Scandium

Curious about the durability of scandium framed 1911s. Want a LW 1911 for carry. I have owned a few 1911s in the past but am no expert. I understand there is something about the LW alluminum feed ramps being beat up (to what extent i am also curious).

How is this new fangled scandium holding up for people?

 

I dont know about the scandium, but my father carried an aluminum frame colt officers model for around ten years, never had any issues with it at all, still has it and carries it as his CCW from time to time. From what I understand of the newer alloy, it is just as light, but supposed to be more durrable.

 

The alloy Scandium is stronger than aluminum and lighter than titanium. It's a great alloy for pistols and the S&W 1911s with scandium frames are a great compromise in weight. The one I'm familiar with is the commander size and it is comfortable to shoot and accurate.

 

I believe the Smith&Wesson 4040PD was made out of Scandium too, at least the frame was and they have been around for years with no complaints. As a matter of fact, they are looked upon as a great CCW gun due to the light weight and powerful cartridge they fire.

 

Scandium is a metallic element that is alloyed with aluminum in small amounts, less than 1%, to stabilise the grain structure of the aluminum for heat treating. Scandium is actually is bit heavier than aluminum, but the weight difference in the part is negligable due to the amount present. It is good to see a firearms manufacturer use some of the newer metallurgical developments.

 

S&W 1911PD comes to mind; a quality firearm for sure.

 

+1 on the 1911PD! Darn good gun!

 

I always make sure my LW 1911s come with ramped barrels, so the soft frame is not an issue in the feed ramp area.

 

The S&W will be covered for life, if that makes you feel better about it. Seems a while back I read a post elsewhere about a cracked frame at 25k and it was indeed replaced under warranty. I believe there was also some info on using particular magazines to keep from biffing the feed ramp constantly as one poster had noted peening on his.

 

Never had any issues with my 1911PD. The feed ramp and rails look almost as fresh today as when I took it from the box, over 4.000 rounds ago.

 

Scandium frames should hold up better than aluminum frames.

One of the first widespread commercial uses of scandium was in high end bicycle frames. I was running bike shops when they started to hit the market.

Scandium frames are stronger but also have a better fatigue life than Aluminum with the same or lighter weight. Scandium can flex some without developing stress fractures like aluminum; so Aluminum frames have to be stiffer to resist flexing. This lets Scandium frames be built lighter than Aluminum ones (I'm not sure of the weights of S&W frames though) or stronger if the same weight.

I believe that Scandium alloys end up being roughly 20-30% stronger than conventional Aluminum with roughly 50% better fatigue resistance. (It has been a while so this may not be correct)