What type of polymer does Kahr use.

[jmek]

I have done multiple Google searches to find out which polymer Kahr uses for their frames and can't find any answers. I once read somewhere there are two basic polymers used for handgun frames. One is a harder material and the other softer, and Kahr uses the softer material. This softer polymer is said not to crack as easy and withstand the heat and sunlight better. Nylon 66 or something like that.

[cmichael22]

I heard the same.

[jocko]

I have been around guns for many years, I have yet to see my first cracked polymer handgun. I never question the major gun makers over what their choice of polymer is, as I have again never seen a broken kahr, Glock, Smith etc.

[Longitude Zero]

In the last couple of years I have seen 2 Glocks crack due to casting flaws and an XDm for no apparent reason. Rare but they do occur. The Kahr polymer feels like Glocks. The XD again feels harder.

[Snidely Whiplash]

In the last couple of years I have seen 2 Glocks crack due to casting flaws and an XDm for no apparent reason. Rare but they do occur. The Kahr polymer feels like Glocks. The XD again feels harder.

It may just be psychological but it feels that way to me, too.

[jmek]

When I compared my Kahr to my Walther PPS, I also felt the polymer on the Walther was a harder material. I wonder if the polymers that each manufacturer use is a trade secret.

[ripley16]

I wonder if the polymers that each manufacturer use is a trade secret.

The people that first used it in a pistol, Heckler Koch, keep their process a secret. Probably others do too.

[Longitude Zero]

When I compared my Kahr to my Walther PPS, I also felt the polymer on the Walther was a harder material. I wonder if the polymers that each manufacturer use is a trade secret.

Thats a safe bet. However each will try to reverse engineer each others formulizations.

[jocko]

I serioulsly doubt if kahr, Smith or glock or any have their own process. specialist companys that do this stuff for a living to me would be the likely place than any gun maker would go for the right process to go with. Now if that is kept a secret, so be it but I just don't think Kahr or the others checmically design their own polymer, no more than more than likely these polymer frames are made entirely by an outside vendor who specializes in this stuff, Possably kahr and others do some final machining operations to the frame to accept certain things.

Soft or hard, probably to any vendor who makes the polymer itself is a no brainer to explain. Just sayin.

Steven



Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

"What is the Glock frame made of?
The Glock frame is made out of a high-tech plastic polymer called nylon 6. Exactly what that means, I don't know. But our resident engineer [MarkCO] was kind enough to provide some explanation:

Commerical price for hi-grade Nylon 6 is about $3.50/lb. Commerical price for hi-carbon steel is about $1.50/lb. Sounds to me like the Glock is actually a better buy. Anyway, I did a little research and got a smattering of information on the Glock plastic "formula". One source says "more highly guarded than the Coke formula". From 3 human and 5 technical sources, Glock uses an out-sourced proprietary hybrid polymer mix with a base of Nylon 6. The frames are cast and offer high strength, wear resistance, abrasion resistance, and good resiliency, good ductility and toughness. Fracture mechanics are excellent with defect ratios below 1. Do not compare to extruded Nylons because it is different. Casting prices range from $3-$50/pound depending on process and intricacy. The Glock is considered highly-intricate due to imbedded metallic components. Offers long term performance at elevated and depressed temperatures. Chemically stable in a majority of environments, attacked directly by strong acids and bases (better than steel actually). UV exposure results in degradation over an extended period of time. 2-3% carbon black virtually eliminates UV degradation and Carbon-Black does not become readily absorbed in Nylons offering higly increased useful life spans. Loss of mechanical properties with 2% Carbon-Black is less than 0.05% on an elevated UV exposure test equivalent to approximately 100 years. Hyrdolytically attacked by water in excess of 120 degrees. Basically, no hot-tubbing with your Glock and you will be fine. Tupperware is not made from Nylon BTW. Hope this answered some questions.
Good Shooting, MarkCO"

[jmek]

jocko good post and thanks for the info on Glock. I wish I could remember where I read Kahr uses premium polymer on their frames.

