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The words "Airweight" and "Heavy duty" when used together are kind of an Oxymoron like female mailman or Military intelligence..ha ha....JK.
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You have to remember that S&W started building smaller caliber guns on larger frames when Bekeart suggested the .22/32.
The .38/44 was IIRC the precursor to the .357 magnum. It was originally designed as a .38 caliber built on a 44 frame so the cartridge could be beefed up a little. The next logical inovation to having a small hot caliber in a larger frame gun would have been to try to lighten the frame.
The Heavy Duty referred to the smaller caliber being shot from the larger frame.
The Lightweight term referred to the weight of the metal frame. Using an alloy to remove weight really has no bearing on using a bigger frame to house a smaller hotter caliber.
Obviously, it is all moot as the prototype was never followed up by production.
