Scandimanium, Titanium, Alimanium....
- Thread starter JERRYS.
- Start date
dontcatchmany
New member
I am waiting for the lowrecoilium.
2damnold4this
New member
I'm a big fan of my 342 and its low weight for pocket carry.
The 357 is much, much faster than a 38 Special out of a snubbie, like around 400 fps faster.
I didn't say they claimed the guns were made entirely (or nearly so) of Scandium. But they did their best to create that impression. Let's face it -- they call the guns "Scandium." What else is that supposed to convey?
An aluminum alloy often used in firearms is 7075, which contains copper, manganese, chromium, and zinc. So if the Big Blaster Revolver Company uses that alloy for their frames, the equivalent would be for them to call their guns "Manganese" or "Chromium."
Call it what you want -- S&W's "Scandium" is an aluminum alloy with trace amounts of scandium.[/QUOTE]
This is exactly right.
I think the .357 makes more sense out of a snub nose than the .38 as it is usually able to still generate some meaningful velocity. JMHO.
I didn't say they claimed the guns were made entirely (or nearly so) of Scandium. But they did their best to create that impression. Let's face it -- they call the guns "Scandium." What else is that supposed to convey?
An aluminum alloy often used in firearms is 7075, which contains copper, manganese, chromium, and zinc. So if the Big Blaster Revolver Company uses that alloy for their frames, the equivalent would be for them to call their guns "Manganese" or "Chromium."
Call it what you want -- S&W's "Scandium" is an aluminum alloy with trace amounts of scandium.[/QUOTE]
How would you name them to distinguish between the aluminum alloy guns and the scandium alloy guns?
Calling their guns Scandium is a way to distinguish their Scandium alloy guns from their aluminum alloy guns. Or would you folks prefer they call them both aluminum guns and leave people scratching their head over why one aluminum gun cost twice as much as the other aluminum gun and why one is as strong as steel why the other one isn't?
I'm starting to consider that myself. The trick is finding the right balance of handgun weight, ergonomics and a lower recoil 357 load. 357 ammo runs a wide range of bullet weights and power levels. You can't just pick any random 357 and expect it to do well in a snubbie.
One should in theory get compact semi-auto 9mm +P level ballistics out of a 357 snubnose with the right ammo. The question is can one control it as well as a compact 9mm semi-auto?
I plan on testing this with a S&W Shield 9mm semi loaded with 124gr +P Gold Dots, an alloy framed .38 Special 642 loaded with 135gr +P Gold Dots, and a SS framed .357 640 Pro trying a bunch of different 357 SD ammo.
Yeah, recoil from 357s in the snubbies can be brutal. Ballistics of a full power 357 in a 2" barrel push a 125 grain bullet to 1250 fps (and that's what I get from Remington 125 SJHP 357 Magnum ammo from my 2" Colt Magnum Carry), which is as good or better than a 124 grain 9mm +P from a 4" barrel. There are lighter 357 loads available to help keep recoil down.
There's 38/357 ballistic and gel data at the lucky gunner website; https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/revolver-ballistics-test/
That's exactly it. It's not an all or nothing proposition with .357
For example if you sort the Lucky Gunner data by velocity, you can see a couple loads (like 125gr Golden Saber at just under 1100fps) that are right in the 9mm non +P equivalent range when shot from a 2" Kimber K6 and then they go up from there all the way up to Buffalo Bore 125gr Barnes doing over 1400fps from the 2".
American Man
New member
I found the Hornady 125 FTX is a good compromise with my SW340CT. Any of the 357 mag 158 grains quickly forms a knot in between my palm and thumb and it lasts for a week or more. lol I also use BB 158 gr 38 +P, and that is a powerful yet doable round for the lightweight revolver on the trail... east coast. I like shooting my 329PD, but that gets miserable quick as well. lol
AirLite S&W 317 in 22 LR rides in a belt holster unnoticed .
Airweight S&W 637 in 38 special slips in a holster or pocket very easily and very comfortably .
These attributes lead to rule #1...Have a gun ON YOUR PERSON !
If it's heavy or uncomfortable ...you leave them at home...lite and comfortable , chances are it goes out the door with you . If it's with you and trouble happens it sure beats a full size 1911 45 acp at home.
After decades of experience the light weights have won the "have it on your person " contest.
Gary
Airweight S&W 637 in 38 special slips in a holster or pocket very easily and very comfortably .
These attributes lead to rule #1...Have a gun ON YOUR PERSON !
If it's heavy or uncomfortable ...you leave them at home...lite and comfortable , chances are it goes out the door with you . If it's with you and trouble happens it sure beats a full size 1911 45 acp at home.
After decades of experience the light weights have won the "have it on your person " contest.
Gary
Felt recoil is generally less with larger mass weapons.
My Barrett .50 has less felt recoil than my Desert Eagle. But then that extra 30+ lbs tends to absorb the momentum.
Cheapshooter
New member
Old wives tail.
https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/9/5/snubbie-ballistics-38-special-vs-357-magnum/
Only by a couple hundred feet per second!
The chart is eadier to read in the article.
https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/revolver-velocity-vs-barrel-length/
I never said the velocity using a 38 is equal to that of a .357. What I was pointing out is the velocity loss or a .357 is greater than if it were fired from a longer barreled gun. That said, my second point would be the most relevant and was the ability for an accurate followup shot. I am an RSO and anytime someone cycles .357's from their snubbie, everyone stops to see what was making all the noise and flash.
I look at my DA snubbies as needing to keep a fist size hole at 30'. I can to that with 38's, I struggle to do that with 125gr .357's. Especially during a string of somewhat rapid fire. A 400fps increase will do nothing if one cannot keep their shots on target.
Carry what you feel comfortable with and for me it is no more than 135 gr. Gold Dots which was designed specifically for short barreled guns
TruthTellers
New member
.357 is a lot faster than .38 from a snub revolver, but it depends on the ammo you're using.
I see no point in a .357 in a snub, I won't shoot it well, so there's no reason for me to spend hundreds more over a .38 snub.
If this is focused entirely on .357 alloy revolvers, I have no answer as to what's next, but if we want to talk about how to make revolvers even lighter, it's using a smaller frame in a smaller caliber like .32.
Kel Tec has the lightest pocket pistol in the P32, Charter has been making 12oz .32's and .38's on aluminum frames for a long time, so the next step for S&W is to bring back the I frame, make it Scandium framed, and put it in .32 Mag and make it in 5 shot to reduce the cylinder diameter.
Would probably weigh 9oz.
I see no point in a .357 in a snub, I won't shoot it well, so there's no reason for me to spend hundreds more over a .38 snub.
If this is focused entirely on .357 alloy revolvers, I have no answer as to what's next, but if we want to talk about how to make revolvers even lighter, it's using a smaller frame in a smaller caliber like .32.
Kel Tec has the lightest pocket pistol in the P32, Charter has been making 12oz .32's and .38's on aluminum frames for a long time, so the next step for S&W is to bring back the I frame, make it Scandium framed, and put it in .32 Mag and make it in 5 shot to reduce the cylinder diameter.
Would probably weigh 9oz.