Will Polymer Frame Guns Become Collectible?

[Vice]

Let me say up front that I am not bashing the Drastic Plastic/Combat Tupperware. I have my fair share of them; Glocks, Smith, Sig, Kel Tecs, Springfields, and may have others.

I know that some of the main parameters of collectibility are:

That they are no longer made or speculated paranoia of so

The low numbers made

Uniqueness

Cult following

Other reasons as well

I just can't seem to find any reason in my little blonde head why any of these will ever be collected. I mean, everybody and their brother is making them now.  Even Rob Pincus is producing his own now!  And the number of units made is staggering.  S&W has hit the million unit mark with their Shield in a few short years.

I just can't see myself in ten years dragging out a plastic gun to show off; isn't she gorgeous? You know they ONLY made 62 million of this model. Pull that slide, it's like it's running on wet ice......

Plus, Plastic just doesn't have any soul.

Any thoughts?


(Sorry my picture file was too big to post)

[sqlbullet]

Remember when no one cared about butchering a 1903 Springfield or 98 Mauser cause there were so many of them?  Now it is sacrilege to sporterize(sp?) a pristine example of those military rifles, and some people will de-sport them back to military condition. I am actually helping a friend restore a 1903 right now.

Eventually tupperware guns will be rare.  And collectible as a result.

You are right that it won't be in 10 years.  It will be in 100 years, or maybe 300 years.

So, I am not collecting them now.  If I were stinkin' rich, I would probably have some hermetically sealed for my great-great-great-great-great grandkids.

[The_Shadow]

Here is my take of the Lego Plastic Fantastic Tupperware...

They are designed to work when called upon
They trade extra weight for more ammo or size reductions
They have greater magazine capacities and they have plenty of those to fill the needs
They are reasonably priced, replaceable if lost, stolen or held as evidence
They can take some harsh environments and elements
They have replaceable and serviceable parts which can be found almost everywhere
Their design also lends itself to adding accessories such as lights, lasers, optics, etc.
They have an aftermarket of trinkets and accessories to please almost everybody

Did I mention they were affordable, as you can buy more than one with ammo to sustain the needs...

[Vice]

Remember when no one cared about butchering a 1903 Springfield or 98 Mauser cause there were so many of them?  Now it is sacrilege to sporterize(sp?) a pristine example of those military rifles, and some people will de-sport them back to military condition. I am actually helping a friend restore a 1903 right now.

Eventually tupperware guns will be rare.  And collectible as a result.

You are right that it won't be in 10 years.  It will be in 100 years, or maybe 300 years.

So, I am not collecting them now.  If I were stinkin' rich, I would probably have some hermetically sealed for my great-great-great-great-great grandkids.

Yeah, I remember asa kid everyone had a sporterized rife.

Maybe in 50-100 years the plastic guns wil be sought after, maybe collectible because they have metal slides. In the future metal slides may be no more.

[Vice]

Here is my take of the Lego Plastic Fantastic Tupperware...

They are designed to work when called upon
They trade extra weight for more ammo or size reductions
They have greater magazine capacities and they have plenty of those to fill the needs
They are reasonably priced, replaceable if lost, stolen or held as evidence
They can take some harsh environments and elements
They have replaceable and serviceable parts which can be found almost everywhere
Their design also lends itself to adding accessories such as lights, lasers, optics, etc.
They have an aftermarket of trinkets and accessories to please almost everybody

Did I mention they were affordable, as you can buy more than one with ammo to sustain the needs...

I agree, but does your most excellent sales pitch make them collectible in the future?

[The_Shadow]

In a way they are going to be collectable for their simplistic designs and there will likely be survivors unless the Big, Obsessive, Overbearing, Greedy Government Gone Wild for Power and Control over the people shifts to take them away...

Their collectability will likely increase should there be an enacted "Smart Gun Technology" put in place.

Other than that they should be around for many years to come and we will likely be long gone...

[my_old_glock]

The original plastic gun, HK VP-70, is a collectors item.



.

[sqlbullet]

The VP-70 is both unique (first of it's class) and somewhat rare.  Two characteristics that make it very collectible. 

I wonder if it would be so collectible of glass filled nylon has failed as a gun material.  Probably would be as one of the few examples of a failed material application.

[Vice]

The original plastic gun, HK VP-70, is a collectors item.



.

I'm not 100% sure about that statement.  And I'm an HK Fanboy!

