I was on another gun site and a question about the plastics or polymer (sp?) used to make the lower for the AR-180B came up.  This question quickly dissolved into a general question of the durability of plastics used in all firearms such as plastic stocks fo ARs and plastic frames for Glocks and other pistols.  Anyway, there was a dude on the site that said he worked as an engineer that designed plastic parts.  He had alot of good info and seemed to legitamately know what he was talking about.  He said that plastic parts used in firearms had a life of about 20 to 30 years before they start to dry and crack.  This is when I questioned the extent of his knowledge.  I think they will last longer.  I saw Veitnam era M-16 A1s in the National Guard Armory thawere well used and abused, but still very servicable.  Also, Glocks have been on the market for about 20 years know and you don't hear about mass frame breakages.  So is this other wright or am I.  Somebody please enlihgten me.  I would hate to know that my brand new USP45 will not be servicable enough to pass down to my kids in 20 years or so.  Thanks for the info in advance.

Maybe that was untreated plastic in the Az sunshine..  we are constantly keeping it from drying out with oils of one sort or another, even skin oils..  I kinda like good ole ArmorAll here in the land of U/V and popcorn fart dry..

I never thought of that bigyeti.  The guy on the other forum gave the example of how older cars with plastics in their dashboards and doors wears and cracks over time due to sunlight and temperature changes.  I thought that was an unrealistic comparison.  My cousin's Glock 17 is still going strong after about 15 years.

My Remington Nylon 66, that was bought in 1967 is still going strong...

Yep Juggernaut, the dude on the other board made some really unfair comparisons.  I also thought that the manufacturors (Glock, HK, Colt, etc) would have had to think about the longevity of their products before they hit the market.  I still love my USP and Glock even after reading that guys thread.  I hope the guy you mentioned in your post does check this thread out.

Oh Yeah!!  I forgot about the Remington 66 I gave my daughter..  It's 35 years old and still like new..

I saw that guys posts on that other board.  He also said the the 180B has a one piece buttstock/reciever combo, which is not true.  He also stated that the reason for the delay in shipping the 180B is because of the plastic warping when the cause was inferior non-spec material used in the cam keyway by a vendor.  I am not sure I would listen to the opinion of someone who has his 'facts' so wrong.

Larryg, that guy does seem to be a blow hard.  I didn't buy everything he was saying, but I thought I would pose the question on this board.  His post did have me wondering how long my USP45 and Glock 19 would last, but now I'm pretty sure they will outlast me.

That is an excellent point Troy.  Do you have any other info on the self life of plastics or polymer used in guns?  I guess that is the question I'm really after from a non-baised source.  If not, can you point me in the right direction or anyone else for that matter?