Plastic and gun parts

scott_r

scott_r

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Dont you guys find the plastic argument with regards to rifles pretty ridiculous. Take for instance a guy will spend $40 000 on a new truck full of plastic parts with no complaints. Plastic door latches, bumpers, mouldings, rails ect... In the back of the truck is a $15 000 quad full of plastic parts. You can open his his shed and find $1000's of dollars on tools that are half plastic. but will argue till his face is blue that a rifle has a plastic mag or God forbid a plastic trigger guard. :confused:
Does anyone else find the argument pretty lame?? Or do the same people complain that there vehicles are 100 % metal as with all the rest of their belongings???

Cheers!!
 
I would be worried if they started building steering and/or brakes out of plastic. I wouldn't worry to much about a plastic stock or trigger guard, but when they put plastic in the piece (bolt) between your cheek and the bullet. That makes me think just a bit
 
in most cases todays composites provide better durability in the average hunting rifles and utility rifles and offer many advantages over wood with little or no drawbacks besides being plastic itself
 
Tikka T3!!!! :D:p There's nothing wrong with plastic as long as it's used properly, and not in parts such as brakes or steering parts like guido said.
 
plastic works, but dont tell me you wouldnt prefer it if your tikka had a metal of some sort for the shroud, magazine, trigger guard, etc :confused:

if Tikka could make a T3 for $50 more out of steel, Id probably own one, as I like everything else about their rifles. :runaway:
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I bought a Tikka a few years ago and found that the plastic bolt shroud was broken straight from the factory. The threads inside that lock it to the bolt were broken. My guess is that the bolt had been dropped on the shroud end at the factory. I was not impressed.
 
762shooter said:
I bought a Tikka a few years ago and found that the plastic bolt shroud was broken straight from the factory. The threads inside that lock it to the bolt were broken. My guess is that the bolt had been dropped on the shroud end at the factory. I was not impressed.
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I bought an 870 brand new, wouldn't cycle shells, right from the factory, barrel was f***ked, had to replace. Happens with any gun, plastic or steel.
 
Maybe someone who has lots of money could buy a T3 and do a stress test or torture test to it and see how strong the plastic really is vs say a Remington or Savage.
If someone could back their worries with some evidence or blown bolt shrouds or cracked trigger guards I would totally understand but there are thousands of T3 owners and yet to hear any "cracked plastic threads"

Cheers :)
 
Plastic is easy to produce and saves money. so we are stuck with it. I am no fan of it on firearms, but there are some advantages. it doesn't corrode and is pretty light. certain polymers are pretty strong and I think a lot has been done in the last few years for UV resistance . never gonna love it but I guess I can learn to live with it.
 
The supposed "Plastic" debate rages on.........:rolleyes:

I've had 4 Tikka Rifles, a 308 595, a 300 win mag 695, a 338 695, and another 300 mag I turned into a 458 Win Mag. I hunted and used all of these Rifles in various conditions and can assure anyone the supposed weak plastic parts is pure nonesense.

I used and abused some of these rifles in, on and over mountains in +30 degree weather hunting spring bears to -30 hunting Muleys and NEVER experienced a broken part on any of them.
The Bolt shroud is purely cosmetic and does nothing to affect the operation of the rifle.....the rifle will work whether it's on or off.

Plastic mags...lots of rifles use them now either whole or just the guts, they work and feed great, don't rust and are lightweight.

The trigger guard was honestly my only concern as I questioned the integrity of a rifle when the action screws holding it all together are seated through plastic.....:confused:
However the 458 Magnum survived many full house 300 mag loads prior too and then went on to survive several hundred rounds at my hand of Full 458 Mag loads. The "weak" trigger guard in the end also proved to be a needless worry.

Just my experience.......Sure if you don't like the look or feel of Plastic then great, hate em....but if you reject the rifle because of a few Plastic parts & you question durability then you are mistaken.

I will also agree that if the T3 had a metal shroud and trigger guard I'd consider buying one....they are fine Rifles and have proven to be Excellent shooters. Even a lightweight alloy(alum or ?) would be a better seller then plastic:redface: However that's just my "preference" as I can assure anyone there is NO durability issues with Plastic.

Yes Keepsakes for the Grandchildren a Plastic rifle will probably never become.....

But for a No BS lightweight Hunting Rifle the T3 is the Cats Ass....
Have a look at the Number of them that are out there....not too bad for a rifle that's only been around a few years.

There must be something Good about them;)
Later.
 
Our C-7's have plastic stocks, forearms and mags...... We got them issued in the late 80's, so they have been used and tested long before its been common in hunting rifles.

The guys are trusting their lives to them everyday.... they ain't using them for plinking gophers....
 
mylesrom said:
Our C-7's have plastic stocks, forearms and mags...... We got them issued in the late 80's, so they have been used and tested long before its been common in hunting rifles.

The guys are trusting their lives to them everyday.... they ain't using them for plinking gophers....
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AMEN as the AR's Glocks, and deffence shotguns.

You don't have to like them as long as the function!
 
Oh my God... Plastic on a firearm!!!!
The co-polymer materials being used on firearms and many other applications were largely developed originally for and used in the Space Shuttle and the Hubble Space telescope.

Gee wizz Bubba don't be puttin none o that there plastic on my rifle....:dancingbanana: :p
 
BIGREDD said:
Actually co-polymers were developed to fix those problems... you should read more... http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/61185/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 :rolleyes:
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Thanks...
speechless-smiley-017.gif
 
I bought my Tika because I wanted a fairly light rifle that shot good right out of the box. Not only does it deliver, it exceeds my expectations.

Plasitc is good in some applications, I realy belive this is one of them.
 
witness the glock - laughed at initially but spawned an entire generation of polymer firearms.
then witness the safety of the mossberg 500, of which we have seen many broken examples.
As in any product - quality and execution is everything.
 
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