Durability of BP revolver cylinder steels.

[Rachen]

BP revolvers are made from soft steel. I was examining a couple of Pietta and Uberti Navy revolvers a couple days ago and by accident, their cylinders rolled off the table and fell to the floor. The floor is made of wood.

Would a simple low altitude fall create small cracks in the chamber walls or any other place on the cylinder?
Anybody here ever dropped cylinders before?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Bezoar]

good sir, the steel in your revolvers cylinder is not going to be harmed by a fall from table top to floor top. If the cylinder was weak enough for damage to occur from such a common event, it would most certainly have exploded the first time it was fired.

Now if your still scared of that, then I will be most happy to give it a good home.

 

[Rachen]

Good insight Bezoar

Not really scared of that
My friend once dropped a loaded .45 auto and we all had the time of our lives performing the Olympic-class acrobatic moves of jumping and ducking, but luckily it did not go off.

Also curious is just how many people on this forum actually dropped cylinders or rolled off from firing bench or desk.

 

[BigBlock]

I've dropped my cylinder before. No big deal...the integrity of the cylinder wasn't even a remote thought in my mind. If it can withstand being blown up repeatedly, it can certainly withstand a short fall. The only time you need to worry is when it's loaded and capped. Also, I believe the cylinders are made from a different alloy than the rest of the gun.

 

[Riot Earp]

A C&B cylinder is indeed soft, maybe softer than the frame. I've gouged a couple cylinders by simply inserting them into their respective guns. A fall to the floor won't harm 'em though.

This is a good reason to get a Kirst or R&D cylinder. They're uh ... hard.

 

[Bayou Runner]

I dropped a Pietta 1860 cylinder on the carport's concrete slab. The only thing hurt was my feelings. I can say I never gave a thought to whether or not I cracked it or something cause a few days after dropping it I ran some rounds through it at the range. All was well!

 

[Old Fuff]

Not only have I dropped cylinders from reproduction revolvers, there was an incident where an original (1863) Colt Navy was being passed around a classroom so that the students could see the cylinder engraving - when one dropped it!

However there was no damage in either case.

 

[Old Dragoon]

I faced off a Pietta Kirst Cylinder with a flat file so it would work in an Uberti Revolving Carbine. They are harder, but not that hard, I have seen original and repro C & B cylinders with great dings in them and they still worked well.

 

[Plink]

We had an interesting incident at the range a few years back. A loaded and capped cylinder rolled off the table and struck the leg support at just the right angle to discharge. The shot went down the line a ways and stuck a feller in the arm. It didn't penetrate thankfully, but it left quite a welt. I think it left more than a few soiled underbritches along the line also. Be careful out there!

 

[Rachen]

Thank you guys, you've helped a lot


Yes I should say, the cylinder dropping to the floor is a very heart-wrenching experience.
Plink, that shot wouldn't have penetrated that fellow's arm because without the barrel, most of the BP is still unburnt, only a fraction of the load and energy from the primer drove the ball for a short ways.
Old Fuff: that was a pretty graphic description I can imagine the waves of nausea and shock the gun owner is experiencing when he saw that happen.

 

[Old Fuff]

Of course the Old Fuff wasn't shook up...

The steel used in modern reproductions of cap & ball revolvers is much better then that in the original revolvers, but the cylinders are not heat-treated. This is no problem so long as black powder is used, and it should be noted that they are all individually proof tested for use with black powder.

Where there is a problem (and this was true of the original guns) is that the cylinder bolt tends to beat-out and peen the notches in the cylinder, and this will eventually effect lock-up. Also if the bolt spring is too stiff it can cause the bolt to wear a groove around the cylinder between the notches. This cannot be prevented, but it can be reduced by using a music-wire trigger & bolt spring. Also the lockwork should be timed so that the hand does not try to continue to rotate the cylinder after it has been locked by the bolt. The original revolvers were much better set up in this respect.