Don't know if it's cost effective, but something SIG might want to look into as a development of the classic allow framed line.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/...911-pistols-ua-arms/

UA Arms makes a lightweight 1911-style pistol called IA 5.0. The gun uses a metal frame, which is made of aluminum or titanium combined with stainless steel. It is not an alloy, but the two metals are bonded together by a process called explosive welding. The result is a 1911 pistol with up to 50% lighter frame.



The explosive metal welding allows combining two different metals in a single piece. During explosive welding one of the metals is smashed into the another one driven by the force of exploding chemical compounds. So it welds the different metals at the molecular level and makes a clean and strong joint.



This method of manufacturing makes possible to use the benefits of different metals in the same part. In the case of the 1911 frame, this welding technique allows a stainless steel portion for the frame rails to ensure the durability, longevity and smooth operation of the moving parts. At the same time, the lower portion of the frame is made of either aluminum or titanium, which obviously makes the gun much lighter by replacing the heavier steel in the places, where you don’t really need steel. So the durability of the all steel gun is retained with the advantage of the lighter metals used. Well, at least it looks to be so in theory.



The explosive bonding process is used in space and naval applications, in the chemical industry and elsewhere. UA Arms claims that they are the first to use it in the firearms.

Although UA Arms uses this technology for 1911 frames, it is certainly applicable for other firearm uses too. I can think about a theoretical possibility to use this welding method instead of silver soldering, which is used in soldering double barrel shotgun barrels, vent ribs, iron sights etc. I am not sure if it can work there or does it superior to silver soldering in the mentioned applications. What do you think? Can this technology can be used in firearms industry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for the post. Very informative.

However, after I first read the subject line, I was expecting something different when I linked to the thread.

Turned out it wasn't about the mother of all kabooms...

I like the concept, at the same time part of my love of full sized guns is the heft. A super light gov 1911 does not sound pleasant.

^
For a carry gun it might. There are any number of allow framed 1911s out there, more likely commander or officer sized guns.

But alloy framed guns always have the same problem. Where you have aluminum wearing against steel, the aluminum loses. Steel on steel last longer. If you can weld the steel at the wear points, to an aluminum structure, you get the best of both worlds. The concept of a mostly aluminum framed P229, but with steel frame rails seems REALLY interesting.

There are other ways to weld dissimilar metals. In the jewelry industry they use lasers. The spot is so hot that both metals are liquid for an instant, but then cool when the heat is removed. The hot spot is so precise they can weld prongs on rings where one breaks off without removing the diamond. The same thing is used on silverware to wipe out inscriptions. Just some filings are put in the unwanted lettering and then heated up way past the melting point. The filler material then becomes part of the piece. The silver doesn't even need to be the same alloy of sterling to merge into the piece.

I would think the same process could work on stainless and aluminum alloy. As the hot spot moves along the seam, the spot cools and the materials are merged. How much is probably dependent on the heat and the time of the pulse.

American Rifleman had an article on this a couple years ago. I remember that it was ridiculously expensive and seemed to be a little overboard for me. Considering the millions of well used Sigs that keep on running, I don't see anyone moving to this unless the cost can be made significantly lower than the current style.

Unless the price difference is pretty minor I would think you would either be better off to have both an aluminum and a stainless gun.

Or just accept that you guy is a wear item. After all the amount of ammo required to wear out a properly lubricated aluminum frame would be several times the cost of the gun.

While *I* like metal frames there is no evidence that lighter poly frames are less durable than the steel ones.
The aerospace manufacturing community can now join almost anything to anything, including titanium to composites. So you want a poly frame with titanium rails? It can probobly be done.

Didn't that use to be Uselton Arms ?

Actually, one of the thinks I like about poly guns is that while the frame structure is polymer, the frame rails, at least that I've seen, have always been steel. So neither the frame or slide rails are sacrificial.

But for those who like all metal frames, but who worry about premature wear of aluminum frame rails (which was a major complaint issue here for a while), this could be an answer, if the manufacturers would implement it.

I wonder what the costs would be if a major manufacturer implemented it on a large scale?

quote:

Originally posted by kaptaboom:
While *I* like metal frames there is no evidence that lighter poly frames are less durable than the steel ones.
The aerospace manufacturing community can now join almost anything to anything, including titanium to composites. So you want a poly frame with titanium rails? It can probobly be done.

I first saw this plugged several years ago. Never saw an actual gun or even a price list.

My college roommate's Dad was one of the developers of the Detaclad process at DuPont in the 1960s. Some of the first laminated coins were made with Detaclad metals, but the mint went to a rolled product before very long. The process is quick but not necessarily cheap.

I have not heard that term in a while. When the Ticonderoga class cruisers were built, the hulls were Iron and the super structure was aluminium. The first ones out had a problem with the joint cracking and failing. That problem was solved by explosive welding the two together. It seems to have worked!

I have done some explosive welding on pipes and plates for demonstrative purposes. When done correctly, it can be unbelievably strong at the interface. If done incorrectly, the plates will have an uneven or partial bond. They may even bounce of each other rather than sticking if the incorrect type/amount of explosive is used, or if the standoff distance is wrong.

Never seen it done for a firearm. Neat.

Here's a decent overview of the technique:

http://pacaero.com/products/ex...-technical-overview/

This is how railway tracks are joined.

Perhaps Nanofoil welding/bonding would be a better way to go...

http://www.indium.com/nanofoil/

quote:

Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:
This is how railway tracks are joined.

Pretty sure they use thermite to weld those. You can find videos on YouTube. Most urban areas wouldn't appreciate the noise from explosive welding.

1/2" Titanium explosion bonded to 3" steel to make high pressure autoclaves. They do it in Denver.