[Deepwoods]

Maybe this has been covered before, But I can find very little information on it. - What happened to using Titabium in making handguns? I picked up a Taurus 7 shot .357 mag in a snub nose. Is it any good, can I use full blown .357's in it, how about +P ammo? I can imagine it will have a kick, but there appears to be no metal stress, or undue wear on it. A few thoughts, please!

[c3shooter]

Titanium can be a VERY difficult metal to machine. Gun makers seem to pursue the MOM- Metal of the Month. How many of us never HEARD of Scandium before S&W marked that on a frame? You should be able to shoot .357 in any gun marked .357- and a .38 Special +P is FAR less energy than a .357. Of course, thre is no such critter as a .357+P.

Now, having said that- all other things being equal, the lighter gun is going to recoil more. (Ow). Some guns will experience accelerated wear when shot a LOT with full bore magnum loads (S&W Mdl 65s come to mind). It is not going to go KABLOOIE- it is going to get loose. However, titanium alloys are tougher than hell, and should withstand the punishment as well or better than stainless.

Hopefully, some of our pistolsmiths that have seen some of those after lenghty use will chime in with some more objective info.

[JonM]

its generally not the gun that dictates the power of a given round but the case holding the primer powder and bullet. so what you find on a lot of cheaper guns and a lot of the lighter weight space age composites are frames barrels and actions that are barely able to withstand the pressures at which cases go kaboom.

titanium is just too pricey a material to machine. with steel available that is more than sufficient to withstand the stresses you still see lesser materials being used. lots of lightweight guns like the ruger lcr lcp use rather weak materials without problems.

so why would a gun maker use really pricey titanium when materials weaker than steel are used to great success.

[JTJ]

I got rid of my Taurus 85 Ti. It was a handful with 38 spl+p and it had a muzzle brake. I will never buy a defensive handgun with a muzzle brake again. They are good for 1 shot at night then a long wait for your night vision to come back. Muzzle flash on a snubby is bad enough. That and the trigger sucked. My SP101 is heavy (25oz) but 38+P is almost like shooting a 22. 125 & 158 gr 357 mag are a handful though. I would not want to shoot them in a much lighter revolver.