6 shooters...

what number of shots is the proper amount in a revolver?

  • 6 shots only

    Votes: 7 9.9%

  • 6 shots or 5 shots only

    Votes: 9 12.7%

  • any number of shots

    Votes: 55 77.5%
  • Total voters
    71
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sequins

sequins

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Oct 14, 2014
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So, I see a lot of people comment "a six shooter should have six shots", but that seems to be a bias against 7+ shots vs. 6 shots or 5 shots rather than a strict preference for exactly six, or at least that's my perception.

I like any number myself but only have 5 or 6 shot revolvers.

What say you?
 
When I Was kid back in the 60s my dad had an 8 shot Iver Johnson 22 revolver so I have never considered 5 or 6 to be the correct number
 
6 shooter was a colloquialism for what was most common at a point in time.

Utterly meaningless at nearly any point in history since revolvers of varying capacities have been around since revolvers have been around.

Ever heard of a Lemat among others?

Pack as many rounds in as you can I say.
 
Odd number of shots. Period. Yes I own a bunch that shoot 6, but from a strength point, odd numbers. With even numbers the locking recess on the cylinder is in line with the chamber and is a very weak point in the overall cylinder structure. Think about a 5 pointed star... the thinnest part of the cylinder is at the very top of that highest peak, and is in line with the barrel. The locking portion though is straight down and is in the bottom of the bottom /\ with plenty meat around it. With metals and pressure, things tend to stretch and twist but typically don’t rupture nearly as early if things are consistent, but if you give it a natural weak point it will start to fail there and the failure moves relatively easily. On an odd number gun the cylinders thinnest point is still very uniform and consistent, very strong and not likely to fail without something very serious happening.
 
I have 5-6- and 9 shot revolvers. I don't really notice the difference. The 9 shooter is a 22lr so it's still in the J frame size category and still feels right. I don't fancy a D/A larger than an K frame although I do have a sweet 686 no dash that I love. In the size range I prefer, 5 or 6 is about all I'm gonna get.
Now for my S/As 6 is it but even then they are only loaded with 5 most of the time.
 
I’m trying to think now... I know I have 5,6,8, and 9 shot revolvers. I had a 7 shot revolver a long time ago. I’m not even aware of any 4 shooters and only a few 10 shooters.
 
Ruger makes 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 shot revolvers I believe. It would be neat to get one in each and then cross my fingers for a 9 shooter.
 
WestKentucky said:
Odd number of shots. Period. Yes I own a bunch that shoot 6, but from a strength point, odd numbers. With even numbers the locking recess on the cylinder is in line with the chamber and is a very weak point in the overall cylinder structure. Think about a 5 pointed star... the thinnest part of the cylinder is at the very top of that highest peak, and is in line with the barrel. The locking portion though is straight down and is in the bottom of the bottom /\ with plenty meat around it. With metals and pressure, things tend to stretch and twist but typically don’t rupture nearly as early if things are consistent, but if you give it a natural weak point it will start to fail there and the failure moves relatively easily. On an odd number gun the cylinders thinnest point is still very uniform and consistent, very strong and not likely to fail without something very serious happening.
Click to expand...

I was thinking a design feature of Blackhawks was that it was offset a bit. I dont have a whole lot to compare to, though. I guess the 454 casull Redhawk has a 5 shot cylinder IIRC though.

I think if you blow up the cylinder in either you've shot quite a pile of ammo or got a little carried away reloading :confused:

15880447654938562198898329447215.jpg
 
Olon said:
I was thinking a design feature of Blackhawks was that it was offset a bit. I dont have a whole lot to compare to, though. I guess the 454 casull Redhawk has a 5 shot cylinder IIRC though.

I think if you blow up the cylinder in either you've shot quite a pile of ammo or got a little carried away reloading :confused:

View attachment 912305
Click to expand...
The 454 Casull Super Redhawk is a 6 shot, there were 5 shot Super Blackhawks at one time, but IIRC they were converted 45 Colt guns, or you could be thinking of the 5 shot 480 Super Redhawks or the 5 shot 480 Super Blackhawks there Olon. ;)
 
silvermane_1 said:
The 454 Casull Super Redhawk is a 6 shot, there were 5 shot Super Blackhawks at one time, but IIRC they were converted 45 Colt guns, or you could be thinking of the 5 shot 480 Super Redhawks or the 5 shot 480 Super Blackhawks there Olon. ;)
Click to expand...

