what are the pros and cons of injection molded plastic frames in a handgun?
complex problem. research over yahoo and bing. it might help!
cheap, quiet, not temperature-enhancing (does not burn you when it's warm outside, does not freeze you when it's cold outside). Lightweight. Cheap, and variable. Some are very good, some are just good enough to remain usable. Some plastic is UV-sensitive, some of it is temperature-sensitive, and can expand/contract even though it isn't supposed to. It really is up to the person in charge of mixing the ingredients. This is difficult to check, especially in a low-budget gun factory. It can look goo d going out the door, but distort later on. Most of the problems with plastic frames are not apparent on reputable firearms. As for weight, sometimes the plastic is not heavy enough to offset the steel barrel , so it feels barrel heavy, which makes it feel heavier than it is and can cause aiming fatigue.
I own the 'Plastic Fantastic FN FiveSeven Pistol and the Springfield Armory XD in 45acp. I live in Alaska. At -55F or -65F (not wind chill) the last thing you need is something cold and metal up against your skin. I really, really like the FN for this in the winter with the plastic covered slide and all plastic receiver. The FN, loaded with 20rds, is exactly half the weight of my XD with 13rds. If I take any metal gun - rifle, pistol or shotgun - out to the range at 0--35F after just a minute, when I bring it indoors or in the car - it immediatly forms a sheet of condensation that turns to ice. This ice eventually melts and get into all parts of the gun. It about rusts before your eyes. This is why you see so much stainless in guns here...... but with the FN I don't have to worry about my Plastic Fantastic rusting. Too cool. Yes - I have had plastic failure. I bought that FN used and after 2500rds and 2 years it had an issue. I sent it back to FN HomeWorld and three weeks later UPS shows up at my doorstep with a totally new pistol kit. No questions asked. How good is that? Bottom line. I like the lightweight and fact they don't conduct cold, or, rust. The plastic has no blue to rub off. In a CCW carry pistol - you can almost forget you are carrying when wearing one...... something that never happens in a full size metal pistol.
