spin cylinder check

[451 Detonics]

a violation of one of the four rules.

No rules are absolute and as long as the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction...ie a bullet trap...it is perfectly safe. ( a 5 gallon bucket of wet sand works very well for all calibers)

In short, spinning the cylinder is best left to TV & movie actors.

Then why do so many professional shooters do it in competition?

With DA revolvers?
Every round I load is checked in a case guage and double checked for high primers, once during priming, and again in the case guage.
If they fit in the case guage, I know they will work in every revolver I own.

That's great until you get some powder flakes under the star...all the primer checks in the world won't help then.


I agree with rimfire if done it should be done gently stopping at any sign of resistance. In a SA gun if you follow the proper loading procedure of half cock, load one, skip one, load 4 then close the loading gate and bring the hammer to full cock and let it down the hammer will be on an empty chamber and every primer will have rotated under at least a portion of the recoil shield.

If you don't like spin checking then don't...if you like knowing your cylinder won't bind in competition or on the street and are willing to use just the smallest amount of common sense then it is entirely safe to do so and will not harm the gun.

 

[MrBorland]

Now that it's been brought up, seems both would cause excess wear. Maybe I'll stop.

Stop the spinning cylinder with your forefinger and thumb before you lower the hammer, and I seriously doubt it'll add any wear.

Stopping the spinning cylinder by simply lowering the hammer, on the other hand, will likely eventually help wear the cylinder stops and slots.

 

[jad0110]

I have to admit I do but I don't flick it shut. Now that it's been brought up, seems both would cause excess wear. Maybe I'll stop.

The likely problem with spinning the cylinder with the hammer cocked back partially comes if you release the hammer back down while the cylinder is spinning at a high rate, which abuses/batters the cylinder stop when it pops up and the cylinder's stop notch slams into it. Spinning and letting it come to rest on it's own may or may not be a big deal, so I don't do it.

 

[cpirtle]

In a SA gun if you follow the proper loading procedure of half cock, load one, skip one, load 4 then close the loading gate and bring the hammer to full cock and let it down the hammer will be on an empty chamber and every primer will have rotated under at least a portion of the recoil shield.

Not trying to split hairs but the primer on last round you load will barely even clear the gate area, the one prior to that may get 1/2" into the rotation. This doesn't adequately test for a high primer on those 2 rounds, when you are on the clock.

I loaded using the skip method for 4 years until I was in first place running a clean shoot and took 3 misses at a major match because of a high primer. I had shot thousands of rounds through that gun leading up to the failure and thousands since without a high primer but it only took once to learn my lesson.

 

[Owen]

i've never even heard of this before, so no, I don't do it.

 

[earplug]

I spin

Can have cast bullet lube build up, high primer, bent moon clip, lead build up on cylinder face, dirt under extractor.
Don't have to spin it fast, just enough to ensure operation.
Knowledge that its going to work relaxes me. I'm happy.

 

[451 Detonics]

You don't have to make the thing spin like a slot machine, making it spin a dozen times completely around. All you need a one complete rotation. Pull back the hammer and roll the cylinder with one long, slow, continuous swipe of your palm. It does not add any more wear and tear to your gun than shooting it does.

 

[420Stainless]

No. I don't shoot competitively, so I'm not worried about it. Only been shooting revolvers for 6 years but so far haven't loaded up any with high primers.