6 vs. 7 shot

S

STEVE M

New member
Is there any reason to buy a 6 shot revolver when you can get the same gun with an extra hole in the cylinder? What are the advantages and disadvatages of each?
 
Well, the 6 shot cylinder is gonna have more metal between chambers, so in theory it will be stronger. Not that it makes much difference, unless you are reloading rounds that are pushing the pressure envelope..
 
I'm from the old school,

and a wheelgun is suppose to shoot six times; unless you follow some of the old cowboy
theroies, whereas they never seem to run out of
ammunition!!!:D:)

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
The lock-work on a six shot revolver should be better. It is just easier to line up six holes than seven. If you are not truely competition level, the differences may not matter.
 
Get the 7 if it's for ccw...then after firing 6 rounds in a gunfight, duck behind a car and yell real loud, "damn it, out of ammo" and as the guy runs up you surprise him with number 7....not very sporting but can you just imagine the look on face?
 
If you had a 7 shot cylinder, then you couldn't use all those cool sayings! "6-Iron" "6-Gun" "6-Shooter" "6-Piece", etc..etc...
7 is a weird number. Though it will still always be a problem solver! And it's name is revolver! :D
 
I think it all comes down to how slim you want the cylinder. If you want it even thinner, why not 5?
 
With the 7 shot S&W686 the cylinder lock groves are spaced half way between each hole in the cylinder, where the metal is the thickest. With the 6 shot Model 686 the cuts are at the weakest part or the cylinder, spaced directly at the center of each hole in the cylinder. I believe that cylinder of the 6 shot is weaker than the 7 shot cylinder because of the position of the groves. Although I havn't ever heard of any 686 cylinder problems. Jusy my opinion of course.
MR.G
 
Fatcat,
I'm guessing that there's an equivolent amount of metal between the chambers in a 7-rounder vs the 6-rounder. They just make the cylinder BIGGER. :eek:

Ben
 
Competition Shooting

In both IDPA and IPSC competitions, you can only shoot 6 rounds from a revolver and then you must reload. 7 and 8 shot revolvers are legal, but you are suppossed to load only 6 rounds.

If you want the gun for fun, CCW, protection or whatever, then the 7 or 8 round is probably a good choice. If you want the gun for competition, you might want to think about the 6 shooters.
 
>>With the 6 shot Model 686 the cuts are at the weakest part or
>>the cylinder, . . .

When is the last time you have seen a blown cylinder on a 6 shot 686?

justinr1
 
The 7 shot 686+ and 8 shot 627s are favorites with ICORE (International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts) competitors. The 7 shot 686+ is a great alternative for all 686 uses except non-ICORE competition.

Speedloaders were once a concern. Currently the three options are HKS (not functional in my experience), the SL Variant (like Safariland Comp 3 at $25 to $30 each) and the MaxFire (simple, $20 for 6). Many competitors give their 686/686+ a moonclip conversion--the 627 comes with moon clips.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top