Things not to do with revolver?
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How do you check for this? Is it obvious just by looking or do you measure length?
I found out that's easy to do with a two hand grip on a NAA Sidewinder!
chuckpro said:
When executing a strong hand reload (the FBI reload), the gun's transferred to the weak hand, and the strong hand is used to insert the new rounds. The thumb of the weak hand ends up in front of the cylinder, where it acts to support the cylinder while the speedloader slams the new rounds home (see photos). During a weakhand reload, there's nothing in front of the cylinder to support it, so the yoke screw is exposed to more force. The yoke screw is the only thing holding the S&W cylinder assembly on the gun, so a bending the yoke screw can make it difficult or even impossible to close the cylinder. In the extreme, the cylinder will actually fall off the gun, and the repair isn't trivial, and usually involves a trip back to S&W for a newly fitted yoke. The problem is a bigger deal with push-release (vs twist-release) speedloaders (vs moons), and with newer (vs older) S&Ws.
Ideally, one would be proficient with both methods of reloading (strong/weak), but IMO, one would be better off using the strong hand reload as their default.
Strong hand reload - ejection:
Strong hand reload - new round insertion (note weak thumb supporting the cylinder):
Close-up of weak thumb supporting the cylinder during a strong hand (FBI) reload:
chuckpro said:
Riding the trigger's not a problem until it's a problem. If there's no harm, there's no foul, IMO.
A note on the above photos: Many teach to smack the ejection rod with the palm of the right hand, using your left hand thumb is fine for low power target or competition loads, but hot defensive rounds might not eject quite as easily...good habit, if defensive use is ever a consideration...to make smacking the rod with you right. IMHO
Jack19
Member
Grip nowhere forward of the trigger guard when firing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBAcz16GvU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q57Q72uisGI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBAcz16GvU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q57Q72uisGI
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Jack19
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lol
X-Rap
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If your in the stream of that gas your in for more than blackened fingers.
Don't know of a way to measure except that for a fraction of a second until the bullet clears the muzzle you've got chamber pressure that is focused through a fairly small gap.
Don't know of a way to measure except that for a fraction of a second until the bullet clears the muzzle you've got chamber pressure that is focused through a fairly small gap.
MrBorland:
Thanks for the explanation. I never thought of the strain on the yoke screw but it makes a lot of sense. The only reloads i practice now are with my J frame with HKS or strips. When i use the strips i do a pretty forceful push and twist action. Maybe i need to rethink my methods. The bad thing that i have discovered is that when i am at the range shooting of my larger revolvers i instinctively revert back to the FBI load even though i am just pulling shells out of the box and loading them. Makes me wonder what i would do in a high stress situation. End up with revolver, cylinder empty in left hand with loader in the left pocket.
Thanks for the explanation. I never thought of the strain on the yoke screw but it makes a lot of sense. The only reloads i practice now are with my J frame with HKS or strips. When i use the strips i do a pretty forceful push and twist action. Maybe i need to rethink my methods. The bad thing that i have discovered is that when i am at the range shooting of my larger revolvers i instinctively revert back to the FBI load even though i am just pulling shells out of the box and loading them. Makes me wonder what i would do in a high stress situation. End up with revolver, cylinder empty in left hand with loader in the left pocket.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
There is gas, and there is gas.
A .38 Special blackens your thumb at 17,000 PSI.
A .357 or .44 Mag cuts sandbags wide open and can take skin off at 35,000 PSI.
A .460 S&W will cut your thumb clear off at 65,000 PSI.
rc
A .38 Special blackens your thumb at 17,000 PSI.
A .357 or .44 Mag cuts sandbags wide open and can take skin off at 35,000 PSI.
A .460 S&W will cut your thumb clear off at 65,000 PSI.
rc
I shoot my revolvers thumbs forward. My thumb gets blackened. If something else is happening I'm missing it, you'll have to fill me in.
Here is an example.
.......
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Non-Beleiber??
Lets try this then:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=4894996&postcount=69
rc
Lets try this then:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=4894996&postcount=69
rc
J-Bar
Member
There has already been a caution about seating primers fully, to avoid high primers rubbing on the recoil shield.
