Aluminum vs Titanium

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PreserveFreedom

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There are a couple of manufacturers making wheelguns out of a combination of aluminum and titanium. I believe that they use aluminum for the frame and titanium for the cylinder. I think the barrel is sleeved, but I could be wrong. My questions are:

Is the aluminum lighter or heavier than titanium?

Is the aluminum significantly weaker than titanium?

Any comments welcome. Thanx!
 
Aluminum is lighter than titanium and is a more rigid material too. Titanium is more resilient and able to handle more cycles before fatiguing, big plus over aluminum. And in raw form, titanium is stronger than aluminum. Now these are general answers to an unknown. There are certain titanium alloys that are very stiff and brittle, which makes them weak. And the same goes for aluminum alloys, some are stronger and just as compliant as titanium. confused??? What make a better material for a revolver? Heck, I don't know! :D




Robert
 
Well if I can put in some overtime and get a little ahead on some bills, my fiance says I can buy any gun I want. The thought of 7 shots of 357 Magnum in a 16 ounce package is awful tempting! I can save $70 and 3.9 ounces by going with the aluminum/titanium model over the total titanium. (I hadn't noticed the listed weight on their website or I wouldn't have asked which is lighter.) It will still be a while before I can afford it, but I like to dream with details. :) Now, my only wish is that they made one with a bobbed hammer.
M617MULTI.jpg
 
I PREFER FERROUS GUNS

The "lightweight" attraction, to me, is over-rated. I prefer heft, both for recoil control and the ability to use the gun as a non-lethal impact weapon.

Really.


If you want the very lightest you should be considering the Kel-Tec line of autos...
 
I like heft too, but I also like the idea of 7 shots of 357 Magnum in the pocket of my Marlboro team shorts without pulling them to my ankles. ;)
 
I have a S&W model 642. It's 15 oz. With 158 gr LSWC .38Spcl +P it plain HURTS to shoot. 10 rounds and I'm done. With the short barrel and dinky sights, its hard to shoot accurately, so you really should practice with one of these quite a bit. But it's unpleasant enough that you probably won't (at least, I sure won't). A 16 oz .357? She's all yours. No way would I want to shoot it with full power .357 magnums. And with that short barrel, you're really not gaining that much with .357 over .38Spcl.

Personally, I suggest you stick with an Aluminum-framed .38 Spcl. You'll save a bunch of money with little difference in actual effectiveness.

M1911
 
If the makers of the light weight revolvers would use a little common sense we could all have a fine weapon.

Something to think about, what would be wrong with making the light weight puppies in 9MM? Easier to control, a little lighter than 357 or 38spl, less stress on the frame and cyl. You also wouldn't need special grips to handle the recoil, making it even easier to conceal.

These weapons are designed for close encounters so I don't think you have given up any stopping power or accuracy with the 9MM.

Just my thoughts on the subject.
 
E.BeauBeaux,

Ruger did make the SP101 in 9mm for a year or so, but no longer. Whereas the 9mm round is shorter than a .38 or .357 offering the potential for a shorter cylinder and better concealability (if you shrink the frame to match the shorter cylinder), it is also a high pressure round, requiring strength.

Building for strength builds in weight. I'm no firearms design expert, but I think the 9mm's pressure would require either a titanium or steel cylinder.

Then you have the 9mm's requirement for using moon clips to aid extraction. I suppose you could design the gun to headspace on the case mouth, but then you run into brass length differences. Still, for a SHTF scenario, a gun that could headspace on the case mouth and still fire without the moon clips would be preferable to a 12 oz. lump of metal that doesn't work without them...
 
Didn't think of the 9mm being a higher pressure. Cougar I'm no design expert by a long shot, just thinking out loud. Get's me in alot of trouble. Wish the expert's would look into as someone might have a design that would work.

Wouldn't mind having one of those SP101 in 9mm, if someone has one they're not using.
 
I like light.

I much prefer my SW342PD over my SW642LS. The light weight makes it much easier to carry. The recoil with standard pressure loads is quite managable. Accuracy is fine (as good as my Glock 26). The short sight radius and double action pull takes practice though.
 
The 9x19mm is a high pressure round, but no more so than a .357 Magnum. Let's see: shorter round, lower recoil, less flash, cheaper ammo -- yep, I'd prefer 9mm to .357 in a snubby.
 
Matt VDW, thanks for joining in. It was just an idea that made good common sense to me. Like Cougar said let it headspace on the case mouth and you could have even smaller frame and cylinder. Brass length I don't think would be a huge problem. Be a heck of a pocket baby with 5 rounds.
 
How heavy is the S&Weasel 640 or 642, the all-stainless one in .357 Mag?

I've fired it using full-power loads in 125-gr (296 loads, so recoil was stout!) and 146-gr loads, and it was stout but not impossible for me.
 
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