[jocko]

I just repeated what I researched. I would be hard press ed to read of any of the good gun makers taking the cheap way out of making their lower grip out of crappy polymer. Maybe they do vary alittle between mfgers to but if they do, IMO is is strictly a decison by the gun maker to use polymer A or polymer B or polymer C, all of which maybe are structurally qualifed to be in a pistol frame certainly IMO not a chemistry decison on the part of the gun maker..by that I mean the gun maker is not saying we like #B but add another pound of #6 nylon to the mix for us, so we can be totally different etc..

One thing I noticed in that glock article was the price difference of polymer grade 6 and steel. It makes it sound to me anyhow like polymer is more expensive than the steel, which probably is just not the case. I wonder how many lower sections kahr could make out of one pound of polymer at #3.50 a pound and how many lowers sections they could make out of a one pound $1.50 steel, let alone the over all excess maching needed on the steel frames. Bet ur not gonna wear out drills and bits on polymer lie u would steel, Just sayin

as cheap as a gun as kel teks are, their frames are extremely durable and when I was on thgat forum I never read of a frame breaking unless aq ka-boom happend and one can't blame the polymer on that. I have read where some say they thihk their certain polymer gun is more flexible than another brand. It might be true, some makers inbed steel reinforcement in their polymer frames for reasons of their own to. Kahrs dust cover up front has a one peace steel that has the two slide rails we see today but not the 90% rest of the steel inbedded in the dust cover. My bet is that any polymer gun made today where there is alot of stress in that one section or another willhave some type of reinforcement in it.--Maybe and maybe not. ruger a fewyears back madfe an all polyumer frame that the slide road on polymer rails and it never gave any problems. I wold think maybe there was some steel inbedded some where in that frame for attitional strength but again I have no clue either, just assuming and we all know what happenbs when we assume. For me anyways, I fear no polymer frame gun, even a kel tek..

[cmichael22]

So kahr uses decent polymer that lasts like glock?

[cmichael22]

And so technically if polymer is more since its 3.50 and steel is 1.50 per pound why do steel guns cost you more at the gun shop?

[downtownv]

Dupont developed the material in the M-16's during Nam..... The formula was called Zytel
aka Nylon 66
Nylon Resin Products | DuPont ™ Zytel ®

www2.dupont.com/Plastics/en_US/Products/Zytel/index.html
I seriously doubt and gum factory makes their own secret formula, there's a lot of choices on the market.

[downtownv]

hmmm....... my 223rd post happened to Reference M-16's (.223 caliper)

[jocko]

how many remember the Remington (dupont) nylon 66 rifles back 30+ years ago.

[ripley16]

And so technically if polymer is more since its 3.50 and steel is 1.50 per pound why do steel guns cost you more at the gun shop?

Some polymer guns are much more expensive than steel guns.

[jocko]

a pound of down feathers cost 10 bucks. a pound of foam cost 5 bucks. how many more pillows do u think I can get out of a pound of down feathers over a pound of foam???

[skiflydive]

The molded frames probably take a few minutes to make including deflashing and cleanup. Steel frames likely take several minutes to an hour or more for machining. The price of the polymer or the steel is miniscule in comparison to the cost of manufacturing.

[jocko]

ur right and possably the steel frames after maching have to be heat treated and if steel the blued

[Longitude Zero]

And so technically if polymer is more since its 3.50 and steel is 1.50 per pound why do steel guns cost you more at the gun shop?

Machining operations is the majority of the cost. The cost of the steel is pretty cheap. Just look at market prices for it.

[Longitude Zero]

a pound of down feathers cost 10 bucks. a pound of foam cost 5 bucks. how many more pillows do u think I can get out of a pound of down feathers over a pound of foam???

Depending upon the loft value it varies. No absolute answer possible.

[yqtszhj]

a pound of down feathers cost 10 bucks. a pound of foam cost 5 bucks. how many more pillows do u think I can get out of a pound of down feathers over a pound of foam???

It depends on how the geese like their pillows. They only use foam for obvious reasons.:D