Metal vs Plastique

[snuff]

Hi all looking for a bit of advice/nudge towards ABS..

I've always opted for the metal version of any AEG I've bought dont now why..always thought it was better,but after my recent shenanigans with removing my AEG from my loft I'm looking towards plastic(ABS?)..

I'm looking for known differences such as wear rates,what is better,why and how do they compare side by side,ICS M4A1 btw and grateful for any advice...cheers..

 

[BrightCandle]

The main thing you notice immediately is weight, the polymer based guns tend to be a lot lighter. Its not necessarily an authentic weight but its a lot easier to handle and move around with a light gun all day than a heavy one. Metal is tougher but a lot of the modern plastic guns are surprisingly durable and don't have loose parts and show decent build quality. So really I think it mostly comes down to weight v looks. The metal looks authentic and the plastic really can't ever achieve that same look but the metal can't achieve the weight savings.

You could look at getting a polymer based gun like a SCAR, then the real gun is polymer based and the airsoft guns are modelled well on the original, although the rails add a lot of weight its nothing like as light as a G&G combat machine but its also not as heavy as a full metal and wood AK.

 

[Unrustle_Thine_Jimmies]

Most metals used are monkey metals like impure Zamak-4 alloys, or whatever cheap zinc based shit manufacturers can get their hands on. AFIAk a few companies like G&P and VFC use soft aluminium based stuff which is still monkey metal but a fair bit stronker than most of the zinc stuff.

Most plastics used are ABS and Glass-fiber reinforced Nylon. ABS is more brittle and prone to cracking but Nylon is stronger by a fair margin. G&G Wombat machines use Nylon construction IIRC,most G36s barring older JGs and TMs are fully Nylon. Nylon is a bit more ductile than ABS and has an overall higher strength. SRC G36s have very good feeling Nylon bodies,I fell in love with the one I worked on.

The next best thing of course is a steel gun. You can;t beat steel,even if most airsofts use China slave worker mined Pig Iron it's tough stuff. Dboys RK08 is a good budget option. LCT and VFC AKs are very strong however both have their downfalls,LCTs like to come apart gradually due to two grubs holding the outer barrel and VFC have an aluminium outer barrel which means it can;t be used as a step ladder. RealSword is a demilled Norinco Type 56 that conforms to some sort of manufacturing standard so It's very tough. ICS & GG L85s are steel too and tough bricks of guns. Heavy however but being bullpups they feel very point able when shouldered.

 

[snuff]

After advice and g00gling I've decided to stick with metal,I jsut made a stupid mistake...doh!Cheers for the help... :wacko: