Will Scandium hold up as well as steel?

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Texasred

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I've just bought a new 340 and really like what it offers me. Normally I can't find anything that offers a big reduction in weight and doesn't compromise firepower by going to my opinion of an inadequate cartridge, or questionable reliability for that matter. My regular carry is the Glock 30, very satisfied but wanted another option when needed lighter, smaller, etc. was called for.

So I don't have a fullsize .357 or a .44 right now and was wondering if the 386 and 329 would hold up durability wise to their steel cousins?

I know the recoil thing, I'm full aware of the pain, not worried about that!

:neener:

I have a 454 and this little pocket gun are a handful already, but was seriously considering these twins and would l like a little theme going.

So in theory are these guns pretty durable, or as durable as steel?
 
Aluminum alloy will pretty much never be as strong as steel, but that only means the frame will last for 3 generations instead of 4. You need to shoot a lot to wear out any decent quality gun.
 
"Scandium revolvers" are not made out of scandium. A pinch--sorry, the recipe is more secret than Col. Sanders'--is added to the aluminum alloy.

Adding scandium to aluminum alloy adds resistance to stress: the frame recovers from the expansion during firing with less tendency to metal fatigue fractures over time.

Durable as steel? elephantrhino.jpg Elephrhino!

But it doesn't rust, so take that into consideration.
 
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I Have Seen Photos...

...of at least two of S&W's scandium-alloy J-frame revolvers that have cracked at the frame, where the barrel screws in. You can see one of them for yourself at The Gun Zone.
 
I doubt they're as durable as steel but I'm betting we're about to find out.

The several flavors of 325 promise to be high volume - scandium frame, still around 30 ounces, firing a puffball load from moon clips.

Very pleasant to shoot, easy to keep going with the clips and don't even heat up very much - very amenable to high round count range sessions.

Several somebodys are bound to pump a couple - ten thousand through and then we'll find out. 'Course we'll be finding out how they stand up to high round counts of puffball loads but that's still something.
 
Y'know, a scandium framed revolver will probably last longer, timewise, than a steel one, because it'll end up being shot less, with lighter ammo.
 
There was a member on the S&W forum who had 26,000 full power .357 rounds through his 340. This was about two years ago. If he still has a wrist that works, he has probably far exceeded that round count by now.
 
My 296 (yeah, I actually shoot it, because I hate freedom) has several thousand rounds through it without issue, including loads that you can feel in the bone after one round. I don't shoot those any more, I stick with 180 or 200 JHPs. It's one of the earliest scandium guns, no internal lock. The previous owners (I know both) each fired one cylinder or less before selling it to the next.

It's remarkably pleasant with the less abusive loads, but it is still a .44 - barks like one too.

It has cosmetic wear from carry, but everything still checks out and I expect it to for a long time coming.

I imagine it'll probably outlive the scandium 357s, but I'm not shooting magnum-class loads in it because I like what wrists I have left.
 
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