Scandium? Anyone Shoot one?

S

Stoic

New member
Has anyone shot one of the new .357mag J frame Scandium revolvers? Have they been released for market yet?

It seems as if this type of strengthened alloy revolver would allow you to actually practice with .38 special rounds without worrying about wear and breakage.

I've heard that people who conceal carry the alloy J frame revolver often buy a companion stainless steel J frame revolver for range practice since it's more durable.

What do you think that the wholesale dealer price will be on the scandium line?

340PD.jpg



Will Taurus release a scandium product line to offer a stronger frame for its snubbies for .357 mag?
 
Mcshot,

If the scandium design shows any promise or advantages, then Taurus will design a comparable product line. Think positively. :)
 
taurus

yeah but it will have built-in, non-removable gun lock (a political sell out as well as a great place for murphy to show up). it will be heavier. it will be of poorer quality. and it will have !@#$%^&* ports.
 
cuerno de chivo,

I also worry about the quality of Taurus revolvers. I've avoided them in the past because of poor workmanship. However, we may not have much choice in the immediate near future. If I buy a Taurus, I'll make sure to give it a complete inspection as if buying a used revolver. I have friends who own them and have had to send them back to the factory numerous times. Maybe, I'll get lucky and get a good one from the start. :)
 
"However, we may not have much choice in the immediate near future."

That's why I bought my SW342PD now. I probably ought to buy another though for that very reason.
 
cuerno de chivo,

Owning a SW342PD now in .38 special, what do you think about the scandium material that would allow the same revolver design to shoot .357mag? Why didn't you choose the scandium version?
 
A LIGHTER GUN than the 342 in .357 ?!?!?

Well, from the time I've spent behind the 342 in .38 trying to get the concept of the piece, I doubt I would practice enough with a light .357 to be able to double-tap worth a fart...dewey
 
Stoic:

I've got a pre-agreement S&W model 642 .38 Spcl. It weighs 15 oz, so it is HEAVIER than the scandium guns. And with 158 gr .38 +P, it HURTS to shoot. An 11 or 12 oz gun with full-house .357 Mag. loads? No thanks, it's all yours. You get to pay twice as much just so it hurts a whole lot more.

Sorry, but S&W has gone beyond the point of diminishing returns in terms of weight. The Scandium guns are just TOO light, IMNSHO.

M1911
 
The "Scandium" guns are really aluminum with enough trace Scandium in there to produce a better aluminum alloy. Titanium is still going to be fundamentally stronger than Scandium...in fact, the Scandium guns use Ti cylinders because a Scandium cylinder wouldn't be strong enough unless maybe it had steel insert cores.

So as long as the Taurus Ti was built right, it should be stronger.

So far, not one case has been reported of the Taurus integral lock malfunction in a fashion that disables the gun.

Taurus isn't the sellout - S&W is!!!

Jim
 
I don't want to shoot one of those!

I've got a Taurus model 85 .38 stainless that I bought back in 1985, shot a few hundred rounds from, and threw in a dresser drawer and nearly forgot about. Then, six ot eight months ago I was fondling some new Tarus revolvers at a local gun dealer's and couldn't help but notice that their action, fit, and lockup were nearly as good as a S&W!

Well! If Taurus is out to displace S&W in the quality department, I decided that I had better see how they stood in the durability department. So, I began shooting that model 85 with a vengance. About twice a month I find the time to take 400 or 500 rounds of FBI load equivalent reloads up to the river and get busy with a couple of guns, usually one of my j-frames and the Taurus model 85. So far, the Taurus has held up just fine. In fact, I'm so pleased with it that I have decided that my next gun will be the Taurus version of the S&W Centenial, in total titanium (.38s only!).
 
Stoic:

I'm not even really interested in the 340PD. It's not worth the extra weight IMO. And I'm not a fan of .357 out of a short tube. I believe .38sp is a better bet out of a short tube.

Sellout:

Putting a built-in, non-removable gun lock in a firearm is a POLITICAL SELLOUT. It is in direct responce to the current Anti-Gun political climate. It kissing the Government's ***, HCI's ***, VPC ***, the MMM's ***, etc. IMO if someone can't see that, then they are BLIND.
 
Good point but, I think that there were more odorous conditions to the S&W/HUD agreement than gunlocks--which were intergral on Taurus guns years before S&W/HUD.
 
I love my Total Titanium Taurus 38. It works perfect and is one of my favorite guns I own. Actually, it is sitting in my pocket as I write this :)

taurusm85ti.jpg
 
Agree with Dewey here. I own and shoot a pre-Agreement 342 (the regular Ti version, not the slighly lighter PD) and it is a complete handful with +P. The Sc models are interesting, on paper, but I frankly can't imagine being able to make defensive use of a .357M version -- at least not for more than one shot. I think they've crossed the line of diminishing returns...the engineers have got a great product, but not (IMO) a very useful one.
 
It seems as if no one thinks that the .357 mag 340PD is an improvement over the older models. I think that I agree, especially since they want over $600 for the scandium line, notwithstanding the other political reasons for no new S&W purchases.


However, the Scandium material is interesting and brings new properties to alloy metals in the firearms area. I wonder whether any other gun makers will take up the Scandium material and do other things with it. Any ideas what Scandium would be useful for in a firearm setting?

Finally, with regard to the S&W 340 PD, what about the increased durability and strenght that it offers for shooting repeated 38 special +P? Wouldn't the scandium make it more reliable, make it less prone to breakage, and give it a longer useable life?

:)
 
Originally posted by Cuerno de Chivo: I believe .38sp is a better bet out of a short tube.
Click to expand...

Ballistically you are very wrong. Out of short tubes (2") the .357 has a huge advantage over .38 special +P's. Usually at least 250 fps difference with the same bullet.

As far as shootability... that's a personal decision. Most will shoot a .38 better than a 357 due to less recoil. Bue is it worth it to shoot a less effective round? That's where the personal decision comes in.

On Smith and Wesson... screw them. You should reread the agreement. If your blood pressure doesn't rise by 50% while you read it, then check your pulse.

Kilgor
 
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