What is 'Flame-Cutting'?

[SaveFerris]

Im purchasing my first revolver soon and might consider used ones. Ive read alot about 'flame cutting' but it would REALLY help if someone could show me some pictures of what it looks like

Thanks

[Flash]

I have heard it can occur in a few different places. The forcing cone is one that comes to mind with it being cut on an uneven plane with the cylinder face. The inside of the top strap is another one. The flame escapes from between the forcing cone and the cylinder face so violently that the steel begins to be cut away on the top strap. I have never seen any evidence of either one but heard of it happening. The 357 maximum was a round mostly to blame for flame cutting but conventional revolver rounds don't cause problems with good relvolvers.

[Questor]

Only some cartridges are susceptible to this and most of the mainstream guns of recent manufacture have solved the problem by using different steels or hardening. What cartridge are you considering?  44 magnum, 357 magnum, and the 454 casulls I'm aware of don't have that problem.  It's not a problem at all for stuff like 38 special or 45 long colt.  Some earlier models did have the problem.

[SaveFerris]

Im looking at the S&W 357 Model 60 (see post below)

Sometimes I would use some of the 'buffalo bore' rounds or some big CorBons but nothing custom made.

I just wanted to be able to recognize 'flame cutting' on a used revolver before I buy it (if i buy used)

[His lordship.]

I had flame cutting on the underside of the top strap of my 1970's vintage Smith and Wesson Model 28 that I bought used.  The gun had a leaded up barrel and had obviously seen some use by the previous owner, after a good cleaning it served me well.  I had the gun for almost 20 years and primarily shot .38 specials through it, although it also had a few hundred rounds of .357 magnum passed through the bore.  

I minor cut was only visible when I gave a good cleaning on the frame.  I think it would have taken quite alot of shooting before the cut would have become a problem.  I have also seen flame cutting on 1940's vintage Smith and Wesson military revolvers, many of those seen at gun shows look really trashed, shame, as I would like to add a WW 2 Smith to my collection, but not an abused one! :shock:

[unspellable]

"Flame cutting" is actually erosion caused by hot gas and particles.  In the rear of the barrel by the gas behind the bullet.  On a revolver top strap by gas escaping through the cylinder gap.  ALL firearms are subject to this erosion, NO exceptions allowed except for safe queens that are never fired.  The question is how fast does this erosion take place, is it acceptable.  The short answers are slowly and yes.

On a revolver top strap it will start at a fairly rapid pace (break in period) but very soon drops to a very very slow and perfectly acceptable rate.  The revolver will wear out from other causes before this becomes a problem.  Some revolver have a small dish cut out of the under side of the top strap to allow more room for the gas to escape.

The 357 Maximum's supposedly cutting away top straps is one of those urban legends.  The original factory load used a light fast bullet with a big charge of slow ball powder behind it.  This is a recipe for erosion and so the 357 Maximum revolvers showed the initial break in erosion quite quickly.  In practice, most hand loads did not do this, and even with factory loads the erosion rate quickly dropped to an acceptable level.

I shoot the 357 Super Mag which is a tad hotter than the 357 Maximum, but I have no problem this way.  I don't know of any revolver cartridge combination where this is anything more than a cosmetic issue.  The 357 Super Mags were issued with a spare barrel because of the supposed erosion problem but I don't know of anyone who has switched to the second barrel.  Mne is still in the box.

[New Hampshire]

unspellable is correct in that all revolvers are subject to SOME flame cutting.  Luckily on "most" cartridges the cutting only goes so far and seems to almost stop at some point.  But high pressure rounds like the .357 Max can be problematic.
Brian M.