scandium frame 1911

All I can tell you is I have two of them. One of he "Billboard" models and a Thunder Ranch model. Two of the best 1911's I have every owned. Very accurate and have never not fired a round. And light for carry. Great 1911's.
 
Titanium runs a very close second. And is far less expensive.
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I'm not an expert on the topic, but the article I linked to indicates that scandium provides some benefits, beyond strength increase, that titanium does not.
S&W did not market an "aluminum alloy frame" with desirable properties, but a "Scandium alloy frame."
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Pretty common tactic, and although I guess it might mislead some people, they would have to be pretty determined to be misled since an internet search on scandium alloy would set them straight in seconds.

Remember when Craftsman tools were marked chrome vanadium? I don't remember a lot of folks complaining that they were really made of steel and were just alloyed with relatively small amounts of chrome and vanadium.

Similarly, there are makers out there who talk about chrome-molybdenum products when the reality is that they're talking about a steel alloy with chrome and molybdenum as alloying agents. Again, it doesn't seem to generate complaints or draw accusations of being misleading.

Here's an entire article about chrome-molybdenum that barely mentions the word 'steel'.
https://www.thefabricator.com/artic...ybdenumaits-uses-and-fabrication-requirements

It's not like I'm a big S&W fan or anything--I don't own any of their products--but this particular topic is one I just can't get spun up about.
 
JohnKSA said:
Pretty common tactic, and although I guess it might mislead some people, they would have to be pretty determined to be misled since an internet search on scandium alloy would set them straight in seconds.
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The Scandium product name was great marketing by S&W; that is really all there is to it. And, no, it is not misleading when people imagine more than is said.
 
Does anyone see any wear on the feed ramp, or other issues? I have a Smith & Wesson airweight 638. The things been Flawless since I've got it. I put quite a few rounds through it. it's what I carry most of the time.
 
I have both a Ruger LW CMD 1911 and a S&W 1911 SC-E.

I like them both. In terms of fit and finish, accuracy and performance, the S&W is the better gun. The S&W is machined to tighter tolerances, the scaled serrations on the slide provide more positive grip without biting your fingers. It comes with an viewport, and the ejection port is cut slightly lower and is beveled to make ejection more reliable.

The top of the slide is slightly dished out with a series of vertical cuts going almost the full length of the slide. Their purpose is to reduce glare. The back of the slide has horizontal versions of those same glare-reducing cuts.

Trijicon night sights are mounted front and rear. The trigger and the hammer are skeletonized; trigger comes in at about 4.5-5 lbs.

The front strap is cut 17 LPI. The barrel is match-grade. The gun is much more accurate than the shooter.

"The Ruger is far more basic and doesn't come with the match-grade barrel, but it's still accurate 'enough.' And very reliable, shooting everything from white box, steel-cased, and my reloads. I'm trying to remember if it's ever failed. Probably it did somewhere, but not in awhile, and I've shot mostly my reloads and steel-cased ammo for a couple years now through it.

If I were only going to buy one of the two, I'd save the extra dough and take the S&W. It's as reliable, looks far better and performs better.
 
Aguila Blanca said:
No firearm is "aluminum." The lightweights are all aluminum alloy of some type, sort, or description. And that includes the S&W "Scandium" pistols. They are NOT made of Scandium; they are an aluminum alloy that has a trace of Scandium in the alloy, along with a bunch of other elements. A long time ago I came across an article that gave the breakdown of S&W's Scandium alloy but I can't find it now. All the references I find now just say that the alloy contains "a trace" of Scandium.
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Well "Aluminium" usually means Aluminium alloy there Aguila Blanca, if not someone would have mentioned bauxite ore. :)
 
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silvermane 1 said:
Well "Aluminium" usually means Aluminium alloy there Aguila Blanco, if not someone would have mentioned bauxite ore.
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To you, perhaps. There are many people who have no idea there is anything other than aluminum in "aluminum."
 
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