Firearms And Rust

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

I have got a few concerns that I think we ought to address, concerning
firearms and that nasty word RUST. Now I understand that even some
stainless steel handguns may rust over a period of time, depending
on certain circumstances. However, my concerns are not with stainless
steel handguns; but rather those handguns that contain small traces of
SCANDIUM. When combined with other properties to make handguns, do
these scandium clad firearms rust?

Now for question #2. Is scandium a mineral or a metal? I know its only
mined in the Ukraine, at a cost of approximately $7,000 a pound in good
ole' U.S. dollars.

Question #3. Do you feel that these weapons are affordable, and if so
how much are you willing to spend to procure one of these lightweight
handguns?

I have read in one report (on another forum) that the S&W 1911Sc
showed lots of muzzel flip when fired with the standard 230 grain ball
ammo. Are we sacrificing controlability, in favor of lightweight weapons?
I thought when S&W introduced the Airweight J-frame snubbies that
was a good answer to the age old debate of weight vs. comfort?

 

[brickeyee]

My handy periodic table shows scandium (Sc) has an atomic numer of 21 and resides between calcium (Ca) at #20 and titanium (Ti) at #22.
Mr. Newton expounded on action and reaction a while ago. A lighter firearm will have more recoil velocity than a heavier firearm, all else being equal.
How design deals with felt recoil is a different matter.

 

[mete]

Let me give you the facts. To call them 'scandium' guns is a misnomer. They are aluminum alloys with about 1/2% scandium.This produces an alloy stronger than previous aluminum alloys. Scandium is a rare earth metal ,it is rare and VERY expensive. You wouldn't want to pay for an all scandium gun ! Most shooters find that a scandium framed gun with full loads of magnums , especially the 44mag is too much recoil. They suggest for example to use 38+P in the 357 scandium. Scandium guns won't have much different resistance to corrosion than other aluminum alloys....Ti weighs about half as much as steel and aluminum weighs about 1/3 as much as steel.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Are we sacrificing controlability, in favor of lightweight weapons?

Reducing the weight of any firearm increases the perceived recoil it will deliver to the hand. How much controllability that costs will vary from shooter to shooter: some people are more sensitive to recoil than others, and some shooters are more willing to put in range time than others, too.

Personally, I don't care for non-steel firearms.

 

[P95Carry]

I am with SW here - in fact I like weight, within reasonable parameters. This means steel for most part but includes good polymers also.

It is obvious that a market exists for these ultra light-weights - but I ain't a part of it!

Re your questions Ala Dan ....... price I think is prohibitive (for me!) and so they are not very affordable ----- and corrosion? Well, no worse than aluminum itself.... which uses its own rapid forming external oxide film as further protection. The steel components, such as they are - will of course rust under adverse conditions. Plus I am not sure just how much electro-chemical effects there might be at the interfaces. Steel and aluminum together (like copper) are not happy bed fellows.

 

[BigG]

I have one of the little Chief's Special 357 Magnum snubs. It is shootable for a seasoned handgunner and is a very worthy piece for that type of shooter. Not a good choice for introducing somebody to the fine art of shooting , ole bud.

As for rust, my guns are kept in pretty good conditions. You might want to check with Chuck Taylor - he seems to like to beat his guns up!

Cheers, Big Dan!

 

[zephyr]

I bought a 1911sc a couple of weeks ago. Saturday I put 150 rounds of 230 grain hardball through it. I think it was very pleasent to shoot. I don't think the muzzle flip was bad at all.