Avient, Everywhere

Plastics are a part of almost everything we use, touch, and depend on: Shampoo bottles, portable speakers, playground equipment, toothbrush handles, smartphone cases, office chairs, snowboards, dog toys, and even side steps that make getting into a vehicle even easier. Making these possible was the Avient Corporation, a global specialty materials provider made up of 10,000 employees who enhance the performance of products that enrich, improve, and protect our lives. In 2022, Avient reported $3.65 billion in sales with more than 35,000 solutions for its clients. Among those figures were many solutions for shooting applications.

“Plastic” was long considered a derogatory word to label inferior products, but Avient may be the reason that mindset is changing, particularly among outdoor enthusiasts. Avient is a company that was built around research engineers and scientists solving challenges with polymer formulations. Its polymers and composites have enhanced durability and color, while resisting heat, corrosion, and ultra-violet (UV) exposure. Leapers' UTG firearm magazine housings, for example, are the result of Bergamid, a custom polyamide formulation that maintains structural integrity with low warpage from -40 degrees Fahrenheit (F) to 158 degrees. As a result of this collaboration, UTG magazines enjoy a reputation for offering an excellent surface finish with consistent dimensions between samples.

One of the most popular enhancements of a product has been with the SIG Sauer P320 series. The P320 is the foundation for the U.S. military-issue M17 and M18 duty pistols, as well as several configurations in use by law enforcement and various government agencies. Even as the platform proved successful, SIG Sauer turned to Avient in an effort to expand its reach to shooters wanting a grip module made of a flexible polymer that possessed the weight and handling characteristics of a steel frame. A flexible polymer transfers felt recoil better than a steel frame, though, by dissipating the energy forces across a long duration period, while the weight of a heavier grip module helps to reduce muzzle rise. Avient's solution was Gravi-Tech, density-modified polymer formulation including tungsten that combined steel-like performance with the flexible characteristics of polymer. Avient worked with SIG Sauer by using computer-aided design (CAD) and simulation to narrow the material selection and hasten products such as the XFive and XFive Legion series to market. The P320 TXG tungsten-infused grip modules are the framework for several of the brand's most successful pistol products, which have also been made available as a stand-alone product to upgrade and retrofit other P320 models.

To enhance a shooter's grip and comfort while conforming to legal and regulatory compliance guidelines — California Proposition 65, for example —Avient developed CORE FB588 Black Foam, a flexible, phthalate-free foam cell structure used to create the EZR Gauntlet System. EZR Sport is an American company that specializes in making grips for industrial purposes and sport shooters since 1964. The Gauntlet System is a pistol grip wrap that's custom cut for various handguns and is compatible with most holsters. With the magazine removed, the wrap is slid onto the grip. The foam technology is interesting because it tightly secures the rigid shape of the grip but comfortably conforms to the grip pressure and unique contours of the shooter's firing hand. The foam had to be flexible and chemical resistant to DEET (often found in insect repellants) and gun oil. It resists the effects of UV exposure, so it will maintain its appearance and functionality, meaning that the material will not harden, crack, or fade.

“Avient's plastisol formulation has proven to be the perfect match for our stringent material performance criteria, enabling EZR to thrive,” said Bob Atkinson, president of EZR. “The continuous assistance from [Avient] experts have been instrumental in ensuring our ongoing progress and achievement.”

HIVIZ Shooting Systems, also known for its fiber-optic sights and accessories, worked with Avient to develop a recoil pad for high-end products. HIVIZ had years of experience working with Avient materials in making shotgun sights, so its engineers turned to Avient for a material to be used in a new high-end recoil pad. HIVIZ already had its XCoil line of recoil pads, but the need to develop a high-end version with additional features required a new material. The aim was to create a pad that dampened felt recoil while providing durability, comfort, a soft-touch feel and resistance to environmental conditions and the effects of cleaning products. The problem with recoil pads is that they harden and crack, breaking down over time. Avient's solution was its Custom GLS Thermoplastic Elastomer material. HIVIZ's recoil pads are flexible and energy absorbing, and they return to shape while resisting the effects of warping from a long gun's weight while stored in a safe on its buttpad. The custom GLS Thermoplastic Elastomer allowed HIVIZ to expand its accessory product line and launch a contemporary recoil pad design that is unique to the market. It offers comfortable recoil management and the structural integrity of a product that won't break down, peel, crack, or dry rot. HIVIZ confirmed this durability by testing the solution for a minimum of 10,000 rounds.

In 2022, Avient added Dyneema to its material production capabilities, a super-strong — 15 times stronger than steel — ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. Dyneema is resistant to cuts and abrasion, as well as chemicals and UV, and is so light that it floats on water. It's already being used in advancing body armor designs and possesses more potential for integration into other products.

Material solutions often include recycled content, which minimizes the product's environmental impact and can meet restrictive governmental regulations. Avient answered the needs of shooters with its development of Nymax REC, post-industrial recycled nylon formulation used in several holster products. Nymax REC is strong, ductile, impact resistant in all temperatures, UV resistant, easy to form and color match. To that end, Avient continues to enhance each of our shooting experiences by countering the effects of heat, cold, stress, UV radiation, corrosion, and wear. “Challenge accepted,” is an Avient mantra. From my perspective, life outdoors is better with Avient.