If I had a centerfire revolver with a TI cylinder I would very carefully follow all the manufacturer recommendations and I would also shoot it as little as possible--as in only enough to verify that it is functional. I would buy another similar revolver with a steel cylinder for practice/training. The TI cylinders are very specialized for one purpose and that purpose is carry. They are not going to blow up--they're strong enough to be safe, but they are not going to hold up like steel would to the various insults that a revolver cylinder suffers--not even close. IMO, if you want a centerfire revolver to shoot a lot, don't buy one with a TI cylinder.
Ti cylinder issues
- Thread starter halfmoonclip
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Jerry Miculek has titanium cylinders installed on at least two of his competition revolvers, an 8-shot 9mm and an 8-shot .357Mag. I think a shooter like him fires several tens of thousands of rounds a year on his revolvers. It is also true that S&W will immediately replace his titanium cylinders if problems arise, with no questione asked 
, but I don't think it's a frequent thing. In fact, I believe the opposite. Titanium is no less durable than stainless steel, certainly not mechanically speaking. It is certainly less resistant to scratches and, as we have seen, is subject to possible erosion problems with .357Mag if the factory warning is not respected. From this point of view, stainless steel is certainly better, although it is not free from the phenomenon of erosion if you regularly shoot full house magnums with light bullets (in my former Ruger SP101 DAO 50 rounds of hot light bullet ammunition were enought to show initial signs of erosion). In the end I believe that to make the life of a titanium cylinder as long as that of a stainless steel cylinder, we must avoid being a**l with it regarding cleaning: a good gun oil to dissolve combustion residues, a stiff nylon brush, a stiff toothbrush, some soft patches to remove the oil, and stop. It can be said that in all the videos of Jerry Miculek that I have seen, even those that do not concern competitions, the titanium cylinders of his revolvers do not appear externally clean at all because it is probably counterproductive to focus on this.
, but I don't think it's a frequent thing. In fact, I believe the opposite. Titanium is no less durable than stainless steel, certainly not mechanically speaking. It is certainly less resistant to scratches and, as we have seen, is subject to possible erosion problems with .357Mag if the factory warning is not respected. From this point of view, stainless steel is certainly better, although it is not free from the phenomenon of erosion if you regularly shoot full house magnums with light bullets (in my former Ruger SP101 DAO 50 rounds of hot light bullet ammunition were enought to show initial signs of erosion). In the end I believe that to make the life of a titanium cylinder as long as that of a stainless steel cylinder, we must avoid being a**l with it regarding cleaning: a good gun oil to dissolve combustion residues, a stiff nylon brush, a stiff toothbrush, some soft patches to remove the oil, and stop. It can be said that in all the videos of Jerry Miculek that I have seen, even those that do not concern competitions, the titanium cylinders of his revolvers do not appear externally clean at all because it is probably counterproductive to focus on this.
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westernrover
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You're not Jerry Miculek. He's sponsored by S&W and he gets personal attention from particular people at the Performance Center. S&W refused to replace or fix my Titanium cylinder or resolve problems with the gun after sending it to them 3 times. The "no questions asked" policy is not a fact. Neither do they provide "immediate" service -- I've waited over 6 months for guns to be returned. I don't think it's ever taken less than two. I've also had several revolvers that they were never able or willing to fix at all. Titanium is not "less durable" but it has different properties than steel. I used Titanium extensively in racing and it's just not the same mechanically. They can't be compared in simple terms. For example, Titanium can have comparable shear strength, but it will flex a lot more. I already mentioned the major problem with Titanium revolver cylinders: extraction is hard and brass cases stick, therefore they also cut heads. S&W acknowledges the second problem, flame erosion. There are more, including chemical sensitivity -- specifically, it oxidizes with PERCHLORATES, PEROXIDES, PERMANGANATES, CHLORATES, NITRATES, CHLORINE, BROMINE and FLUORINE -- chemicals that can be found in common solvents and cleaners. Titanium cylinders don't appear clean not because they're not cleaned, but because they stain.
Catcus Jack
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I have not noted any of those problems with my 340 PD after several hundred rounds.
That’s not really true in all applications. My 929 has held up to many thousands of rounds. Small amounts of fast burning powder used in a 9mm round apparently don’t cause any damage.
westernrover
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Several hundred was a day for mine. It was a 340 PD. I guess it still is, what's left of it.
Catcus Jack
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Mine is still perfect with no signs of wear.l usually only shoot it 50 to 100 rounds per session.
I have other guns that I shoot substantially more.
halfmoonclip
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This was my point exactly; it's pretty tough to drive a 158 gr at 125 gr velocities. fxvr5, your previous listing of recoil explains this perfectly.
We're actually addressing two things here with bullet weight and velocity, bullet pull and gas cutting of the cylinder face. The bottom line remains, abide by the manufacturer's admonitions regarding bullet weight.
I need to have a look at the 325, to see if there are any restrictions. It would seem to me that the recoil is the only issue with the bigger bores, hence bullet pull. Gas cutting isn't even on the table.
Moon
Taroman
Member
My 986 steel challenge gun. 1000s fired with no damage. Of course I have no need for nuclear 9mm loads.
Just scrub it with Mpro7 and and a nylon brush. It's now a DAO with an optic. Just about ready to go back to DA/SA with irons.
halfmoonclip
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Funny you should post that; just had mine to the range, after a trip to the mothership, with problems I still had to resolve. But it did make me wonder what effect hot 9mm loads might have, considering this discussion.
Really haven't needed a major cleaning job on the Ti guns lately; the 340 has seen the most service, with the 317 having the highest round count. Don't have any nylon brushes, but not going crazy with the brass should be okay.
A previous posted noted; Ti does stain.
Moon
Taroman
Member
Funny you should ask. I have just loaded up a test sequence of 135 grain loads to test.
VV N320.
Top one should be just under 1000 FPS.
Chrono will tell the truth.
VV N320.
Top one should be just under 1000 FPS.
Chrono will tell the truth.
LV Gun
Member
I have a 929 also love that gun but I have had no issues with the cylinder either , I use all lead bullets . Just don’t understand what all the hoopla is about the titanium cylinder.
My 929 sees mostly very low power loads for Steel Challenge or loads around 130Power Factor for USPSA. I keep the inside of the cylinder VERY clean to insure silky smooth extraction/ejection. No problems. This is an ideal application for Ti.
130PF ~= 147gr at 885fps
130PF ~= 147gr at 885fps
