Everything is a matter of personal preference. I love my .45 ACP/AR wheelguns, but I prefer steel, preferably stainless. Of course, they weigh more than the aluminum framed guns. My 25-2, even with a 5” barrel weighs 45.5 oz. while my 625PC weighs 42.4 oz. Since I am only using them for range work and don’t have to carry them all day, I find the weight comforting.

I agree about the clips. I either shoot .45 ACP without clips, or shoot .45 Auto Rim. The newer guns allegedly have slightly longer chambers than in days of old, so they can get FTF. I cure that with a longer firing pin. With frame mounted firing pins they are really easy to change.

I may be wrong, but I don’t believe in the durability of alloy framed guns. My alloy guns are .357s. They are intended as “carry much, shoot little” guns. While I like the safety factor of having a gun rated for .357, I shoot much milder loads in them. Recoil with full power loads is worse than my .500 S&W Mags. I have steel frame guns for high round counts.

The frame on my 325 is scandium alloy. It is supposed to be stronger than aluminum to my knowledge.

Stainless cylinder.

My preferred choice in frame material is carbon steel.

Most manufacturers seem to like stainless though.

The gun has 600 rounds through it now and is a great shooter so far.

When I find some starline cases in auto rim I'll order a couple hundred.

Scandium alloy is just an alloy of aluminum with a little scandium added. The little bit of scandium has a pretty significant effect on the strength and mechanical properties of the aluminum.

My scandium guns have titanium cylinders. Don’t know if it makes much difference.

My older 25-2 has .456” throats. Amazingly, it is very accurate in spite of that. My 625JM and 625PC have .452” throats and they both shoot very well indeed.

Originally Posted by TomC

My scandium guns have titanium cylinders.

Do your titanium cylinders heat up more quickly and get hotter than steel?

I haven't shot the scandium/titanium guns fast enough to heat them up. Significant loads provide a significant beating. Even with Pachmayr grips, the 3" 360 Kit Gun weighs 15.8 oz. while the 3" 60 Pro weighs 24.8 oz. and the 3" SP101 weighs 27.6 oz. The Pachmayr grips make the Kit Gun manageable, but they still don't make it fun. The heavier 60 Pro and SP101 are more fun to shoot.

The 325 looks really nice. I have considered getting one, but I tend to prefer stainless so I haven't done it yet. My 625PC weighs 42.4 oz. and that is light enough for what I do.

I did consider the 625 PC gun (not the JM). But I like the idea of the detachable rail. This is also my first LW handgun, all the rest are steel.

I would have been just as happy if I could have found a 625 prelock locally, but no dice.

Thermal conductivity:
Thermal Conductivity of Metals

Under the same conditions, I would think that titanium would dissipate the heat just a smidgen better than stainless.

From my most current research, the amount a scandium in a "scandium framed" gun is less than one percent. Can anyone confirm this?