Difference between materials

[strewthirwin]

Hi. I'm looking at a gun which has a nylon fiber exterior but i'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. What will the difference be if i have metal or ABS exterior as opposed to a nylon fiber exterior?

 

[Monty]

Hi. I'm looking at a gun which has a nylon fiber exterior but i'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

 

 

G&G Combat machines use extremely robust polymers for the externals.

[strewthirwin]

I am actually looking at a G&G Combat Machine funnily enough! So i should get one with plastic not metal do you think? (in particular nylon fiber)

 

[Monty]

I am actually looking at a G&G Combat Machine funnily enough! So i should get one with plastic not metal do you think? (in particular nylon fiber)

 

 

Up to you if you want a gun with metal aesthetics or Nylon aesthetics. Obviously metal will feel a lot more rugged, realistic and heavier than the nylon fiber, but the nylon fiber is a lot lighter but is still rugged enough to take a beating without anything snapping off. What's your budget?

[Airsoft-Ed]

Generally speaking plastic bodied guns only exist to make it cheaper for the players who don't give as much notice to the realism of the game. Or indeed, players on a budget willing to compromise on realism.

If you don't care that your gun isn't metal, get a plastic one instead, you'll save yourself about £100 and the insides and performance as a result of that, will be exactly the same as the equivalent metal bodied gun.

Sure plastic will break easier than metal, but it doesn't break so much easier that it will do so for no reason. So long as you don't wrap it around a tree or something it will be plenty rigid enough for harsh use, just as a metal one would.

[Unrustle_Thine_Jimmies]

Nylon fibre = the clothes you wear. Guns would be very floppy if they were made out of that!

 

Most plastics used are ABS. Some companies like G&G used Nylon fiber reinforced ABS which is more robust than ABS on it's own. Guns like G36s are made using glass filled nylon,but the real deal is amde out of carbon filled nylon.

 

Most metals used a zinc based alloys,some high end aftermarket stuff is made out of Aluminium based alloys,but still soft ones. 7075 and 6061 stuff is very expensive. Of course plenty of AKs are made out of steel.

 

The zinc based metals are robust enough,but depends on how they are manufactured. Some are injection molded and some sintered. Cheap metals are often sintered,but this often leaves air bubbles which can ruin durability. Depends on the alloy used too. Some ACM companies use a very heavy and brittle zinc based alloy since it's cheap and 'full metal am bettah' is still a good marketing point. Most,even 'high end' companies use Zamak which is held to a higher standard than the cheap pot metal alloys others use. G&G I believe make some things out of Magnesium like their PSG1 bodies and AK bodies.

 

Plastic guns are nice and cheap and can sometimes,depending on the model be stronger than their pot metal counterparts. As long as the internals are good and it's not brittle 90s airsoft plastic it should be grand.

[Samurai]

Are you sure about nylon fibre? Isn't it glass fibre? That's actually better than ABS. ABS is fine. Tough but a bit rigid. Most plastic guns are abs. Classic Army is usually glass fibre (the g36) that's softer and not that rigid. Both are fine for airsoft.

Note that there are some guns like the G36 where the real gun is plastic too. Of course they are very different composite plastics.

Cheap pot metal guns are more fragile than the plastic ones.

[Lozart]

Are you sure about nylon fibre? Isn't it glass fibre? That's actually better than ABS. ABS is fine. Tough but a bit rigid. Most plastic guns are abs. Classic Army is usually glass fibre (the g36) that's softer and not that rigid. Both are fine for airsoft.

Note that there are some guns like the G36 where the real gun is plastic too. Of course they are very different composite plastics.

Cheap pot metal guns are more fragile than the plastic ones.

 

It's nylon fibre reinforced ABS on G&Gs and it's pretty bombproof!

[jcheeseright]

what these guys have said, at the same price point it's likely the plastic will actually be stronger than whatever monkey metal die cast rubbish is used to make the receiver of a gun!

[strewthirwin]

Thanks guys, i will be buying the G&G. I just didn't know if Nylon Fibre reinforced ABS( or whatever it is) would do the job! Thanks again.

[Mr Monkey Nuts]

+1 to plastic over metal. The G&G plastic is stronger than the G&G metal outer barrel on the same gun.