Going to ask a dumb question, Why does S&W put the finish on the Ti cylinder like they do? What does Ti look like in the raw? What I remember it looks like stainless, must be a reason for the finish!

I think all of their TI cylinders look the same, Why? You got me. I think you should call and speak to someone their at S&W and ask them why. Then you need to tell the rest of us.

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I wonder if it is corrosion protection?

I believe that Titanium is kind of grey looking, Not very pretty, And I dont think it corrodes very easy.

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I figured somebody who knows something would weigh in by now. I don't know much, but did google this subject a while back. Turns out that Ti is great stuff but, like most everything, it has it's drawbacks. The metal's strength can be severely compromised by surface impurities, and it's particularly subject to galling. Most Ti parts receive one sort of coating or another to address these problems. You'll rarely see bare Ti.

Titanium has a darker grey than stainless steel. It is also harder to machine, requiring special tooling. But the advantages are that titanium does NOT rust, and when compared to the same cylinder made of stainless steel, it weighs about 2/3 as much. You don't see it used for barrels because it has a tendency to stretch while being rifled, and it is harder to maintain proper dimensions with titanium barrels than with steel.

I know it has great heat-strength and light weight. Difficult to machine. It was used in that super-secret plane (that is now retired, I think) that could not easily be picked up on radar. Of course I can't think of its name.
Sonny

SR-71 Blackbird

So the finish on a Ti cylinder is just a bead blast finish, nothing special.

Wrong. The surface is treated to prevent erosion and galling. I just don't know what they use. There are lots of Ti surface treatments available.

If I answer yout question, I'll have to kill you

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So that would mean that reaming the throats would be a bad idea due to the potential for galling?

Quite a few high end bicycle frames are made from Ti. It is greyish.
It can be painted, but is usually left with a surface finish, like Stainless. That is, brushed, polished, etc. The color has become a paint color, like Gold and Silver. Non Ti bikes were often painted Ti color, because of the association. It can be TIG welded, like Al. The Ti used in America is alloyed with other metals, like Vanadium. Russia uses a lot of Ti, including their sub hulls. They use pure Ti, rather than the alloy. I have a shirt made out of Ti cloth (nylon).

Best,
Rick

Some more info about Ti finishes.

Seven Cycles | Building Your Bike | Technical Supplement

Best,
Rick

Here's what S&W has to say about it (bottom of page 30):

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Very interesting alloy. I have a few high end ti bicycle frames. There are many kinds of ti. You have to know what ti is alloyed with to determine specific characteristics. One interesting property is that it "work hardens" the more it is flexed the tougher it gets. Its is impervious to most corrosion.

Bottom line, in order to give you knowledgeable answer, you have to know what the ti is mixed with. It is of course a stand alone element.

I was told by S&W C.S. to NOT use a brass brush chucked in a drill to clean the chambers
as I would do with a stainless cylinder.
I don't see any mention there of avoiding certain chemistry inside the chambers.
I use brake cleaner or carbon cleaner to de-grease chambers and have wondered about the Ti ones in this regard.

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Nemo

I agree with pinkymingeo. It is my understanding the coating protects against erosion by the hot gasses during firing. It is advised not to use abrasive cleaners, including scrub pads, when cleaning ... no matter how much you want to get rid of the dark coloring on the cylinder face. Once scrubbed off, the cylinder face is subject to erosion, galling and deterioration. This is not good for the revolver.

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Work harden, can also mean brittle. Not necessarily tougher. Very hard things are rarely tough.

Love the weight savings of the titanium cylinders but they do come with some baggage. Ed,

Titanium without additional surface treatment (beyond shotpeen on non-bearing diameters:



Sort of a yellowish tint. Otherwise, it usually looks much like stainless, etc.

You mean the SR-71 Blackbird.

You mean the SR-71 Blackbird.

Pic is of T1 wheel in a turbo fan....I think...or a Funnel.

The same answer given 10 years ago.

I've reamed three titanium J-frame cylinders for 9mm and moonclips.
At the high 9mm pressure, I'd suggest not firing anything lighter than 147gr in order to avoid cylinder face erosion from unburned powder.

I just noticed that Midway is showing "out of stock - no backorder" on their .38Sp/.357Mag titanium J-frame cylinders.

I like them for the weight reduction. Anyone know of any other source?

I would try Numrich (Gun Parts Corp)
Gun Parts & Firearm Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts
That's where I got a spare titanium cylinder for my 396-1 .44
It was pretty reasonable $ too.
The only smithing challenge I can see is getting the timing right unless you can use the original extractor star assembly.
Some other fitting may be necessary.

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"Everything 44"

Numrich is out too.
I've done six of them for my three J-frames. On average, it only takes about 5 minutes per cylinder to time them.

Groo here
The Ti cylinder should not be touch with any hard brush or not approved cleaner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you intend to shoot it alot, send to S&W and have a SS cylinder fitted.
This will take the cleaning and add some weight to make it nicer to shoot.
Shoot the SS ,,carry the TI...
I have one [a 2in 327] and only use some oil and a rag.

True,but the reason for going to the titanium cylinders was to reduce the weight (12.5oz with Altamont combat grips).

Recoil is not bad when shooting 147gr 9mm. Haven't tried .357Mag, and probably won't.