The five-shot Super Blackhawks are still being produced, the first one that was introduced was a .454 with the .480 following closely. Both have their cylinders hewn from 465 Carpenter steel.

It is purported that only 23 five-shot Super Redhawks (all Alaskans) in .480 made it out the door. They are a very rare duck.
 
It’s called a six shooter for a reason! I think 5 is acceptable in the case of a S&W 500! I can’t imagine the size of the cylinder if it was designed for 6!
 
ShootMeStraight said:
It’s called a six shooter for a reason! I think 5 is acceptable in the case of a S&W 500! I can’t imagine the size of the cylinder if it was designed for 6!
Click to expand...
If we maintain similar wall thickness between chambers and similar wall thickness between chamber and OD of cylinder then the 1.92-inch diameter of a X-frame would have to be increased to roughly 2.125 to allow for 6 rounds of 500 S&W.

This is an estimate I don't have and X-frame to measure. The OD of the cylinder is easy to find on the internet. The chamber diameter is easy to find at SAAMI. The diameter of the circle passing through the chamber centers is not easy to find on the internets and thus I am guessing at that. With that bolt hole diameter we could do a more exact calculation on what a 6-shot cylinder would look like. I suspect we would not have to go to the full 2.125 inches because if you look at an X-frame cylinder the wall thickness between chambers appears a lot thicker than between a chamber and the OD of the cylinder. We could probably let the wall thickness between chambers be reduced slightly in our 6 shot version since the "weak" part is current between the chamber and the OD not between chambers thus allowing a cylinder slightly smaller than 2.125. It would be a beast for sure.

-rambling as usual.
 
Last edited:
WestKentucky said:
Odd number of shots. Period. Yes I own a bunch that shoot 6, but from a strength point, odd numbers. With even numbers the locking recess on the cylinder is in line with the chamber and is a very weak point in the overall cylinder structure. Think about a 5 pointed star... the thinnest part of the cylinder is at the very top of that highest peak, and is in line with the barrel. The locking portion though is straight down and is in the bottom of the bottom /\ with plenty meat around it. With metals and pressure, things tend to stretch and twist but typically don’t rupture nearly as early if things are consistent, but if you give it a natural weak point it will start to fail there and the failure moves relatively easily. On an odd number gun the cylinders thinnest point is still very uniform and consistent, very strong and not likely to fail without something very serious happening.
Click to expand...

Allow me to introduce you to the 6 shot Kimber with offset lock recesses.

upload_2020-4-28_9-14-1.jpeg
 
I prefer 6, carried a 5 for many years, but my first was a 9 - High Standard Sentinel, (1965 vintage as best as I can remember).:)
 
Last edited:
sequins said:
So, I see a lot of people comment "a six shooter should have six shots", but that seems to be a bias against 7+ shots vs. 6 shots or 5 shots rather than a strict preference for exactly six, or at least that's my perception.

I like any number myself but only have 5 or 6 shot revolvers.

What say you?
Click to expand...
Well.... Seeing as the name of the thread is 6 shooters, I'd say 6 is the right number, why have less? And if you have a 6 shooter I'd love to watch someone try to put a few more bullets in the cylinder. Now if you're talking wheelguns in general, I have a 9 shot .22 that I have no issues with.
 
I have often found 6 shooters to be the correct aesthetic. Something about the look and feel of a 6 beaner.

That said, I carry a 7 round 686+. It takes up no more room on my belt than a 6 shot L frame but gives me a statistically significant extra chance of coming out of a scrape.

At the end of the day a gun falls (mostly) into one of two categories: save your bacon or fun to shoot/muse over. 6 shot historic guns have a real place. 5 shot J frames are compact insurance policies. A heavy, large frame personal protection revolver should be crammed full of as many rounds as possible, imho. Not compact and concealable like a pocket revolver and maybe not as iconic as the 150+ year old 6 shooter footprint. But more rounds in a wheel gun begins to cut down on the advantages a bottom feeder has on it.

Truthrully, I dunno if I could make the choice between 7 rounds of rip-snort .357 or 8 rounds of .45 acp. The 1911 would be easier iwb. The .357 is no slouch when it comes to hitting with the hammer of Thor, though. Im happy to live in a time when deciding what effective self defense gun suits my needs best rather than just hoping what I can get will work well enough.
 
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