You can get the same problem with very light revolver loads. Normal loads will push the primer backwards out of the primer pocket a little ways, but will also push the brass case back against the recoil shield, effectively re-seating the primer in the pocket. Very light loads can cause the primer to back out but not have enough oomph to back the case out of the chamber and re-seat the primer. So you get a high spent primer that drags on the recoil shield, sometimes locking the cylinder in place.
So that's a long way of saying, be aware that very light loads can cause problems, too.
You can get the same problem with very light revolver loads. Normal loads will push the primer backwards out of the primer pocket a little ways, but will also push the brass case back against the recoil shield, effectively re-seating the primer in the pocket. Very light loads can cause the primer to back out but not have enough oomph to back the case out of the chamber and re-seat the primer. So you get a high spent primer that drags on the recoil shield, sometimes locking the cylinder in place.
So that's a long way of saying, be aware that very light loads can cause problems, too.
I'm sure shooting a S&W 500 magnum revolver is different from most others. I wouldn't say you can't do something with "revolvers" because it's a bad idea with a S&W 500 magnum
That's a good thing to point out to anybody who might shoot a 500 magnum though. Geeeeez
That's a good thing to point out to anybody who might shoot a 500 magnum though. Geeeeez
Yup.
But I wouldn't be dumb enough, as a noob, to try and shoot a S&W 500 magnum with no idea about what I was doing.
I need to remember that not everybody is that way, and I've seen enough of those stupid freaking YouTube videos where people think it's funny to push guns like that on noobs that I should know better than to make assumptions about people and "common sense" caution.
(for the record I have no interested in said revolver anyway, I'll stick to .357 and .44 mag)
(also for the record I have used thumbs forward on .38spl, .357 mag, and .44 mag with nothing but a black thumb)
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
On any single action revolver with the traditional half-cock lockwork, never lower the hammer from the half cock notch. This is what causes turn lines in those guns 99%
No.
What's this in reference to?
Agreed. Methinks the whole issue is overblown if you are NOT shooting a 65,000psi cartridge.
Nom de Forum
Member
To amplify on something MrBorland made mention of, use the right type of screw driver. This does not mean use a tapered wood screw screwdriver that fits the screw! If you intend to be removing screws on guns get yourself some non-tapered gunsmith screwdrivers. These will completely fill the screw slot and do not bugger-up the top of the screw slot. I see people using the wrong screw drivers to remove grip screws all the time. They can sometimes get away with it, but eventually the screws get "screwed-up".
Nom de Forum
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Gee, maybe the guy who designed the 1895 Nagant was on to something after all. Now if we can just get S&W or Ruger to update the design and upgrade the caliber thumbs all over the world will be able to stop living in fear of shooting "the most powerful revolvers in the world".
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Yea but?
A guy would have to have thumbs like a GoRilla to reach the gap on an X-Frame S&W!
That's the part I still can't figure out.
I would have to hold the gun under the frame in a pinch grip on the crane to get my left thumb that far out front on even an N-Frame!
rc
A guy would have to have thumbs like a GoRilla to reach the gap on an X-Frame S&W!
That's the part I still can't figure out.
I would have to hold the gun under the frame in a pinch grip on the crane to get my left thumb that far out front on even an N-Frame!
rc
Panzerschwein
member
I do a thumbs forward but my thumb never gets more than half way down the cylinder. Never gets so much as black.
I'm just so used to it. I find the "tuck the thumb in" grip that most revolvers use to be uncomfortable for me, the strong hand thumb feels most scrunched.
OP: If you buy a S&W use a plastic mallet to remove the sideplate. There are instructions how to do this, never use a screwdriver or pry off the sideplate. You will bend it and the sideplate is fitted to the gun exactly, you might as well send the gun back to S&W if you do it.
I'm just so used to it. I find the "tuck the thumb in" grip that most revolvers use to be uncomfortable for me, the strong hand thumb feels most scrunched.
OP: If you buy a S&W use a plastic mallet to remove the sideplate. There are instructions how to do this, never use a screwdriver or pry off the sideplate. You will bend it and the sideplate is fitted to the gun exactly, you might as well send the gun back to S&W if you do it.
SlayerOfBunnies
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Funny you say that. A buddy of mine traded a .40 cal Glock to some guy a couple of weeks ago for a nice S&W m13 and $150. Not sure how he sleeps at night.Never trade one for a Glock.
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