belt that holds the gun close to you rides quite nicely. You do spend much more time carrying a sidearm than shooting it, but it's nice to have a gun you shoot well handy in case you ever need it.
 
I like them both just fine, but when it comes to carry I find that I gravitate to polymer. Lighter and simpler upkeep.
 
I go with steel. Steel is real. To me polymer frame guns just don't feel like a real gun to me & you pay for the lighter weight in recoil also.
 
To me, it's not even close. I'd rather own a metal frame gun to a polymer gun any day of the week for any application.

Semiauto or revolver, bedside or concealed carry, it's steel.

The only polymer gun I really like is my Kahr CW9. For some reason, I think about trading it, and then decide not to. It's a great shooter, and a great size for deep carry.

Everything else I carry is steel frame.
 
I have poly, steel, and alloy. Love them all, prefer metal. My the main carry pieces are a CZ P07, CZ PCR, and a Sig P220 Elite Dark with aluminum grips.
 
Yeah, I should have added the same caveat so many others did - while I prefer metal frames, I have nothig against polymer. My primary carry gun is a Kahr PM9, and my next few guns are all likely to be polymer as well. It's a very practical and versatile material.
 
I like both as they each have their advantages. I own both sigs and glocks...but from a utilitarian POV, poly does it for me at the end of the day. If I lose a glock or damage it badly I wont lose much sleep over it. Cant say that about my all metal sigs
 
I think this comes down to why you like guns to begin with. Some of us enjoy the finer points of a firearm. Fit,finish, colors, craftsmanship. Others view it as a tool to do a job and nothing more.
Polymer guns function well and are reasonably accurate, they do the job they are intended to do.
A $500 Glock is produced for about $30, a $1000 1911 is produced for about $150. Steel gun will begin to side in value after its initial loss and will eventually be worth as much or more than its original price. A polymer gun will be ground up and recycled after its life span is over.
Personally I dont own any polymer and likely never will.
 
What about an option for those who might like alloy frames best... Or a option for those who have no preference?


I fall into the latter camp... I don't care one way or another, I just like them all.


Someone voted steel and mentioned Sig... Most of their frames are alloy. They do make a couple steel versions though.
 
I voted steel but I don't really care. I have 3 polymer, two steel, one aluminum and one pot metal. They all work fine.
 
I think the poll results here are interesting. If gun sales went according to this poll, then gun sales in this country would be radically different.
 
If gun sales went according to this poll, then gun sales in this country would be radically different.
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Yes, but I suspect the taste on this site leans a little more toward the classic which for many is all metal frames. Many first time buyers today simply walk in and ask for a “GLOCK FORTY” or something similar. Also, many new designs feature polymer frames, so even those who might prefer metal go with polymer to get a specific new design.
 
Also, many new designs feature polymer frames, so even those who might prefer metal go with polymer to get a specific new design.
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That's a good point.

I guess for me personally I see no downside to polymer functionally. Do I prefer the "feel" of metal? Yea, but I also like wood/G10 grips and not too many polymer pistols allow that. I have never noticed a dramatic difference in recoil, at least in 9mm and 45 ACP, for pistols of the comparative size. People always say the weight of all steel "handles recoil" better, but it is also completely rigid whereas I have found polymer frames to flex and absorb some of that recoil. I have an HK 45c that shoots as softly as 1911s I have used, despite being both smaller and much lighter.

I think "prefer" is also a vague term. In terms of what? Aesthetics, "feel", function? And even then different firearms are used for range, home defense, carry, or all of those combined.

Lastly I don't think too many of us here have owned two identical pistols in terms of dimensions and shape but with one having a metal frame and the other a polymer frame. The vast majority of pistols are one material or the other. I believe that the preference of frame material has more to do with the design and shape of the frame/grip for many people than the material itself, and because those factors are inseparable in many cases we focus more on the material than the form.
 
I voted steel, but I have one poly gun that I like, a Glock 19. And that'll be it. For now anyway.

I have a preference for old fashioned quality, fit & finish that the plastic guns don't seem to have. Also, I'm good with alloy framed guns but that was omitted rom the poll.
 
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