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Thread: Plastic?

  1. #16
    eyebull's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trajectory View Post
    Plastic, well that's a big range of materials .

    Definately don't like the soft feel type of plastic that degrades to a tacky surface. Don't like puny thin walled barrels in plastic sleeves, but some plastics have their uses, theres piston washers, o rings all manner of seals in PCP or CO2 designs. They seem to wear out after varying times though. Then theres the top hats made of delrin etc.anyone want to ditch theres? Mazak not too good. Someone said they weren't keen on castings, fair enough but theres al. castings in the FWB 65, that's not a bad pistol. Whether that's because or despite the castings who knows.
    Brass was mentioned too, take that out & theres a few PCP fittings gone.

    So what are we left with, steel, wood, leather. Ah well only one thing to do then, build pre war BSA's. That'll do
    To take a modern example of Mazak use, the Umarex pellet revolvers e.g 1911, CP88, S+W586 etc. I don't so much dislike the bodies and frames being made out of cast alloy - it would be unrealistic to expect milled or even cast steel at anywhere near the same price point. However I strongly object to its use in load and friction bearing parts, such as the gas lever, indexing pawl and magazines, where its paradoxical softness and brittleness causes frequent and predictable failures.
    A few steel parts in those Umarex guns could make them heirloom items, but as is they are only good as long as you have access to a supply of spare parts.
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  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by eyebull View Post
    …frequent and predictable failures.

    A few steel parts in those Umarex guns could make them heirloom items, but as is they are only good as long as you have access to a supply of spare parts.
    🤔

    I wonder why umarex are ok with their guns failing after a while and people having to buy new ones

    Morally flawed

  3. #18
    eyebull's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Cornelius View Post
    🤔

    I wonder why umarex are ok with their guns failing after a while and people having to buy new ones

    And those were the 'good' Umarex guns, they haven't improved much in the intervening 25 years!
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  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by eyebull View Post
    To take a modern example of Mazak use, the Umarex pellet revolvers e.g 1911, CP88, S+W586 etc. I don't so much dislike the bodies and frames being made out of cast alloy - it would be unrealistic to expect milled or even cast steel at anywhere near the same price point. However I strongly object to its use in load and friction bearing parts, such as the gas lever, indexing pawl and magazines, where its paradoxical softness and brittleness causes frequent and predictable failures.
    A few steel parts in those Umarex guns could make them heirloom items, but as is they are only good as long as you have access to a supply of spare parts.
    I think you have answered your own question. Built-in obsolescence is good for sales.

  5. #20
    eyebull's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ogilkes View Post
    I think you have answered your own question. Built-in obsolescence is good for sales.
    Perhaps with iphones, but I don't know if that applies to airguns.
    I'm not sure that the first instinct someone has when an Umarex 1911 self destructs is to go out and buy another one tbh. On the contrary, my first instinct was to come online and tell people not to bother buying one
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  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by ogilkes View Post
    especially plastic triggers (shuuder) are abominations.
    This is so true. When I bought my FWB Sport Mk1 new I was dismayed to find it had a plastic trigger, although fortunately it didn't break. I replaced it 25 years later with a lovely wide alloy Jim Maccari one and it transformed the gun. What a stupid decision that was in the 1970s by a company famed for its careful choices!




    The company made a similar choice later on the FWB 90 pistol, though it's more of a plastic shoe than the complete trigger and it rectified the mistake quickly, apparently.



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  7. #22
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    Ideally an air-rifle or pistol would be made of BLUED steel, wood and maybe as Garvin suggests, a small amount of horn or mother-of-pearl. Ideally it would go together without any bolts pins or screws like a Mauser 1896 pistol.

    Even if it is structurally sound, like with the polymer Glocks etc are made of, plastic gives the thing a 'disposable' impression.

    Modern plastic stocks are OK, I have one on my BSA Scorpion. The one on my old Hammerli 420 is fragile and has cracked in some places.
    Last edited by Hsing-ee; 23-01-2022 at 12:09 AM.

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