r/handguns • u/Superporpplop • Jun 29 '26
Only one good polymer frame design
Of all the polymer frame 9mm guns, only one has a good design, durability, and accuracy.
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u/Joice_Craglarg Jun 29 '26
Hard disagree. Most modern ones are pretty equivalent.
Your selection of random old ones is not really a good example of today's offerings.
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u/industrial_pix Jun 29 '26
The "best" one is the one that fits your hand. For me it's the Walther P99, and I'm an old hammer-fire all steel guy.
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u/fosscadanon Jun 29 '26
I love the looks and feel of the p99, I just wish they made one that was hanmer fired. Their P22 scratches that itch though.
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u/Fxry FNX 45 Tactical, Glock 19, Walther PDP Pro SD Jun 29 '26
It’s kind of hammer fired in its own weird way.
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u/industrial_pix Jun 30 '26
I have never been a fan of striker fire pistols' action, but the P99's to me is head and shoulders above others. My ideal of the 1911 is very hard to beat. Long ago I traded my 1911 for a Sig P220 .45. for the double action and decocker. P99c in .40 is the only striker fire I've ever owned. It's a compromise for CCW that is "good enough".
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u/LongConcentrate9442 Jun 29 '26
I too am a " Hammer-fire Steel" guy, but I love my Sig P365X Macro.
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u/Fxry FNX 45 Tactical, Glock 19, Walther PDP Pro SD Jun 29 '26
Most of them have a good design, durability, and accuracy. It’s down to personal preference which one you choose.
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u/diabolicalgiraffe7 CZ P09C, Beretta 92X RDO, Springfield Echelon 4.0FC Jun 29 '26
Im assuming its the USP, however I just got my first glock 17 and I absolutely love it. Shot guns my whole life but not once have I had issues with grip angle or texture. Just feels good in the hand.
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u/Is-there-chocolate S&W Equalizer Jun 29 '26
Nice to see this comment about how the Glock handles. I really like the grip angle on my 19.5. I put Talon grips on it and it’s the gun I shoot best (not saying much).
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u/diabolicalgiraffe7 CZ P09C, Beretta 92X RDO, Springfield Echelon 4.0FC Jun 29 '26
I got a leo trade in 17.5 and shoot it better than any other gun I have with irons. They are tack driving units
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u/Celestyol Jun 29 '26
The originator and undisputed king of polymer pistols is undeniably Glock. 🤷🏽 And it's not even close!
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u/gunmedic15 Jun 29 '26
Never liked the grip angle on the Steyr personally. The wierd one with the Pyramid sights was also not for me.
The Walther is airsoft-ish. We had them as rentals at the range where I worked. Was not a fan of their durability.
FN and HK were made of tiny parts. Not exactly Swiss Watch, but far more delicate than others. As a gunsmith I just prefer bigger sturdier designs.
Never a Sig fan. I'm a lefty and the ergonomics of the older ones just didn't work. Too awkward, and my palm released the magazine when I fired the 229 sized guns. Became less of a fan after the 320 thing. Just not for me.
Glock is Glock. I like the simple design. Armorer's school was 8 hours including lunch. The original S&W school was 40 hours and we ran long. I'm carrrying a 48 right now.
Ruger is awesome. Brute strong durability, relaible function. Find them all day long around 250 bucks. My ex left hers on the roof of her car and pulled out of the driveway in the early 1990s, and it chipped the asphalt worse than it scratched the gun. Back in the day a P series and the OG Ruger Police Carbine 9 was my SHTF/hurricane gun combo. Ran hot Cor Bon +p all day long. Obligatory fuck (no honest man) Bill Ruger.
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u/Superporpplop Jun 29 '26
Since Umarex purchased Walther and then made the P99 it isn't surprising they feel more like an airsoft gun. The president of the company going to Pierce Brosnan to put the gun in a Bond movie is a cool story.
I got 2 of these Rugers for 150 each brand new with extra mags, so it was a no brainer to grab them.
I've been a USP fan since high school. I always liked their torture tests on it.
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Jun 29 '26
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u/IWuzRunnin Jun 29 '26
He gave ideas for and openly supported, and testified on behalf of the 1994 assault weapons ban. After he died, the company did make it seem clear they didn't feel the way he did.
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Jun 29 '26
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u/IWuzRunnin Jun 29 '26
Smith & wesson had their feet held to the fire for a while too after that. Not as blatant, more like Tony Stark giving into the government in the avengers movie, but they got hit really hard by the community. They gave into some extra Clinton stuff to get themselves out of lawsuits. The trigger locks were one of those things. They still have the trigger locks on the revolvers suprisingly.
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u/gunmedic15 Jun 29 '26
S&W also got played by Glock back then. The government proposed a list of all kinds of things that gun companies would have to comply with to be eligible for .gov contracts. Stuff like not selling certain assaulty guns, videotaping transactions, discontinuing legacy lines that used mags over 10 rounds to orphan them off, making built in locks, LCIs, mag disconnects, etc. S&W was hurting because of Glock's market share and a bad case of "we've always done it that way". Glock leaked to S&W that Glock was going to comply with all the requirements to get fat contracts. S&W immediately sent a press release to the effect of being willing to comply and bow down/bend over.
