Why is the wrist flick closing of cylinder a bad thing?
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Lost Sheep
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When does the warping occur?
I was in a highly reputable gun shop and one of the clerks (knowledgeable about guns and handloading, too) opened my Ruger Redhawk by pressing on the cylinder and releasing the cylinder latch, thereby popping the cylinder open forcefully. The cylinder came to an abrupt stop in the open position. I was aghast.
I did not correct him at the time (what would be the point?). I will never let him handle one of my revolvers without a remedial lecture.
Which brings me to my subject line: Is it the violent closure, or the forces applied when you START the cylinder closing (the actual flipping of the wrist)?
And part 2: Isn't a forceful opening just as bad as a forceful closing?
Part 3: If you had a revolver with the swing-out cylinder open and you grabbed the cylinder with one hand and the frame with another, how hard would you have to twist to warp or even break the crane?
Just curious. When I was born, the doctor took one look at me and remarked, "Curious!". I have been so ever since.
Lost Sheep
I was in a highly reputable gun shop and one of the clerks (knowledgeable about guns and handloading, too) opened my Ruger Redhawk by pressing on the cylinder and releasing the cylinder latch, thereby popping the cylinder open forcefully. The cylinder came to an abrupt stop in the open position. I was aghast.
I did not correct him at the time (what would be the point?). I will never let him handle one of my revolvers without a remedial lecture.
Which brings me to my subject line: Is it the violent closure, or the forces applied when you START the cylinder closing (the actual flipping of the wrist)?
And part 2: Isn't a forceful opening just as bad as a forceful closing?
Part 3: If you had a revolver with the swing-out cylinder open and you grabbed the cylinder with one hand and the frame with another, how hard would you have to twist to warp or even break the crane?
Just curious. When I was born, the doctor took one look at me and remarked, "Curious!". I have been so ever since.
Lost Sheep
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James, thank you for the experiment. A noble effort. And thank you for proving that nothing happened to your gun.
Still, there are a lot of revolvers out there that something has happened to, and with many, the only thing done differently (that we know of) is the owner's habit of flicking or snapping the cylinder in and out.
All machinery is designed to be operated in a specific manner. Best results and best service life are generally obtained by operating it in that manner.
Good or adequate results are often obtained by operating it in some other manner, but this is usually at the cost of some service life.
All I know for certain is that I was taught not to slam guns open or shut outside of true emergency situations. Bad for the gun. Maybe not this time, maybe not the 200th time. Maybe never, BUT doing it on a regular basis cannot be good, or the makers would tell you to operate it in that manner.
Still, there are a lot of revolvers out there that something has happened to, and with many, the only thing done differently (that we know of) is the owner's habit of flicking or snapping the cylinder in and out.
All machinery is designed to be operated in a specific manner. Best results and best service life are generally obtained by operating it in that manner.
Good or adequate results are often obtained by operating it in some other manner, but this is usually at the cost of some service life.
All I know for certain is that I was taught not to slam guns open or shut outside of true emergency situations. Bad for the gun. Maybe not this time, maybe not the 200th time. Maybe never, BUT doing it on a regular basis cannot be good, or the makers would tell you to operate it in that manner.
jason_iowa
New member
Its not nearly as bad as some would have you believe. You could do it 10x a day for the life of the gun and not do any damage. Why take the chance on a completely unnecessary risk though.
Prof,this might be data.
You will need a 6 to 8 oz pall pein or dead blow hammer.
And a brick or a vise or something to serve as a dolly or anvil.
First,place your left thumb on the brick.Now,with a smooth,controlled,firm motion,place the hammer face on your thumbnail and press it rather firmly.
OK,done with step one.Please journal about the experience.
Now,again,place your thumb on the brick ,We want to isolate one variable here,this is science,after all.
Do everything just about the same,but achieve the same pressure of the hammer face on your thumb with a quick flip of the wrist.
Once again,please journal about your experience.Include the throbbing,the blackened nail,and how it later falls off,to be replaced by a new nail.
Compare the two journaled experiences,and let us know what you found.
Note:The lessons learned may be applied to slamming double guns shut.
One more thing,you may want to survey the impressions of knowlegdable gun owners when you do this.
"Did I look rather cavalier,cool,or did you conclude I am a dilrod?"
The data might be interesting.
The other thing that occurs to me,have you ever seen an experienced machinist handle a micrometer?The finger next to the little finger goes through the frame,and the spindle rides between thumb and forefinger.
