Revolver Warning Pet Peeve

[MikeBjerum]

Ed Head did it tonight, and I hear it from a lot of "experts."  Good advice is given about keeping fingers away from the front of a revolver cylinder.  This is very good advice!  However, they then go off the deep end and start talking about how with the invention of the "S&W 500 people have lost fingers from the blast."  I heard if from Ed tonight, and earlier this week I heard it elsewhere.

As a part of firearm safety we do a demonstration to show this danger.  We hold a cheap disposable aluminum pie pan against the side of a revolver and fire the gun.  We use my Ruger Single Six in .22lr, an American Western Arms firing .38 special first then .357 Magnum, a S&W j frame with .38 Special +p, a S&W 642 in .45 acp, and finally a S&W 500 (which won't happen this year, but that is being chronicled in a different thread).  The only gun that does not blow holes in the pie pan is the 500!  All other revolvers blow holes from the size of a nickel to the size of your fist through the aluminum.  The 500 will show heat spots like being splattered by welding slag, but it is fully intact next to the cylinder.  However, if you move the pan next to the compensator you will blow the entire eight inch bottom out of the pan!

My rant is Don't over hype the big guns and have someone not worry about the little ones!

[tombogan03884]

There was a thread with pictures a year or so ago that showed exactly that.
Some one got careless with a .500 and blew their thumb apart.
IIRC it was split open length ways and the end was gone.

[MikeBjerum]

Not saying it can't happen Tom.  What I am saying is that on my handgun wall there are smaller calibers that will do more damage than the 500!  And, these are quality, modern, well maintained revolvers.

[tombogan03884]

My own personal opinion is that if you can't look at the system and see, "Gee, there's the end of the bullet there, it crosses this open space here, I better keep my digits away from there"
Then maybe you need to blow off a couple fingers.
You know an experiment isn't confirmed unless it's repeatable. 

[MikeBjerum]

Considering you need a trigger finger and the thumb is too close to the trigger finger to be in danger, this experiment can be preformed eight times    Would that verify there is more than one danger point on a revolver?

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

How many times have the Dems said we need to spend more to solve the debt problem ? 

[MikeBjerum]

How many times have the Dems said we need to spend more to solve the debt problem ? 

There is a point you quit counting.  It is as simple as calculating every breath they take during a speech.

[tombogan03884]

They breath ?
I thought they just relied on the vacuum in their head to maintain equal pressure.

[GASPASSERDELUXE]

Was at the range a few weeks ago and 3-4 men next to me were taking turns shooting. This one old man,at least in 70s went to shoot a snub .38 revolver. His hands were shaking a little. I was sitting and loading some magazines and looked over at him. His left index finger was against the top of the cylinder and in front of it right over the gap. Before i could say any thing he pulled the trigger, he didn't bother to shoot it a second time as he was to busy holding his hand. He got burned but apparently not bad enough to seek medical attention.   

[MikeBjerum]

Was at the range a few weeks ago and 3-4 men next to me were taking turns shooting. This one old man,at least in 70s went to shoot a snub .38 revolver. His hands were shaking a little. I was sitting and loading some magazines and looked over at him. His left index finger was against the top of the cylinder and in front of it right over the gap. Before i could say any thing he pulled the trigger, he didn't bother to shoot it a second time as he was to busy holding his hand. He got burned but apparently not bad enough to seek medical attention.   

Or there is the macho, it ain't that bad, I'll walk it off attitude so he doesn't have to admit he done wrong factor.  How many of us have done that one before?