Why polymer??? I suppose you could say it’s a weight savings. Really or is it just cost?

[Badkarma52]

I purchased a P10c twice one optic ready and one not. Changed the trigger and added mag extensions. Sold both. Bought two more 75b’s. I have a PCR, SP01, Scorpion SBR and a Shadow 2. Yes I have a Glock 19 not my favorite at all. Ergonomics on the glock suck. I also have a P226 and P229. But in the end CZ’s are my favorite. Tell me why poly in the CZ pistol line. Thank you for reading.

[DOC 1500]

Happy Easter,
Polymer is cheaper to make, lighter to carry.
It seems that all anybody wants anymore is smaller and lighter smaller and lighter. So the industry followed up with whatever the customers want to buy.

[Trout Whisperer]

What DOC said.  Size and price were major considerations when I purchased a SIG Sauer P-250 sub-compact several years ago, even though I do not care for the feel of plastic gun frames.

Plus, striker-fired guns such as the Glock are stuffed with parts made of plastic and stamped sheet metal, which further lowers the price for which manufacturers can sell them.

At least the P-09 and P-07 are hammer fired as God intended.

[Rittmeister]

I think it's also easier to mold the polymer frame to the shape the designer wants.  Add different textures, whatever.  With striker-fired guns there's even another layer of simplicity since the rear of the grip doesn't have to house the hammer strut/spring etc.

[DOC 1500]

I love my P-09 and 07 but for me , there's just something about the feel of stainless steel on your hip, that a polymer pistol just can't fill.👍
Plus, if you run out of ammo you got a brick in your hand. 🤣 LOL

[E.T.26]

It's all about production costs. Manufacturers prefer to built one very expensive injection mold and subsequently have frames produced at very low costs and high pace. The more complicated the metal frame, the more expensive they become. Weight is not really an issue as light alloy frames and polymer frames weigh about the same (cf. my Walther P88 and Walther P5 vs my Walther P99). I also had an all steel pistol (Benelli B76) but the frame was made of sheet metal and therefore was not that heavy.

Last year I was at the production facility of FN Herstal and with the exception of their .50 BMG heavy machine gun all their products feature polymer frames (P90, SCAR, Five-seveN, ...)

[Claymore504]

I think the main factor is production cost for sure. A plus with the polymer frame for gun companies though is they can create frames in any size and shape easier than alloy. I would say another plus is that with poly frames you will have replacable frame rails, but with alloy if a rail fails the frame is done. I still prefer alloy frame pistols overall though and they feel much more quality to me.

Weight and size is another primary driving factor. Smaller is just easier to produce with polymer frames. Now, there is one CZ pistol for me that the size thing does not matter and that is the P09. It is a big handgun, but about 10oz lighter than an SP-01.

[CCWLearner]

I figure other gun manufacturers saw an opportunity to compete with Glock in the polymer pistol market and jumped on it.  That applies to CZ and all of the other pistol manufacturers who produce polymer pistols, especially striker-fired ones.

Personally I had owned mostly Glocks for 20+ years before deciding to try CZ's, and it was the release of the P10C that got me interested in CZ's in the first place. 

Just so happened that the original launch of the P10C had availability issues which led me to look at and try a P-07, which I ended up buying one of, then buying another one and standardizing on... and selling my last Glock.

[AZ_CZ]

People, police departments and Military buy them. That simple. They cost less and work just as well. I love my steel 75, 97, Kadet, even my pugnacious 82. I switched to polymer guns when my shoulder started going bad. Onces add up while shooting.

[Skookum]

A polymer frame, being lighter, results in more free recoil:


   P-07, polymer — 27.7 oz and 4.87 ft•lb
   P-01, aluminum — 27.2 oz and 5.03 ft•lb
   P-01, steel — 37.7 oz and 3.63 ft•lb.


The above free recoils are derived from a round with a 124-gr bullet with a muzzle velocity of 1,133 ft/s for the P-07 with its 3.75-in barrel, and 1,143 ft/s for the P-01s with their 3.9-in barrels.


Some claim the flex of a polymer frame more than oftsets the increase in free recoil to produce lower felt recoil.  I'm skeptical, but know of no way to measure felt recoil.  However, a flexing frame seems a recipe for degraded shot precision.


I noticed the CZ-CZ catalog specifies their non-metal frames to be "fiberglass-reinforced polymer."  I don't know if all gun polymers contain fiberglass, but I when I handled a P-09 last year my first reaction was "this isn't polymer!"  I'm guessing the frame-warping fiasco of the 75 P-07 Duty, especially amongst the .40-caliber version, led to the formulation of a polymer that is stiffer than the competitions'.  This may contribute to polymer CZs shooting more precisely than, say, Glocks or S&W M&Ps.


I was surprised to see the aluminum-framed P-01 come in a bit lighter than the P-07.

[rdcinhou]

Some claim the flex of a polymer frame more than oftsets the increase in free recoil to produce lower felt recoil.  I'm skeptical, but know of no way to measure felt recoil.  However, a flexing frame seems a recipe for degraded shot precision.

If you watch the episode of Gun Stories about the Glock (Season 1, Episode 8 ), they show in slow motion how the polymer frame flexes during recoil to help dissipate what you feel in the grip.  It actually looks a little scary and makes you wonder just how many times it can do that before the polymer starts to degrade.

[Skookum]

I've seen slo-mo footage of a polymer frame flexing.  It confirmed my choice of steel frames for my CZs.


My skepticism is not whether frame flex occurs, but whether it more than offsets the increase in free recoil imparted by the lighter polymer.

[CZMikey]

I dunno about how much the frame flex helps, having carried Glocks during my career as an armed social worker, I am just now getting into metal/steel frames again.  The weight difference to me is a non-issue, YMMV.

My favorite thing about polymer frames are all the purdy colors.   
I just got a purple framed Sar B6c and love it. 
I do loathe the black lame arse powder finish on the slide and internals on the Sar and so many others.   

[bang bang]

welcome

you need to get out more and maybe take some business/mfg classes or readup on them.  If you want to educate yourself look up injection molding and Investment castings - this is Rugers forte.

As mentioned plastic is cheap/easy to make and produce.  If a piece has a flaw it could be recycled and maybe worse case, there goes a few bucks or pennies into the garbage.

If they could make most/all parts of a car with plastic without sacrificing any material/safety properties they would in a heartbeat. 

and fwiw, you will only see MORE products and guns do the same.  It really comes down to Money/PROFITS. 

and if/when 3d printing can be made faster/better/cheaper, you may see companies change to that. 

its all about profits.   

[Skookum]

I dunno about how much the frame flex helps, having carried Glocks during my career as an armed social worker, I am just now getting into metal/steel frames again.  The weight difference to me is a non-issue, YMMV.

My favorite thing about polymer frames are all the purdy colors.   
I just got a purple framed Sar B6c and love it. 
I do loathe the black lame arse powder finish on the slide and internals on the Sar and so many others.   

My hypothesis is that polymer frame flex hurts more than it helps by degrading precision.


I agree that weight is not an issue with a proper gun belt and a holster that hugs your body.  But, LEOs and soldiers tote far more EDC gear than I do, so maybe a lighter weight frame makes sense for them.


An affinity for purdy colors is why God invented Krylon:


https://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-allinone