Will we ever see a resurgence in steel??

A

Areoflyer09

New member
My fiancé and I started with two 2 Walthers, a PPQ & a PPS. We've sold the PPS, had a P320 come and go and now have 6 pistols with the PPQ being the only polymer of the group. We've looked at other options and there are very few polymers that we want. Steel is just more fun to spend time on the range with for us.

Despite perseonal preferences, I think poly will remain the popular choice for majority of people. Poly has a siginificant weight advantage over steel and a weight and price advantage over the alloy framed options.
 
L

ligonierbill

New member
Steel pistols never went away. Two big markets, pocket pistols and duty guns, have gone largely over to that ugly word for Dustin Hoffman's future. For me, that means there are lots of steel pocket pistols and duty guns on the used market. Don't see 1911s going away, and Colt just came out with a new Cobra that is getting good reviews. Ruger and S&W have a pretty good array of revolvers for sale. It's like everything, there is a lot more choice in materials today.
 
G

Glenn E. Meyer

New member
Will muscle cars ever return? Why don't they make Pontiac 1969 GTO's that I lusted after when I was young?

If you differentiate between reasonable carry guns and fun guns, you know the answer? Yes, you can carry a big steel honker and drive a GTO to get a quart of milk.
 
C

Carmady

New member
Will we ever see a resurgence in steel??

Doubt it, but in 30 or 40 years shooters who are young now will be waxing poetical about the good ol' days when "plastic was plastic, and not this new crap they've come out with."
 
J

JoeSixpack

New member
Guys just wait till we get startrek replicator technology then we can make what ever the hell we want.

Actually I kinda see 3d printing and table top CNC being like the proto replicator.
So who knows when 3d printing has advanced enough and gotten cheap enough in 5-10 we'll just be making our own guns from scratch.

(Ya Im aware people already do this but it's not mainstream or up to par yet)
 
T

TruthTellers

New member
I think a better question is: will we ever see a departure from polymer?

Steel is fine for a collection or a target/competition gun, but for any defense use, steel is heavy to carry while polymer is light and doesn't rust. If there's going to be a change from polymer, it won't be to steel, it will be to harder non-ferrous metals like Scandium or aircraft aluminum or, what seems to be gaining a lot of interest now, Magnesium.

Polymer is just easy to make and cheap. Unless there's a drastic increase of using 3D printing in manufacturing, the metals I listed above will have to be cast/forged, then machined, and finished. That's a lot of time and money and I don't think it's something the majority of people in a future where jobs will be scarce from lack of work thanks to automation and robots and AI taking their old jobs that they'll have the money to pay for that higher cost.
 
R

rock185

New member
Don't think there will be a resurgence of steel. I think it will go the other way. Manufacturers will continue to look for ways to undercut the competition. Soon as they can perfect reinforced paper mache for the frames, and recycled eyeglass frames, or some such, for the other components, that's what we'll have. People will extol the virtues of the new, modern, paper mache pistols. They are so much better and lighter than those old Glocks, XDs, M&Ps,etc. And, MSRP will only be about only $23.25, but CDNN will have them for $18.69, with a free Chinese weapon light;)
 
C

cslinger

New member
I have no problem with polymer guns. I just think it is a shame we are moving towards that point where they are the far in away most available option. There is something about a steel gun. I mean hell I like guns all of em. So I am fairly covered, but there is something of romance and soul in a well machined metal firearm.
 
D

Doc Holliday 1950

New member
I like the feel of steel & I also like Poly. I might be crazy but as long as everything works like it should, I don't really care. Yes, I lust after my 66 327 Chevy
but that's long gone like chocolate flavor straws and Imperial yo yo's that glow in the dark when you spin them. Se La Vie!
 
C

CajunBass

New member
Carmady said:
Doubt it, but in 30 or 40 years shooters who are young now will be waxing poetical about the good ol' days when "plastic was plastic, and not this new crap they've come out with."
Click to expand...

I wish we had a "like" button. I'd hit it twice. :D
 
A

arquebus357

New member
I'm late in this polymer pistol era. Just picked up a Ruger American Compact. I very much like this pistol except for perverted Glock like trigger "safety" blade. I believe the metal drop in fire group into a polymer frame is a very practical design. Why haul around all the extra weight of steel if you don't need it.

I'm not what you would call a shooter so I don't have all those problems associated with holding and firing a handgun. Some write-ups sound more like the story of the "Princess and the Pea" than a gun review.
 
R

rep1954

New member
"Will we ever see a resurgence in steel??"

No but you will see a surge in metal gun collectors. I'm sure prices will soar.
 
K

K_Mac

New member
I agree that longing for the 'good ole days' and the associated material things is part of the human condition. I also don't think all steel handguns are going anywhere soon. That doesn't mean they are ever going to compete with the today's polymer offerings or the materials of the future though. Just like vinyl records and tube amps or muscle cars with naturally aspirated big block V8s with points ignition systems, many of us will remember them fondly and maybe even own a few. We will listen to digitally produced music and drive modern vehicles though...
 
Last edited:
S

Screwball

New member
There are still steel guns out there, but I don't think we will ever go back to them being a mainstay. Too heavy, and I think the military's movement to the P320 was the death nail for most alloy framed contracts.

Polymer isn't bad, as long as the quality is there. Crappy polymer is just as bad as crappy alloy. You don't see widespread issues with most manufacturers because of the amount of time these have already been in the firearms market.

I love my CZ SP-01, as well as my S&W 1006. They are great pistols, and likely will never sell them... but I don't carry them.
 
O

osbornk

New member
I don't think steel guns will return any more than I think the heavy all steel cars and heavy TVs with glass picture tubes will return. Light, efficient, more reliable and cheaper is today's reality. My light and efficient half plastic car and my LED/LCD TVs are far more efficient and reliable than those in the "good old days" and my polymer guns never fail me. I even bought a Mossberg Blaze 47 rifle with a polymer receiver that has been flawless and the entire gun weighs just over 4 pounds.

My favorite gun to shoot is an all steel 1911 but when I carry, it is always a polymer gun.
 
I

Independent George

New member
Steel will always be around, but it's pretty much done in the duty/carry category due to weight and cost.

For range use, that weight is actually a boon because of the way it soaks up recoil.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
S

ShootistPRS

New member
There are a number of guns that are made and sold that are all steel. I don't believe that the all steel gun is ever going away. Yes, there are some advantages to plastic in guns and there will likely be new plastics designed that will make frames more durable. There may even be ceramics that can be used for barrels and the common steel parts in guns now but all steel guns will be around when people want to buy them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top