Question about break-top revolvers

N

Nightcrawler

New member
Everyone says that the break-top frame isnt' strong enough for modern cartridges, or something like that. But I have to ask, why not? I mean, with modern metallurgy, I'm certain that they could make such a revolver to handle .357 Mag, .41 Mag, .44 Mag, and .45 Colt. I believe that that italian autorevolver is a break top, and it's chambered in either .357 or .44 Mag.

The reason I, for one, would like such a revolver is that being a lefty, a break-top would be completely ambidextrious for reloading, and it's a little faster than a normal swing-out cyllinder design.
 
That would be neat!

Is the .357 mag. Mateba a top-break? I'll have to pay closer attention to the photo I have of one.

I've always liked the look and speed of the little top-break revolvers, and I'd probably be interested in one if they were available in a decent caliber. I have NO idea about the engineering, though. I'm not sure it's as much a question of metallurgy as one of designing a lock that would withstand the additional power. I'd be surprised if it wasn't do-able, but what sort of weight compromises would have to be made? I doubt the gun manufacturers would see much reason to move away from the tried-and-true, especially with the marginal revolver market that exists.

OTOH, wouldn't a Ruger 5-shot .41 mag. top-break with a 4" bbl (say, about the size of a GP-100) be nifty? I'm glad you brought this up, Nightcrawler.
 
Erich has nailed the reason.

On a topbreak revolver, the lock and hinge is the weak link.

Making a lock and hinge that could stand up to repeated firings with a 35,000 psi (or higher) cartridge would be a problem.

Sure, it could be done, but again as Erich notes it would be hard to do and keep weight and bulk down to acceptable levels.
 
Every so often this topic will come up and there is usually a pretty good response. You'd think that someone out there would realise that there is a viable market for a new breaktop.
I'm always looking on Gunbroker and Auction Arms under "top break" or "break top".
A Webley chambered in .45acp. I sure could go for one of those right about now.
 
Hi, guys,

In a cartridge revolver of conventional design, the main strain of firing is taken by the top strap. In other words, when the cartridge fires, the barrel tries to move forward and the breech move back. It is the top strap that literally holds the gun together.

When the topstrap has a joint, each firing will impact the joint a tiny bit, so that eventually a gap will develop, with each firing pounding the metal of the joint and expanding the gap further until it becomes so loose that the revolver has excess headspace or the firing pin no longer lines up with the chambers and the revolver will not fire at all. This may take a few hundred or a few thousand rounds, depending on design an materials, but it will happen. There is less strain on the bottom hinge, but that also is an area of weakness in top break revolvers.

Could the joints be made strong enough to resist the great force put on by, say, a .357 Magnum or a .44 Magnum? Possibly, but the top joint especially would have to be massive and very hard. It might be possible, but not practical.

Jim
 
BTW, regarding Matebas

Weird revolvers, those. There are a lot of different models, but none are top-break. The MTR8 is the basic 8-shot .38 spl. (the MTR8M is the .357 mag. version). They also make 12-shot versions, and 20-shot in .22 lr!

The MT6+6 has a side-opening cylinder that then hinges upward so you can replace the cylinder with the spare that rides in the butt. Italiani pazzi!

My source is Hogg and Weeks' Pistols of the World, 3d ed. (DBI Books, 1992).

I'd still like a 5-shot .41 mag. breaktop by Ruger!
 
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