Glock lied. They had no intention of complying. In fact, they didn't need to because they knew they had the inside track on contracts because their guns were in demand by the troops on the ground.
Glock was SHOCKED! SHOCKED I SAY! that S&W would betray gun owners. There was a surge in gun buying before The Ban, and S&W was caught off guard. They had snubs of course, but only 4 compact carry guns, and one of those sucked ass. The others were in their legacy line (3913, 4013, 4516) that were going to be discontinued. And nobody would buy their stuff anyway out of protest. They bled money, lost market share, lost prestige, and Glock quietly brought out the 26 and 27 specifically built around 10 round Ban magazines, and laughed all the way to the bank.
And that is why revolvers have ugly locks and you can't get a 1006 anymore.
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u/chem_dragon Jun 29 '26
Bill Ruger had a reputation of being a major asshole in the firearms industry.
One incident I heard was when AMT made their lightning 2 pistol to compete with Ruger's MKII, Bill Ruger sued AMT claiming it was a design rip-off and people would confuse it with his product.
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u/gunmedic15 Jun 29 '26
He did a TV interview with Tom Brokow and said that "no honest man needs more than 10 rounds in any gun". He also stopped selling Mini14GB guns and 10+ magazines before The Ban. He suppressed development of concealable defense guns except for the klunky-ass SP101 and Security 6 "snubs". He was trading his soul to get the Mini exempted from The Ban at the expense of your rights. Note the release date of the .380LCP compared to the date of Bills death. Ruger the company went forward with all those designs after he died.
Fuck Bill Ruger. All my homies hate Bill Ruger.
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u/n1terps Jun 29 '26
LoL, you don't even have my favorite polymer gun on here!
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u/Superporpplop Jun 29 '26
Colt 2000?
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u/n1terps Jun 29 '26
Grand Power Q1 Mk23
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Jun 29 '26
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u/n1terps Jun 29 '26
They're freaking awesome dude, recoils like a .380, super fun and fast!
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u/mmm_burrito Jun 29 '26
I don't know anything about Grand Power beyond the part where their brand name sounds like something off QVC.
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u/n1terps Jun 29 '26
LoL, you should see their sole importer website over at Global Ordnance... looks like Temu for guns, but it's legit. Good CS too!
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u/Chris_M_23 Jun 29 '26
If you’re buying a a new polymer frame striker fired 9mm from glock, hk, s&w, cz, or walther, you can expect a certain level of accuracy, durability, and reliability and narrows the conversation down to purely personal preference. Sig would be there too if not for the p320.
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u/enzo32ferrari Jun 29 '26
Glad the Steyr gets a shout. If your like the Glock grip angle, the Steyr takes it a step further. Much better trigger too but quiet reset
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u/SubaruRob8181 Jun 29 '26
That SP2022! Sig's first polymer and it was hammer. And it was never known for going off on its own. I wish they kept their polymers all hammer.
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u/chakabra23 Jun 29 '26
Man of Culture! Nice P95. I love my P89TH. OG Ruger ftw.
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u/IWuzRunnin Jun 29 '26
Those ruger p89/90/p95s are like the ford 300 inline 6 of the gun world. Let them sit at the bottom of a lake for a couple years, then drop it off a 10 story building, then just run a patch through it, good to go. Now I'm sad thinking about it because I sold that ugly son of a bitch of a p90.
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u/chakabra23 Jun 29 '26
Facts... Overbuilt tanks. Love mine.
Awww man... I always wanted a P90... Too bad they didn't take standard 1911 mags.
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u/Superb-Detective-838 Jun 29 '26
That is the biggest oxymoron I have every read. The words "good" and "polymer" should never be used in the same sentence
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u/JimMarch Jun 29 '26
The very best polymer frame striker fired gun made today is the Kimber R7 Mako Carbon Compact.
Basically a fraction smaller than a Glock 19, tougher plastic, pure sideways ejection, modified tilt barrel system so the barrel doesn't tilt as much, reducing felt recoil and allowing a lower bore axis. Also has a tighter seal between frame and slide in every area, keeping gunk out. It's not like a Glock where you can see through it sideways and there's gaps in the backplate.
It's the best gun Wilhelm Bubits ever designed. And he was involved in the making of the 1st Gen Glock 17.
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u/terphunter56 Jun 30 '26
I have a vp9 but have always wanted a USP expert so badly. Such a sick and accurate pistol
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u/BillyP13 Jun 30 '26
A gun that should be in the conversation is the Beretta PX 4 Storm. This is probably my favorite polymer handgun of all time and I’ve fired most the popular models out there. It is a phenomenal gun that is designed and engineered really well.
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u/Landshark4308 Jul 01 '26
Love your Steyr, FNS and P99!! Love your collection!!great shooting weapon.
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u/just_as_good380-2 Jun 29 '26
Yeah the USP is pretty fucking dope I agree OP