cylinder gap pressure hitting hand?

M

mo84

New member
I have always heard that sticking your finger past the cylinder gap and firing would really mess your finger up. You see the videos with the people useing a hot dog as proof but a hot dog is not really the same as a finger. I was wondering if there is anyone out there with first hand experience of this and if it did any damage. I can see how it would cause damage because of all the presure coming out but how much damage. Thanks
 
In my early shooting days, I cradled a .357 in my left hand while pulling the trigger with my right hand. It has been so long ago, that I can't give specifics. I do remember, however, that it hurt like hell. Also, I remember very clearly thinking, "I should have seen THAT coming". Not a lesson that will ever be forgotten. My old man (an infrequent shooter) did the same thing with my .460XVR just last year. Luckily, I had loaded it with some fairly tame handloads, so the bleeding was minimal. Could have been a lot worse. I felt bad, so now I never let anybody handle the X-frame without watching their every move. The old live and learn stuff can get scary when talking guns.
 
Oh ya, An x frame will destroy a misplaced finger.... a standard .38 pressure will just let you know to watch for it...and a .22lr is a puff......
 
My brother-in-law blew the palm out of a light leather glove while improperly carrying a cocked .41 magnum in his left hand a couple of years back.
 
My Father was the only example I ever needed...

He laid a rolled up sleeping bag on the bench to use as a rest, and then fired a few rounds through a Ruger BH in .357 that belonged to my Uncle...

After we got the fire out, it seemed pretty funny to all of us...
 
Shot my new to me Taurus .357 snub a year ago. My first revolver. Yup, cradled it just like a semi 1911. It was, however, loaded with standard pressure .38 special thank goodness. Charred some spots on the webbing between my thumb and pointer. No fun!
 
My standard revolver grip is the thumbs-forward grip and I've never had an issue. Check out the forward thumb in the pic below - it's even still clean. I generally shoot non-magnum-powered rounds, though. When shooting magnums, I've never been willing & curious enough to put my thumb to the test, so I curl it down. ;)


TomIDPA2012Worlds.jpg
 
As others point out, the round itself matters a rather lot.

.22, .38spl, those you may never notice. I've felt it a time or two with my N frame .357, and it wasn't too awful (I prefer heavier bullets over lighter ones, so the escaping gas wasn't as bad had it been a light bullet at warp speed). Never risked it with a .44.

With the X frames, well, the other thread linked pretty well covers what the .460 can do, and IIRC, it's happened more than once to people.

Any way you shake it, you're best to keep your fingers behind the plane created by the front of the cylinder.
 
The subject's been discussed enough, I suppose, but I just got this pic and thought I'd post it. It was taken from an indoor match with dim lighting, so the blast from the cylinder gap was caught nicely.

As you can see, pressure is largely vented up and to the side, so the thumb rests below and outside the blast radius (see previous pic). Increase the power of the ammo, and direction likely stays the same, but the size (and power) of the blast undoubtedly increases, so at some point, a thumb will lie inside the blast radius.

IDPAindoorNats2012-4.jpg
 
thanks for the info guys. looks like keeping your fingers clear is a good idea. I wonder if they mention anything about watching the gap in the manual. I would think they do just because they list just about everything else for legal issues.
 
looks like keeping your fingers clear is a good idea. I wonder if they mention anything about watching the gap in the manual.
Click to expand...

Well, if you read page 19 of the current S&W Revolver Safety Manual (12-14-11 is the most recent version I downloaded) they provide a warning about this very subject, and even provide pictures of proper/safe versus improper/unsafe grip techniques.
 
MrBorland, While that is a cool picture, it is one picture of one type of revolver. the don't all vent the same, It would only take once and you could no longer hitch hike........
 
When you consider what the hot, high pressure gases can do to the steel top strap of a S&W M19, it is easy to visualize what they might do to flesh!
I have enough arthritis in my trigger finger that I sometimes have to fire single action. I was dry firing one day when I thought I had figured out a solution to my problem. I was pulling the trigger with my middle finger and had my trigger finger straight out along the cylinder, with the tip just across the gap. I am glad that I looked carefully and noticed the problem.
I understand that Diesel injectors can "inject" the fuel through the skin in a contact situation. The pressures are only about 10% of those in a magnum revolver cartridge, but at least the finger is some distance from the gap.

rat
 
A buddy and I were shooting my Ruger Old Army black powder revolver years ago. I didn't think anything of it when he put his hand on top of a fence post and rested the gun over it.

He screamed like a little girl when the gun went off. I thought the gun had chain fired and hit his hand. But it was just the blast from the barrel cylinder gap hitting him. Between the hot grease over the cylinder, and the unburned black powder, he had a really nice "tattoo" across his hand.
 
The subject's been discussed enough, I suppose, but I just got this pic and thought I'd post it. It was taken from an indoor match with dim lighting, so the blast from the cylinder gap was caught nicely.

As you can see, pressure is largely vented up and to the side, so the thumb rests below and outside the blast radius (see previous pic). Increase the power of the ammo, and direction likely stays the same, but the size (and power) of the blast undoubtedly increases, so at some point, a thumb will lie inside the blast radius.
Click to expand...

After several bag rests cut to pieces by the gases escaping from the cylinder gap of my .460, I invested in a solid metal handgun rest and put a solid rubber pad on it. Now the tabletop that rests 8 inches below takes the brunt. Thinking that gas will only vent forward and off to the side may be a mistake. Fortunately, with the size of the X-Frames cylinder, it's hard to get your fingers/hands close enough without really trying or holding it like a little girl. One situation that needs caution tho is when using shooting sticks......
 
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