DA revover
For a right hander:Set the lower frame on the left palm,The fingers naturally cradle up around the cylinder.Point the muzzle up,with the right thumb.press cylinder latch.,roll the cylinder out of the frame,index finger tip on the.ejector rod.Eject.This way,unburned powder will not crawl under the ejector star,and creat an obstacle to it snuggling back to the cylinder,cuz that will bind up a wheel gun.
Now,point the muzzle down with the cylinder between your thumb and fingers of your left hand.With your right hand,insert speed loader or cartridges,with the cylinder under control of your left hand.
You can smoothly press the cylinder closed with your left thumb as you return to a two hand firing position.
What does a cylinder slam do to benefit anything?
You will need a 6 to 8 oz pall pein or dead blow hammer.
And a brick or a vise or something to serve as a dolly or anvil.
First,place your left thumb on the brick.Now,with a smooth,controlled,firm motion,place the hammer face on your thumbnail and press it rather firmly.
OK,done with step one.Please journal about the experience.
Now,again,place your thumb on the brick ,We want to isolate one variable here,this is science,after all.
Do everything just about the same,but achieve the same pressure of the hammer face on your thumb with a quick flip of the wrist.
Once again,please journal about your experience.Include the throbbing,the blackened nail,and how it later falls off,to be replaced by a new nail.
Compare the two journaled experiences,and let us know what you found.
Note:The lessons learned may be applied to slamming double guns shut.
One more thing,you may want to survey the impressions of knowlegdable gun owners when you do this.
"Did I look rather cavalier,cool,or did you conclude I am a dilrod?"
The data might be interesting.
The other thing that occurs to me,have you ever seen an experienced machinist handle a micrometer?The finger next to the little finger goes through the frame,and the spindle rides between thumb and forefinger.
DA revover
For a right hander:Set the lower frame on the left palm,The fingers naturally cradle up around the cylinder.Point the muzzle up,with the right thumb.press cylinder latch.,roll the cylinder out of the frame,index finger tip on the.ejector rod.Eject.This way,unburned powder will not crawl under the ejector star,and creat an obstacle to it snuggling back to the cylinder,cuz that will bind up a wheel gun.
Now,point the muzzle down with the cylinder between your thumb and fingers of your left hand.With your right hand,insert speed loader or cartridges,with the cylinder under control of your left hand.
You can smoothly press the cylinder closed with your left thumb as you return to a two hand firing position.
What does a cylinder slam do to benefit anything?
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I don't slam mine shut.
However - based on the thickness of the crane relative to the cylinder on my Rugers - it seems like you'd have to hit it extremely hard to bend anything.
I'd guess that 80% of the lightly used DA revolvers out there (the ones not owned by hardcore "gun people") have been snapped shut a bunch of times.
It is the first reaction most people have when they pick up a wheel gun after all.
And - based on what I read here - most of them still work okay.
As far as slamming things shut being bad in general - there are lots of things you're supposed to slam shut. Some of the semi-auto's I own won't feed if you don't let the slide slam shut. My Marlin 336 also had a hard time cycling if you don't yank on it pretty hard.
Revolvers aren't doors or thumbs.
I'm not encouraging anyone to snap their revolver closed.
I agree that it makes you look a little silly. And since there is the possibility of tweaking the crane, why risk damage?
There might not be a lot of risk, but the only reward is making yourself look like a poser.
But, I think maybe some of us are making a bigger deal of it than it is.
However - based on the thickness of the crane relative to the cylinder on my Rugers - it seems like you'd have to hit it extremely hard to bend anything.
I'd guess that 80% of the lightly used DA revolvers out there (the ones not owned by hardcore "gun people") have been snapped shut a bunch of times.
It is the first reaction most people have when they pick up a wheel gun after all.
And - based on what I read here - most of them still work okay.
As far as slamming things shut being bad in general - there are lots of things you're supposed to slam shut. Some of the semi-auto's I own won't feed if you don't let the slide slam shut. My Marlin 336 also had a hard time cycling if you don't yank on it pretty hard.
Revolvers aren't doors or thumbs.
I'm not encouraging anyone to snap their revolver closed.
I agree that it makes you look a little silly. And since there is the possibility of tweaking the crane, why risk damage?
There might not be a lot of risk, but the only reward is making yourself look like a poser.
But, I think maybe some of us are making a bigger deal of it than it is.
Prof Young
New member
Great thread
Thanks for all the opinions and data.
Common sense suggests it's a bad idea. Actually damage could occur.
HiBC I think I'll forgo the hammer and thumb test.
Live well be safe.
Prof Young
Thanks for all the opinions and data.
