re: Can Polymer 1911s find a niche in today's market?

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2 pages in and SOB hasn't made it into a 1911 thread.

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I've sent the signal

I can see this design being hated/loved in the same fashion as the polymer AR lowers that some people have been enjoying.

Personally, I don't have a place for a polymer 1911 but if the price is right, I bet they will sell a buttload.

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Isn't he ranch bound?

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I'll bet QueenRanch is.

I really don't like the idea of a plastic 1911. The whole reason I like my 1911 is the feel of an all metal gun. Just makes no sense to me considering the reasons most folks buy a 1911.

If I want a "plastic" gun, I will buy something different.

BTW, I work in an injection molding plant. We make many "polymer" parts for guns. I cannot divulge the name of our customers because of NDAs I have had to sign, but suffice it to say, it is for some of the biggest and the best companies out there.

Anyway, one thing I hate is how the word "polymer" is thrown around instead of calling it what it is... Plastic. More specifically, one of the many types of Nylon.

It may be Nylon that is 25%-50% glass filled, or a mixture of glass/mineral filled but it is all still classified as plastic.

One thing about all Nylon parts however, they will never be as strong or as accurate dimensionally as a steel part.

This is because of the nature of Nylon. Nylon absorbs moisture from the atmosphere like a sponge. It can grow or shrink several thousandths of an inch based on ambient conditions.

So in the end, a gun with a Nylon lower has to be built with looser tolerances than an all metal gun to account for dimensional variations.

That is not to say that plastic/polymer/nylon guns are bad. Believe me, the stuff is tough as nails, but it will never achieve the accuracy or feel of an all metal gun.