S&W scandiums?

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pezo

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Do any of you own any of the smith and wesson scandium or titanium revolvers. I am thinking of purchasing a new S&W model 386 mountain lite in .357. Im not so much concerned about recoil but how about durability, can these weapons handle a steady diet of factory magnum loads. is their a limit on how many rounds fire in a shooting range session? are they reasonably rugged? than for any info. :)
 
I don't have the 386, but I've been shooting this 325 for most of the year.

325pd_t.jpg

Don't have a real accurate round count, but it's at least several thousand. Still looks and works like new, just a bit smoother.

Good Luck...

Joe
 
I have a 340SC.

sw340sc1.jpg


It can be punishing I suppose. The wierdest part for me was that this was the first gun I've ever fired where I actually noticed that it twisted in reponse to the bullet starting to spin in the rifling. It's really not to bad in .38 Special or +p. Now firing hot .357 loads is interesting. Then again I'm a recoil junkie so take my opinion on the recoil FWIW.

[edit]

I guess I didn't really answer your question. Mine has handled a fairly steady diet. I mostly shoot .38 Special +p, probably 50 to 100 rounds per range visit. And then about about 10 to 20 .357. I've fired about 50 rounds of .357 through it in one session once or twice. I haven't noticed any unusual wear and tear.
 
I have the 342pd. (38 +p scandium). It is THE most comfortable carry gun I have. It is also the one I least like to target practice with, but I do on a regular basis.

It's not too terrible on recoil, but it's just not my idea of a fun day of shooting. It has small sights, and is not the best for accuracy in my hands.

Don't get me wrong now,... it's easy to hit a silouette type target at any self-defense distances, just don't be expecting great groups at 25yards.

Hope this helps.
 
I also have a 342PD (used to have a 340 also) and the .38 special is no problem, although you can feel the difference between 130 grain and 158 grain. Now +P is manageable, but is a little rough, you're hands will prob be a little sore if you shoot 25-30 or more +P. I have shot 10 rounds of .357 and it was just nuts! No thank you, I'll stick with 38+P for carry.

I have only shot about 250 rounds, so I can't comment on long term wear and tear. But S&W is a HUGE name with a good rep in the revolver game, and I don't think they would put their name on something they weren't confident in. Also the scandiums have been around now for what, about 5-6 years, and I have yet to hear any issues related to the material they're made of.
 
thanks for the info and the pics. just gets me more excited. and now I really cant wait to get my scandium smithy! :D
 
In my younger days, I often rode in cyclos in Vietnam -- that's a sort of three-wheeled scooter, with the "driver" in back, and the two passengers in front. I have also shot a lot of powerful, light-weight revolvers. From this, I have distilled two rules:

1. Never ride in a vehicle that wants to use you as a bumper.

2. Never shoot a gun that's lighter than its own bullets.
 
I currently have the S&W 317, 242, 342, 386PD, 325PD and a Taurus 357 Ti Tracker. All of them will last a lot longer than I am willing to shoot them.

JAC
 
Quote:
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I currently have the S&W 317, 242, 342, 386PD, 325PD and a Taurus 357 Ti Tracker. All of them will last a lot longer than I am willing to shoot them.
--------------------------------

You betchum, Red Rider. In years to come, it will be commonplace for the family to come home from Grandpa's funeral and start going through his effects -- and find his super-lightweight revolver, with the original box of shells, only 6 missing. :D
 
I didn't see this thread and posted a similar one in general discussion (oops).

Anyhow, in my thread someone mentioned that light bullets might jump the crimp due to devere recoil, hence the warning not to use bullets less than 125 gr. But wouldn't this be more of an issue for heavy bullets (more recoil, more inertia)? I don't get it.
 
does anyone who owns one of these alloy guns ever had a round jump a crimp or has anyone ever seen it occur. so far ppl who own these seem happy with them and they are attractive , quality firearms so Im still pretty much sold on getting one soon.
 
I have had bullets jump crimp in my 340pd, from 125 to 145 grains (also 158 lead bullets will budge out a bit if they're loaded much hotter than standard .38). It is definitely an issue, though one that can be overcome by testing different rounds. People seem to have varying results (e.g., for me, Silvertips jumped crimp badly; but I've heard others report good results), so you definitely need to be prepared to work it out for yourself.

I'd expect this to be less of a problem with the 386 than the itty bitty 340.

Oh, and to answer your question on durability, I'm very pleased with how my 340 is holding up after a couple thousand rounds.
 
I have never had a bullet jump crimp in mine. I also haven't used anything with less than a 125 grain bullet; although I have heard of others having problems with heavier bullets. I generally have had good luck with 158 grain semi-jacketed hollow point bullets in both .38 Special +p and .357. Of course I'm not one to spend hours searching, reading, studying and fretting over the ammo I use and carry; I worry a whole lot more about actually hitting my target.
 
I've had Winchester 145 gr .357 mag Silvertips jump the crimp on my 11.5 oz SC360.

No problems with Federal 158 gr .357 mag Hydrashoks.

Its the gun I definitley carry more than shoot! If you at all shy about .44 mag, forget about the .357 mag Scandiums, as my 629 with full house loads is a pussycat compared to the SC360.

--wally.
 
First fire.

My Scandium .357 seems to work flawlessly so far, but it did pull 158 gr semiwadcutters out of their crimps. Gun still fired. I am going to try better "carry" loads, most likely Hydrashok and Starfires, perhaps Triton too. I think these loads will have better crimping. i don't have any at the moment.

If anyone out there can recommend a good carry load with a stout crimp, please post it. I know Cor-Bon is heavily crimped, but the +p .357 would start to get painfull in a 11 oz gun!

No problems what so ever with .38 Special

Also, this is the most accurate snubbie I have ever fired! I am surprised at being able to consistantly hit small targets even at longer handgun ranges.
 
does anyone who owns one of these alloy guns ever had a round jump a crimp or has anyone ever seen it occur. so far ppl who own these seem happy with them and they are attractive , quality firearms so Im still pretty much sold on getting one soon.
Click to expand...

Yuppers!!!
I have had the sublime joy of having this happen with my aluminum alloy framed (and cylinder) Taurus M85UL (ultra lite)!!!

It was an adventure trying to free up that cylinder, but I prevailed!! Fortunately, it seems to be fine now!! I learned my lesson!! Nothing heavier than 130gr and only jacketed rounds!!
 
I learned my lesson!! Nothing heavier than 130gr and only jacketed rounds!!
Click to expand...

One should note that on the S&W Scandium revolvers, it is printed on the side of te barrel never to fire a bullet less than 120 gr. This is due to the titanium cylinder (S&W says it may scortch with faster burning powders used with light bullets). I don't know if Taurus Titaniums are vulnerable to this effect, but it is something to look into.

Since jumping the crimp occurs more often with heavier bullets, one could be limited to a narrow range of acceptable ammo. It would be wise to thoroughly test out your carry ammunition.
 
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