S&W scandium 357mag
looking for experienced opinions on scandium alloy 357mags.iam considering a S&W 386or327 purchase.negative rumors are they scratch easily and are structurally weak.also one seller advertizes a 386 in scandium or stainless,2.5 or 3 in barrel.i know the cylinders are ss.but i have not seen an all stainless or 3in 386.can someone please provide info on this?
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I have one of the 386SC's, but I havent shot it a lot (maybe 300 or so rounds). So far, I really like it.
The recoil with .357 bear loads is pretty harsh, but manageable, and it is no problem with .38 Specials.
The one comment that I would make is that the finish, especially on the titanium cylinder, does seem to stain easily. I bought a new leather holster that has a red/brown color to it, and my revolver now has really picked up the red color. It does seem that it will polish out OK, but I haven't put much effort into that. (It is a carry gun for in the mountains, so I don't care too much about the looks.)0 -
See if you can shoot one first I know two people that bought one first These are people with Large hands and have shot both single action and double action pistols in 44 MAG neither one of my friend fired over 1/2 box before they sold their pistol . I shot 3 rounds through one of my friends . Controlling recoil is a WOW factor[V][:(] and I have shot thousands of rounds of 45ACP 230 grain Ball 0 -
You have to be extremely not to use too harsh of chemicals or abrasives on the Sc guns, as they have coatings on them that can, and will come off. They are guns that are meant to be carried a lot and shot a little.
I can imagine the recoil from a 357 in 386 is fierce, and I have shot a 360PD, so yes it is. I can't imagine what a 300-400 grain full house 44 Bear load would be like.
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I shot 100rds or so thru one
the 38s were fine
the 125gr 357s kicked some (alot more than in a SS full size, but ok)
the 158gr deer stoppers took the skin off my palm. not kidding0 -
They are MISERABLE to shoot with full power (125 to 158 grain) loads. IMHO it felt to me like getting a 2x2 slapped on my palm. I quit the full powers after about 10 shots, and will never fire them again. .38 Spl +p 125 gr is manageable and has enough oomph for me. (I stopped because the flinch I was developing with mags would take me forever to cure.)
Carry lots, shoot little? Absolutely the best description of these things in .357. Are they weak? I've never seen one break, (or honestly one shot enough to break) but anything is possible. The finish will wear, maybe a bit faster than a blued and certainly faster than stainless, but most finishes on carry guns do show wear over time anyway. Besides, I want it to work no matter how ugly it is, and these do work.
They're good guns and will serve you well in their intended role for many years. ( I'm just not a fan of the .357 version.) As the other poster suggested, see if you can rent one first, you might find another gun you like better.0 -
First of all, if you're not going to be routinely carrying it concealed, I see little reason to go for a scandium ANYTHING. A heavier all steel gun is simply better to absorb recoil, easier to shoot accuracy (since mass adds inertia to the gun, helping to "plant" it on target), and its going to be a heck of a lot cheaper.
So I pretty much see NO good reason to get a scandium gun for hunting or target shooting. If you're buying a "nightstand" gun, then by definition you're not going to be carrying it a lot. . again why would you want to pay double the cost for something super-light?
For concealed carry, the scandium J-frames make sense on PAPER, since this is a gun small enough that you might want to slip it in a shirt pocket. Having a really light snubnose is a potential plus. The problem in practice, though, is that the recoil on a 12 oz gun with a full .357 magnum load is so punishing that even experienced shooters hate it. I can't honestly recommend a gun like that to anyone. The aluminum frame "airweight" version in .38+P weighs only a little more, costs half as much, and is FAR more reasonable to actually practice with and shoot.
On the 327 snubnose model, that's sort of a specialty niche gun. Its basically a concealed carry gun for a serious revolver nut, and that's about it. If you look at something like this as a revolver substitute for a 1911 or other large bore service-type auto, that's probably about right. Unfortunately, at 21 ounces, recoil with full-bore .357s is still pretty harsh, and because of the cylinder width, the gun is still reasonably bulky.
If you're going for a bear gun, skip the .357 altogether. The entry level there is probably a .44 magnum.0 -
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I own a 340 AirLite Sc - my carry gun.
Recoil is brutal. Finish wore off easily, and bullets dislodged and the barrel assembly came loose from recoil.
Get steel.0 -
Agree with other posts about unpleasant recoil and the recommendations to carry a lot and shoot a little. Where I really like my 340PD is when I'm hunting big game and want a handgun along but don't want the bother and weight of a heavy gun. I can drop the 340PD in a coat or pants pocket and hardly know I have it but it is there when needed. And you can carry 38 special or 357s. Nice thing about the PD is with the covered hammer most of the lint and whatever else is riding in my pockets doesn't end up in the gun. 0
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