REVOLVERS - A STRANGE DESIGN EH !

I know that I'm waiting for my new Ruger SP101 revolver to arrive - but when you think about it - it's odd that 'six-guns' actually work as well as they do - because they are no more likely to work well than a bumble-bee is to be able to fly!

If we hadn't seen the experts demonstrate what feats of trick speed shooting can be done - you'd put good money on a bet that they'd just miss. Revolvers were a very early way of getting multiple shots that worked.

                                                THE 'ENOUY' REVOLVER of 1855
                             - I wonder why they only made one of these 48 shot guns !

 - There was a later 12 shot pin-fire M1857 Lefaucheux revolver in 9mm way back when.

These short barrelled revolving firearms have a lengthy lead-in to the rifling with a leaky breech - multiple (five, six or more) chambers of various dimensions that are misaligned to differing extents - and the bullets have to jump that gap between the front of the chamber and the rear of the forcing cone before they can get down to the business of accelerating down the bore and spinning to gain stability

                                             That's a great photo of the gasses.

 - before popping-out at the muzzle - only then to be overtaken by a rush of high pressure gasses and powder residues set on pushing past to overtake and knock them off-course. - If you look - there are plenty of gory photos online of "flame-cut thumbs" said to have been 'cylinder-gapped'.

                                               Hickok45  has gas.

No wonder I get all overcome with the raptures when I manage to put three .38" shots touching on the paper. Various makers over the years, Nagant et al, have tried 'Gas Check' designs with their 1895 design and special cartridges - but just like some other revolver features - I think I'd play real safe - for example - next time anyone offers me a cylinder of full-power .44" Magnum to try - I'd say thanks very much but I'm just going for a pee!

                                           Part 2:  Hickok45 is braver than me !

- Mind you - among the various stupid things that I've done in public - I have shot a semi-auto pistol with my thumbs crossed behind the slide (Oh No!). - Once.
 It took a couple of weeks for the nasty ragged cuts on the web of my hand between thumb and finger to heal completely. - There are a lot of hard, sharp bits in the recoiling underside of a nine millimetre steel slide. - Never mind - mustn't grumble eh.

 

Did anyone ever tell you that a firearm is a simple 'heat-engine' of very low efficiency ? (NRA 'FACT BOOK') - a decent rifle can achieve around 30% fuel efficiency - which is a lot better than the average car engine does. - Of course, our leaky revolver won't be anywhere near as good as that. The wasted 'fuel' energy slips away as friction losses, heat losses and obviously in all that gas pressure escaping, as in the above shots - but the bullet still manages to leap-out of the barrel and do its job down range.

Marty K