Common sense suggests it's a bad idea. Actually damage could occur.
HiBC I think I'll forgo the hammer and thumb test.
Live well be safe.
Prof Young
I always thought it was the flick open that screwed things up? Because there is nothing to catch the free end of the crane but the pivot and frame stop. I'm far more worried for people who hammer on the ejector rod to free stuck shells (even I'm guilty of pounding the rod exactly once while doing a fast mag change --then I noticed the rod tip, drilled for a ball-detent, had hole-punched right through the pad of my thumb 
). I learned my lesson; don't run the ejector that way, and don't run crappy 38spl +P (two split shells in a moonclip bound it up fairly good for a second while I got them started out with a bloodied thumb)
TCB
). I learned my lesson; don't run the ejector that way, and don't run crappy 38spl +P (two split shells in a moonclip bound it up fairly good for a second while I got them started out with a bloodied thumb)TCB
Glock20/460long
New member
I don't care, I do it once in a while, it's my guns. I only do it loaded. I don't see the harm. I do it softly, half the time it doesn't lock so I have to push it in to lock it with a push.
TBS, I will never flip it open.
TBS, I will never flip it open.
boltomatic
New member
Old news
It used to throw the timing off, but modern revolvers don't experience this problem nearly as often.
Try not to do it, but you don't need to send your gun in for repair if you forget.
It used to throw the timing off, but modern revolvers don't experience this problem nearly as often.
Try not to do it, but you don't need to send your gun in for repair if you forget.
Bob Wright
New member
If someone has mentioned this, I've overlooked it:
Look at a Colt, such as a blued Python. If the gun has benn slammed shut, there will be a gouged arc on the thumbpiece from the cylinder ratchet scraping past it. Correct proceedure is to hold the cylinder latch rearward until the ratchet is within the frame area.
Bob Wright
Look at a Colt, such as a blued Python. If the gun has benn slammed shut, there will be a gouged arc on the thumbpiece from the cylinder ratchet scraping past it. Correct proceedure is to hold the cylinder latch rearward until the ratchet is within the frame area.
Bob Wright
I'm with the camp that says "Don't do it."
I did try it on my Uberti 1875 clone. 1st attempt- nothing. 2nd attempt, I pulled the cylnder pin, flicked, bribed my daughter to get my cylinder out from under the divan. I won't even bring myself to try it with one of my double actions!
I did try it on my Uberti 1875 clone. 1st attempt- nothing. 2nd attempt, I pulled the cylnder pin, flicked, bribed my daughter to get my cylinder out from under the divan. I won't even bring myself to try it with one of my double actions!
I don't suppose this "flick vulnerability" might be yet another thing the Colt action is slightly sensitive to? I didn't realize the Python setup was such that the crane would crash into something like the thumb piece when closed improperly, but I could absolutely see that interaction causing damage to either the crane pivot or even the ratchet itself (whose peening would explain subsequent timing issues). The only thing the S&W configuration would mess up would be the axis pin itself, which would result in no timing issues (just cylinder-latching problems, possibly), and would apply far less force to the crane pivot in doing so. I'll bet the fancy ball-detents might not be good to slam over, though 
TCB
TCB
Bob, the front of the Colt latch will be scored by the ratchet when the cylinder is closed no matter how fast or slow that is done. Your "correct procedure" will prevent it, but that just isn't done in the real world, and I don't recall Colt ever recommending it.
Jim
Jim
When I was a young kid, my father burst into my bedroom holding a revolver,
Can't even remember which one it was
He accused me of 2 VERY VERY horrendous rule violations
1. Going into his gun closet without supervision
2. Flicking the cylinder shut as described here as the crane was bent
I never did either of the above, but nonetheless was given a spanking with his leather belt, not your usual 2 or 3, but a whole lot of them!
About 2 weeks later it occurred to him that he had taken the gun to work for "show and tell" with his buddies and a some moron had done the wrist slap BS.
Why he didn't get the belt then and there from my Dad I'll never know
He apologized but I don't think I've ever forgiven him
Can't even remember which one it was
He accused me of 2 VERY VERY horrendous rule violations
1. Going into his gun closet without supervision
2. Flicking the cylinder shut as described here as the crane was bent
I never did either of the above, but nonetheless was given a spanking with his leather belt, not your usual 2 or 3, but a whole lot of them!
About 2 weeks later it occurred to him that he had taken the gun to work for "show and tell" with his buddies and a some moron had done the wrist slap BS.
Why he didn't get the belt then and there from my Dad I'll never know
He apologized but I don't think I've ever forgiven him
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