Cylinder weight and does it effect timing?

[Checkman]

Now and again somebody will post the opinion that the seven and eight shot revolvers are more likely to go out of time because of the added weight of another round. Yesterday I found an old thread from about three years ago on the Firing Line.

On that thread people kept going on and on that the M27/28 is more likely to go out of time because the N frame cylinder is so heavy - especially due to the fact that with the .357 models the cylinders are heavier because there is more steel. According to the posters the 57 and 29 don't have that problem because more steel has been bored out for the larger calibers (41 and 44 magnum). The posters stressed that if you insist one rapid firing the 27/28 you'll totally bugger up the gun.

Well a quick check revealed that the 686 seven shot model weighs 38 ounces unloaded while the six shot 686 weighs in at 40 ounces. I'm assuming because that extra seven hole that has been bored out makes the cylinder ,henceforth the gun, lighter. So which is it?

 

[mfree]

..are you shooting your cylinders empty? Weigh them with ammunition present

 

[Gordon]

The bolt has to stop a heavier flywheel, figure out what uber rapido DA work does!

 

[Checkman]

Thanks guys. Sarcastic answers are always helpful.

 

[Lone Star]

Gordon-

That was an interesting combination of German and Spanish!

To answer the question, Massad Ayoob wrote about that, and he noted that police armorers definitely had to re-time N-frame .357 cylinders more often.
The heavier cylinder simply has more mass, and wear occurs faster.

In the case of 7 and 8-shot cylinders, the rotation is shorter than on 6-shot guns, but the added round may affect mass, and the cylinder also turns more to empty the gun each time all rounds in the cylinder are fired.

Lone Star

 

[Checkman]

Thanks Lone Star. Your explantion was very helpful.