why a steel frame??

[neomentat]

is there any advantages of having a steel or stainless steel frame on a pistol besides the added weight to reduce recoil? Would a steel frame pistol have a greater life expectancy (service life) over pistols with a polymer or aluminum frame? I know metals can have metal fatigue but i'm not sure if a steel frame pistol will last significantly longer than the other types.

[TMC]

is there any advantages of having a steel or stainless steel frame on a pistol besides the added weight to reduce recoil? Would a steel frame pistol have a greater life expectancy (service life) over pistols with a polymer or aluminum frame? I know metals can have metal fatigue but i'm not sure if a steel frame pistol will last significantly longer than the other types.

Polymer pistols have steel inserts that the moving parts ride against so they wear like a steel pistol. An alum. framed gun will wear faster than a steel due to the softer metal wearing against a steel moving parts.

[neomentat]

when you say aluminum frame will wear down faster than steel, how many thousands of rounds are we talking about here? is there a big difference?

[TMC]

when you say aluminum frame will wear down faster than steel, how many thousands of rounds are we talking about here? is there a big difference?

I have never seen a test comparing two identical guns with one being alum and the other steel. My personal experience is with Para's and my alum. framed gun shot loose after about 5,000 rounds where my steel guns went 10,000+ without any noticable slide loosening before I sold it.

If you're looking at a carry gun that will have a low round count I'd say go for it. If you're looking for a gun that will last 50,000+ like my SV open gun then steel is the only way to go.

[Miltiades]

Wear of metals

I took a couple of courses in college in the friction and wear of materials. As I recall, the relative hardness of the materials rubbing together is a factor in the wear at the points of contact. Since steel is generally much harder than aluminum, an aluminum frame with a steel slide will generally wear more than a steel frame with steel slide, at least theoretically. Other factors influencing the wear are the force pressing the two parts together (more force, more wear) and lubrication. Frequent cleaning of the parts also helps reduce wear, as the tiny wear particles act as grit to promote more wear - if they are removed the wear is lessened.

Personally, I have maybe 18 semiauto handguns with steel, aluminum and polymer frames. I would like to live long enough and shoot enough rounds to wear any of them out. I clean and lubricate the guns after each session, and have never seen any noticeable loosening of the slide to frame fit.

[mike100]

I've never personally worn out a pistol...of course I have several. If I was a one gun type of shooter, I'd have identical backups and spares regardless. People seem to worry more about bbl wear than steel frame wear. You could always weld up, reharden, and machine parts I suppose.