# Ever heard of Glock polymer failure due to age?



## Glock17 (Nov 29, 2017)

The oldest Glocks are 35 years old. Has anyone heard of a Glock - or any polymer gun for that matter - failing because of degradation of the polymer frame not due to physical trauma? I.e. cracked, got brittle, warped etc.


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

What an interesting thought!

I've heard only that one should not leave a plastic pistol in direct, hot sunlight, particularly in a car.
Some of them actually do deform, maybe irrevocably.


----------



## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

I've heard a few times that the thin bottom edge of the magazine well is more easily chipped on the older Glocks. This might be because the polymer is thinnest there, and UV light can penetrate deep enough to cause slight brittleness. Most folks just dismiss any chips in this area of used Glocks as someone practicing reloading too fast and "missing" the magwell (if a mag's feed lip hits the frame edge with enough force, old or new, it _will_ damage the polymer).

On the other hand, I have several Gen1 Glocks and an early Gen2 in my meager collection, and they are not showing any signs of problems. I shoot them each a couple times a year, and they get a good inspection during cleaning after any range outing. No troubles so far.


----------



## Glock17 (Nov 29, 2017)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> What an interesting thought!
> 
> I've heard only that one should not leave a plastic pistol in direct, hot sunlight, particularly in a car.
> Some of them actually do deform, maybe irrevocably.


Leaving a gun out visible in your car sounds like a bad idea for various reasons.


----------



## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

Not ever! My Gen One 17 is still shootin! I suppose if some idiot abused his Glock or any firearm bad stuff would happen. Interesting.....!


----------



## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Nope, never heard of that.


----------



## win231 (Aug 5, 2015)

It may have more to do with the quality of the polymer. Before Glocks existed, I had a Sig Sauer 45 kept in my trunk for a few years & taken out & shot occasionally. Once I took it out & both grip panels were cracked. I later read that was a common problem with older Sigs with plastic grips; that's why they changed to a different material - probably polymer or a better quality plastic.


----------



## Hlan1209 (Mar 24, 2017)

never leave a gun in your car


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Glock17 said:


> Leaving a gun out visible in your car sounds like a bad idea for various reasons.





Hlan1209 said:


> never leave a gun in your car


Um, that was not the point of my post.


----------



## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

No sir! My nephew has my Gen 1 Glock 17. It has been maintained & rehab'd 3 time but not any cracks in the polymer frame. It has been to Iraq & Afghanistan too. fwiw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Degradation of polymer is a natural occurrence. 
Depending on the composition of the polymer,,,, oxygen, salts, sunlight can all contribute to this process.
The cracking or brittleness may be a sign of degradation. 
The polymer doesn't have to melt or take a different shape to confirm degradation. 
The polymer could look perfectly normal but has degraded.

I know the hard hats we wear out in the construction field have an expiration date. It's composition is different.
But all plastics are subject to degradation.

I personally think its long term, not to worry about it. Today's automobile is full of plastic that's exposed to direct sunlight. 
Maybe that's why my car looks different, it's melting into another shape , lol.
:smt1099


----------

