B/C Gap Blast

L

Lost Sheep

New member
With all the (apparently) first-time gun owners, some words of caution may be warranted.

There are many ways to injure one's self with a firearm, most of them obvious, but the barrel/cylinder gap is not always so.

I was present when a fellow was teaching his girlfriend how to shoot. She was about to set off a single round out of his revolver and I noticed that she had her off hand's forfinger forward of the cylinder's front. I quietly suggested (without embarrasing the boyfriend. but within his view and hearing) that it is important to stay behind that point. Later, I showed them with my gun the side-blast that comes out of the gap, but I never had the forethought to make a video.

Here is one. It is a lot less gruesome than it could have been. (I have seen pictures of what a S&W 460 XVR can do to a thumb.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBAcz16GvU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
(Thanks to led0321 for locating this timely video from Hickok45)

If you know a new shooter, encourage them, encourage safety and encourage practice.

We need all the supporters of gun rights we can get. If you feel qualified to do some basic instruction on firearms safety, consider doing so. If not, encourage they seek professional instruction.

The last thing we need in this political climate is new shooters injuring themselves (or others).

Lost Sheep
 
I have also had the experience of correcting a new shooter in that aspect of revolver handling. A piece of cardboard or target paper held over the gun while it is fired will give a rather graphic demonstration of just how much force can be involved.

Jim
 
All digits (fingers) are to be away from that area!

Also, check the gap with feeler gauges, to see if the gap is greater than 0.005" - 0.007".


Try using for a first time shooter, .38Spl target loads, less recoil and less gap passing the escaping gas.
 
I saw something similar.
Somehow, the woman got her support hand forward on the frame, under the cylinder.
Before anyone could give a yell, she pulled the trigger.
And then she went to the hospital.
Unfortunately, she'll probably never go near a gun ever again.
It's hard to imagine just handing someone a gun, without any safety run throughs before hand.
 
Always amazes me the amount of folks I take to the range to shoot revolvers that have no idea of B/C blast. This even with folks that have been shooting other firearms for half a century. That's why I always start them with a .38 and work their way up to the .460. Many times just showing them the damage the blast from the .460 does on range bags and the top of my shooting bench is enough to inspire them to keep their fingers clear.
 
"It's hard to imagine just handing someone a gun, without any safety run throughs before hand."
Unfortunately the recent gun scare has a lot of people holding guns who have never had any kind of firearms training. I saw several at the range last weekend that were pulling new guns out of the box and peeling the packing plastic off of them and loading them up without even checking to see if they were cleaned first. One guy had a new Taurus 1911 and it jammed after every shot. I went over and asked if he had cleaned it first and he just looked at me with the deer in the headlights stare. He had never owned a firearm before and did not know how to take the gun down for cleaning. I walked him through the field stripping process and found the gun packed full of grease. I am surprised the gun even tried to cycle.
 
I saved a guy's girlfriend just a few weeks ago. They were at the range familiarizing her with a S&W snubbie in 357 (I believe it was a 66, but not sure). She was holding the revolver with her left hand grasping the crane. I caught his eye and pointed to my left hand and then to her. He finally got the idea and looked at her hands, then had her move her left hand rearwards. That would have hurt, to say the least.

Yes, as more newbies try out guns, accidents will happen unless we (more experienced shooters) step in and help them.
 
The worst, IMHO, are the couples. There is a woman who obviously knows nothing about guns and then there is a boyfriend/husband who knows everything. Someone, not a range officer, who sees a clear danger has a problem.

If he or she tries to offer a correction, the all-knowing male takes offense and may even think a male observer is trying to "make a pass" (if I may be forgiven for using such an outdated expression) at his companion.

On the other hand, not saying something can lead to at best bad habits in gun handling or, at the worst, a danger to the shooter and others.

Not an easy choice. For myself, I ignore the mistakes and nonsense, but in the absence of a range officer, will speak up when there is real danger involved.

(I did keep quiet when I watched a loud and overbearing man who knew all about guns insert the cartridges in a magazine backwards! The woman tried to tell him he was making a mistake, but of course he didn't listen to her! I didn't stick around for the next lesson.)

Jim
 
"(I did keep quiet when I watched a loud and overbearing man who knew all about guns insert the cartridges in a magazine backwards! The woman tried to tell him he was making a mistake, but of course he didn't listen to her! I didn't stick around for the next lesson.)"

MAN, I wish you had! I'd love a detailed account of that one! :D
 
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