Talk:Flame cutting (firearms)

Flame cutting or flame-cutting

This is widely discussed in firearms magazines, websites and at firing ranges. It is an observable phenomonon, but there appears to be little concrete research outside anecdotal second-hand quotes from the R&D departments of the revolver makers.

The term "flame cutting" or "flame-cutting" is used fairly consistently (goggle or altavista search "flame cutting" AND "revolver"). If I have time for further research to find verifiable, citable reliable sources I will edit this article; or if someone wants to do it themsleves, here are some of the things I have found on the subject over the years:

Some revolvers, such as the S&W 329PD, have a "blast shield" or "flame shield" insert in the top of the frame which takes the effect of flame cutting before the frame itself is damaged. Most such revolvers have alloy frames.

Older S&W and Colt steel frame revolvers had a relief cut in the top strap (referred to by collectors as the "thumbnail"). The revolver makers found that flame cutting tended to be self-limiting (once the flame cut reached a similar depth as the relief cut or "thumbnail" there was enough gas relief that flame cutting abated). Most current steel frame revolvers lack the "thumbnail" or relief cut in the top strap above the cylinder-barrel gap.

The damage from flame cutting in a revolver depends on several factors: excessive gap between the cylinder and barrel, the burning temperature of the gunpowder used, the pressure generated by the cartridge or load used, and the amount of debris (powder residue and bullet material) in the gases escaping the cylinder gap. Generally speaking, a revolver with minimum gap between the cylinder and barrel firing low pressure rounds with powder that burns cleanly at lower temperature will show less flame cutting than a revolver with a wider gap firing high pressure rounds with powder that is hot and dirty.

Bullets light for the caliber allow the bullet to cross the cylinder gap when the combustion gases are at their hottest and may contribute to flame cutting.

Excessive fouling at the forcing cone of the barrel may slow down the bullet, forcing more gas to escape at the cylinder-barrel gap and contributing to flame cutting.

Damage to the forcing cone, such as a dent or cut, may allow excessive gas to escape at the cylinder-barrel gap.

Flame cutting is also observed on the cylinder pin of Colt-style black powder revolvers without the top strap (eg, Models of 1851 and 1860). Naaman Brown (talk) 15:54, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

What infobox?

What infobox should we populate this article with? Kartano (talk) 17:40, 27 November 2019 (UTC)