Top break revolvers

[rfurtkamp]

You guys have a lot of nice revolvers. Can any of you actual owners substantiate the claim that they can't fire normal loads? Any reference in the manual to such a thing, or is it just one posters opinion?

Speaking of only what I own, there is no ammunition warning in the Laramie material from Beretta when I purchased mine and customer service gave no such admonishments when I spoke to them on that and a couple other questions.

I have personally fired Gold Dot 45LC through mine without issue, along with cowboy loads and 45 Schofield as well.

 

[LightningMan]

I would just like to comment about the top-break Uberti's Scholfield copies. Years ago while at a Old West convention I was attending there was a firearms engraver vender I had a conversation with, about the different guns that he has done. The one question I asked was about engraving a Uberti Scholfield and he stated; "He wouldn't do them" of course I asked; "why?". He replied; "The steel is to hard for his machine, and in order to even put a name on the pistols back-strap, the metal had to be heated so it can be softened." Now I'm not saying the gun won't work loose with a steady diet of full power loads but the quality of the steel must be pretty good. LM

 

[Jim K]

There is a difference between surface hardness (which will prevent engraving) and the kind of through hardness that prevents battering under stress. The surface hardness prevents wear, but if the center is not hard also, the surface will simply be battered into the core. (Think a coating of ice over snow vs. a solid block of ice.)

I have no doubt that Uberti used good steel, but there has to be a tiny gap to allow the gun to open and that gap is the undoing of the break top revolver. Also note that the .45 Colt (and .45 Army) run at about 14k psi. The .357 Magnum, often suggested for a new break top revolver, goes at 35k psi.

Jim