Recently at the range I was preceded by another person. He was shooting a Sig in 9mm while the only gun I brought was my Glock 30SF. I’m one to never insult another person’s gun at the range. If you like it I’m happy for you and who am I to judge? This guy didn’t not have that same belief.
No sooner did I put the target up and get the gun out of its holster he had to comment. “Is that a Glock?” A simple enough question to which I answered, “Yes.” That was my entire answer, nothing snobbish followed or preceded. His response on the other hand was, “Pfft plastic tupperware. Why not get a real gun made out of metal?” This struck me as odd because the range I attend is almost exclusively populated by decent people. Of course we’re putting a new door up so currently anybody can waltz right in so he may not have been a member, in fact I’m doubting he was one.
My answer was simply, “Because I like it.” After that I put on double ear protection in the vain attempt to not be able to hear him. He made a few more quips but I pretended I couldn’t hear them and just kept shooting.
This brings me to something I just don’t get. That something is a hatred of plastic framed pistols. I understand if you prefer metal guns, that’s your business. But it’s kind of hard to claim plastic frame pistols are junk when most of them have proven very reliable. The Glock, XD, and M&P lines of pistols are pretty well known for reliability. Yes there are lemons but for the most part they work well. In a carry gun that’s my primary concern, reliability. I want the gun to go bang when I pull the trigger and no go bang when I’m not pulling the trigger. But I also want something light as possible which plastic does well. I’m also a fan of how resistant plastic is to corrosion (In other words it doesn’t corrode). The gun is sitting against my body all day which means sweat and oil is getting on it, something resistant to corrosion is very nice.
I’ve not heard one conclusive argument stating why plastic guns are worse than steel guns. Yes they are lighter and therefore you received more felt recoil. That’s not really a concern of mine and it is a poor argument against a gun. That argument would lead one to accept heavier guns are better and therefore Hi-Points are the cream of the crop.
Another argument I hear and often laugh at is you can’t club somebody with a plastic frame pistol. Yes you can. The entire slide is still metal and the plastic is pretty impact resistant so it’s not going to crack under stress form beating somebody with the slide. But if you’re in a position where you must use the gun as a club instead of a gun you have bigger immediate issues than what your gun is made out of.
My friend often jokes that the gun will melt if you put it in an oven at 400 degrees (Fahrenheit since I’m in the United State). Of course many people say such things and are serious. Here is the fact of the matter. If your in a temperature hot enough to melt your gun’s frame you’re also dying from that same heat. The human body can’t take as much heat as the plastic frame of a pistol. I’m also not one to accidentally leave my gun in an oven.
One thing I will say is in a kaboom situation plastic frame guns generally fare worse than their metal frame brethren. But you really have to look at the common cause of kaboom situations. It’s generally done with reloaded ammunition (The reloader made a mistake and overloaded the round) or ammunition that has been constantly rechambered again and again (Bullet setback increases pressure when the round is finally fired). Both of these can be avoided and should be.
I understand if you prefer metal guns, that’s great. But if it’s due to anything beyond personal preference I don’t think you’re criteria are as realistic as you believe.
That is all.