I had one of the early ones that came into the country around 80/81. It took two men and a boy to work that horrendous trigger pull.  After two mags, if I could get that far, my trigger finger was killing me. Needless to say I dumped that thing. At the time, no one knew how to or would attempt to lighten the trigger. About 10-15 yrs later, Smiths started doing trigger lightening on them.


It seems that not many people know that it was the first Polymer pistol and not Glock.

To the folks it may be a collector's item, I believe it is because of two things:

Being one of only two or few pistols at the time with a factory 18 round capacity. The/one other being Steyr GB.

And that the gun was originally designed for the police with a detachable stock and every squeeze of the trigger emptied 3 rounds in a burst.

Cool concept indeed.  I think I paid $275 with 4 mags. That's the reason I got it in the first place.

[sqlbullet]

The VP-70 was indeed the first production polymer handgun.

But the first functioning one that I am aware of was actually a Makarov.  Assigned the designation TKB-023, 50 were made for testing.  The goal was a ligher Makarov, and polymer was selected after steel failed and titanium was deemed to expensive and difficult.

The pistols performed very well, beating the original Makarov in the drop test, and passing the other stress tests.  However, in addition to 1963 USSR lacking the industrial mold technology to make the frames on a large scale,  the design would have required re-tooling several of the other core parts.  As a result, only the 50 test guns were made.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/01/31/worlds-first-polymer-pistol-makarov/

[4949shooter]

Collectible? Nahh.

Usable? Absolutely.

[Vice]

The VP-70 was indeed the first production polymer handgun.

But the first functioning one that I am aware of was actually a Makarov.  Assigned the designation TKB-023, 50 were made for testing.  The goal was a ligher Makarov, and polymer was selected after steel failed and titanium was deemed to expensive and difficult.

The pistols performed very well, beating the original Makarov in the drop test, and passing the other stress tests.  However, in addition to 1963 USSR lacking the industrial mold technology to make the frames on a large scale,  the design would have required re-tooling several of the other core parts.  As a result, only the 50 test guns were made.

Thanks for that SB!  I "relearned" something! 

22 oz for a sub compact service pistol in 1963 is groundbreaking!  Heck, some companies still can't get their small  pistols that light.

BTW, the VP70Z Polymer frame feels nothing like current Polymer frames.  The VP, and handles on HK rifles and sub guns are a much harder feeling material.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2017/01/31/worlds-first-polymer-pistol-makarov/

[oldman10mm]

I have no 'plastics' yet,maybe never will. They are good,reliable,inexpensive but I'm old school.

[inv136]

I like and collect guns, but, the only polymer gun that I have any interest and actually like are the Steyr Augs. The fit, finish, reliability and accuracy are better than any of the other polymer rifles that I have ever owned. Including the KelTec RFB, MSAR 556, and the IWI Tavor. As far as pistols, I despise all the polymer pistols that I have ever had the displeasure to shoot and carry on duty - the HK USP (HK did compromise with this gun) and the Glock 17. As it stands right now, there are no polymer pistols that I would ever think would be collectible, except for historians in the year 2050 when these guns will finally die out and become historic objects that will be rarely found. 

[inv136]

The original plastic gun, HK VP-70, is a collectors item.



.

I'm not 100% sure about that statement.  And I'm an HK Fanboy!

I had one of the early ones that came into the country around 80/81. It took two men and a boy to work that horrendous trigger pull. After two mags, if I could get that far, my trigger finger was killing me. Needless to say I dumped that thing. At the time, no one knew how to or would attempt to lighten the trigger. About 10-15 yrs later, Smiths started doing trigger lightening on them.


It seems that not many people know that it was the first Polymer pistol and not Glock.

To the folks it may be a collector's item, I believe it is because of two things:

Being one of only two or few pistols at the time with a factory 18 round capacity. The/one other being Steyr GB.

And that the gun was originally designed for the police with a detachable stock and every squeeze of the trigger emptied 3 rounds in a burst.

Cool concept indeed.  I think I paid $275 with 4 mags. That's the reason I got it in the first place.

I concur. I was thinking about buying one of these abominations back in the 80's. I handled one at a local gun store and that ridiculously stiff trigger convinced me that it was garbage. The only pistol that I ever had the great displeasure to have to carry for duty use that had a trigger that was a near second to this VP70Z was a Beretta Brigadier .40 caliber model 96 with DAO trigger that was almost as bad as that HK abomination. As far as collectability, I wouldn't think that any failed gun that was as useless as this one would be collectible. About as collectible as one of those old Yugo 3 cylinder cars that they imported decades ago. Yeah they're rare, but, I wouldn't spend a cent on one and am happy if I never see another one again. Junk is never collectible except to garbage men.