What is the Best Alloy for Various Revolver Parts?

titanium is just as strong as steel and only weighs 60% of it by volume. however, it is more expensive and harder to machine.
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What do you mean by this? Harder? More wear resistant? More ductile? Red hardness? Corrosion resistance? What you said is a very vague factoid that means little if you don't elaborate at least a little bit. How 'bout this one: "Pound-for-pound, wood is stronger than steel." This is also true. I know Samuel Colt made revolver cylinders out of wood, too; but they were just pre-production models. Titanium is probably a great material for gun parts, as is aluminum. But which parts are suitable for which metal/alloy and for which calibers? Is titanium suitable for revolver cylinders in both 22LR and 454 Casull? Personally, I think some gun parts might best be made of S-5 tool steel, (Jack-hammer bits, anyone?), but that might be an unnecessary expense.
Light-weigh alloys, where they can be used, can be a great idea for a 22LR or even a 38special. Move up to a 44 Magnum and it's still great for holster use, as long as you don't actually shoot it.
 
titanium is just as strong as steel and only weighs 60% of it by volume. however, it is more expensive and harder to machine.
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Titanium also has other properties different from steel. This makes it superior to steel for some uses and inferior to steel for others.

Cost isn't the only reason you don't see all titanium guns, though it is a big one.

There's an old story, possibly a myth, from the days when good new factory rifles were in the $300 range, about a guy who approached a maker wanting a titanium bolt gun as the ultimate light weight mountain rifle.

he got told they could do it, completed rifle would be around 5lbs, and the cost would be at least $5,000. At that point the fellow decided he no longer needed it that badly...:D
 
There were some (nearly) all titanium rifles built. Barrel life was said to be short but once zeroed, how often will you shoot it without a trophy Kookamongan Kookaburra in the sights?
 
Gas erosion on titanium is really bad, I have seen some titanium guns nearly destroyed in short order by gas erosion. This is why S&W and Remington titanium firearms had stainless steel barrels and the revolvers had stainless cylinders and barrel liners. Gas cutting and erosion eats them up really quickly.

Titanium is difficult to machine and much more expensive than steel, even the exotic tool steels.

Tool steels have very specific properties, such as shock resistance and abrasion resistance. I remember working with S7 tool steel back in the 70s, it was very expensive, wonderfully machinable, but has to be copper plated before heat treatment and hardened in a vacuum oven. However, it is extremely shock resistant and temperature tolerant, so they make parts that will get abused out of it. I made a knife out of S7, and it holds an edge beautifully, but it cost $75 to have it heat treated back in the 70s, so I doubt many knives are going to be sold that are made out of S7. And knives are low tech tools, some of my best knives are made out of 1095 steel, pretty basic spring steel,
 
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