It depends on the scale...
With polymer frames you have the initial setup costs for the molding, which are huge. Once those are taken care of though, the cost per gun is way less. With metal guns the cost per gun is a lot more, but you have a much smaller up-front cost. Of course the metal guts are a wash, since they would cost the same no matter what.
If you have a super-high-volume operation like Glock, using polymer is a lot cheaper in the long run.
As for the 38+P... yeah, they will sting in a metal gun unless you have some serious weight. Much more than if you shot them in a polymer revolver.
With polymer frames you have the initial setup costs for the molding, which are huge. Once those are taken care of though, the cost per gun is way less. With metal guns the cost per gun is a lot more, but you have a much smaller up-front cost. Of course the metal guts are a wash, since they would cost the same no matter what.
If you have a super-high-volume operation like Glock, using polymer is a lot cheaper in the long run.
As for the 38+P... yeah, they will sting in a metal gun unless you have some serious weight. Much more than if you shot them in a polymer revolver.
