Flash cutting of top straps on the big magnum revolvers?

[His lordship.]

I have been looking at the large framed hunting revolvers and am wondering if there is any problem with flash cutting of the top strap with powerful loads, especially the .454 Casull, .480 Ruger and the .500 Smith and Wesson?  That is alot of powder to put through a wheel gun.

I had read of this being a problem with the X frame Smith, but one of my gun club people who shoots this gun in .500 says he has no problem.  I also understand that if you have a flash cutting issue, it only goes so far and then stops, so even in an old .357 magnum, you would not cut all the way through the top strap, am I right on that?

Thanks. 

[mk454]

i don't have any of those issues on my 454's or .44's, didn't have it on my 475 either

[buck460XVR]

I have flame cutting on the top strap  of all my magnum revolvers....., .357s, .44s and the .460. By the time they burn thru(if ever) my great-grandkids will be dead and buried.

[ole 5 hole group]

I also read where the X-frames had a few problems very early on but nothing since their 1st couple months of production and that was with just a couple revolvers.  You will always get some flame cutting in revolver top straps from high pressure rounds but it will stop at a certain point and will never be deep enough to create an issue as to top strap integrity in my opinion.   

[BCB]

I have flame cutting on the top strap  of all my magnum revolvers....., .357s, .44s and the .460. By the time they burn thru(if ever) my great-grandkids will be dead and buried.

Yep, I agree here.  Don't have the 460, but I do have the other ones and a 45LC and a 22 rimfire...

Mine all show a bit of erosion on the top strap right at the gap of the cylinder and the forcing cone...

I just keep shootin', and then clean and, oh well, I sure ain't worried!...

Good-luck...BCB

[S.E.Ak]

I think it was mostly just a problem in 357Max revolvers,real bad in the RBH

[Mikey]

IIRC, flame cutting was first noticed in the S&W K frame 357s, the Model 19s and 13s, when folk started switching from the 158 gn swc to lighter weight jacketed hollowpoints over charges of faster burning powders than the factories used for the 158s and you would also see the same sort of flame cutting, or etching as I prefer to refer to it, in the 41s and 44 mags.  No big deal.  Never hurt anyting and never saw one come apart from that. 

[Range Rider]

I have been shooting Magnum hand guns for most of 40 years.  I have never seen or heard of a Six Gun cutting thru a top strap.  That would be one for the record.  I have a number of old S&W Magnums that have eat up lots of heavy loads.  Gas cutting is the least of your worries.  Before that is ever a problem you will have broken action bolts  shakey cylinders and frame gaps at the cylinder crane.  The ejectors rods bent and sears that won't hold the hammer back etc.  Heavy loads take a toll on any fire arm its just the cost having a a powerful handgun.  In the end if its a problem stick with a Red Ryder BB gun.

RR

[irold]

Maybe I haven't shot as many rounds as some of the other guys......I probably go through 500 -800 per year, per revolver.  I've got half a dozen different calibers...of the 44s and the 454, I haven't seen anything that resembles "flame cutting".  Lots of black carbon stain....when I get real ambitious I clean that off....nothing under it.   As someone else had posted , I did hear the 357 Max would flame cut....even then they said it would only go so far.  I wudn't worry about it.   Good shootin

regards , irold

 

[Range Rider]

It seems to me back in the day when Ruger chambered the .357 Max cutting was not the problem.  The failures I saw at that time were crackes in the barrels forcing cone.  The metal was not thick enough in the forcing cone to sustane these very high pressures.  Ruger has been sensitve to law suites going back to the late 60s and the Old Style Black Hawk problems.  As you know every Ruger handgun has an operator warning very much like a power lawn mower stamped on its barrel.  It seems rather than correct the problem they dropped the gun from their line.

RR

[blhof]

Both the flame cutting and the forcing cone erosion was the reason Ruger stopped production of the 357Max, even though many of their original guns are still in service.  Dan Wesson used to give a spare barrel and warned about using light wt bullets at 2000+ velocities.  The Rugers that are still around are usually fed a diet of 180 or 200gr bullets and are fine.  I've got a DW max that's had a steady diet of 200gr bullets since 1992 and is still on it's original barrel.  I've still got the spare barrel wrapped in the oil paper.  There 's a trace of cutting, but at the rate it's done, as said above, my grand kids will be long gone.

[Reed1911]

Dan Wesson used to give a spare barrel and warned about using light wt bullets at 2000+ velocities

Not to be a jerk about it, that barrel is not a spare for when one wears out, one is a fast twist for heavy bullets and one is a slower twist for light bullets. That was the original configuration "package" anyhow, though if you bought it second hand they may be the same. I cannot remember any worries about the Max other than a lot of BS to be honest. Flame cutting is more talked about than a real problem and will stop at a given point on all revolvers, and as stated you will wear out other parts before you get to a problem with it anyhow. Ruger, well that is a whole different story now isn't it?