Warning for shooter of lighweight revolver, esp. LCR

[Middle Age Russ]

One of the few guns we have sold over the years was an S&W 325PD with the 2" barrel. Found out REAL quick that aluminum case ammo wasn't a great idea -- it locked up the cylinder before the fifth shot of the cylinder. Reasonably hot 230 grain brass cartridges would even consistently start pulling and you'd notice the difference in the report between the last three shots in the cylinder. It is the only 45ACP gun I ever fired that had recoil I'd call sharp, and the gun simply wasn't pleasant to shoot in addition to having the unfortunate habit of pulling the projectiles from the casings. S&W also makes a 329 scandium frame, titanium cylinder 44 magnum revolver that I can only imagine is a handful requiring cartridges with a very firm crimp into the cannelure.

[WildBill]

One of the few guns we have sold over the years was an S&W 325PD with the 2" barrel. Found out REAL quick that aluminum case ammo wasn't a great idea -- it locked up the cylinder before the fifth shot of the cylinder. Reasonably hot 230 grain brass cartridges would even consistently start pulling and you'd notice the difference in the report between the last three shots in the cylinder. It is the only 45ACP gun I ever fired that had recoil I'd call sharp, and the gun simply wasn't pleasant to shoot in addition to having the unfortunate habit of pulling the projectiles from the casings. S&W also makes a 329 scandium frame, titanium cylinder 44 magnum revolver that I can only imagine is a handful required cartridges with a very firm crimp into the cannelure.

I haven't bought much revolver ammo, but I haven't noticed cannelures on ANY ammo.

[Middle Age Russ]

You won't notice the cannelure on the bullet if the mouth of the cartridge case covers it. A lot of the projectiles used for revolvers, as well as for rifle ammunition have cannelures that can be crimped into. If the cannelure is visible outside the mouth of the case, it sort of defeats the purpose of allowing a tighter, stronger crimp.

[HadEmAll]

A couple of years ago I ordered 500 Remington Express 125 grain SJHPs in .357 magnum for use in my GP100, SP101s, and LCR. When they arrived, I examined them and found the factory crimp didn't look "complete" for lack of a better word on many of them.

I dumped all 500 of them into a shoebox, and ran the entire lot through a .357 crimping die, which I adjusted to give a secure crimp.

Later I did the same to 500 Speer Gold Dot 125 grain .357 magnum rounds I had ordered.

Didn't take all that long while watching TV, and gave/gives peace of mind when firing these hot loads in the lightweight LCR.

[Syntyr]

That being said, I have owned one revolver, it was a Dan Wesson .357, and it was a sweet piece of machinery...I could not get it to screw up on me, but for some reason I had to sell it years ago, and I kick myself for doing so almost everyday....

Oh man same boat. I had a Dan Wesson .357 . the thing was in perfect condition and built like a tank. It was a real joy to shoot. I needed cash one day and sold the thing for 100 bucks. Grrrrrr

I had no idea that revolvers were subject to issues like that. Having shot semi autos most of my life I am well aware of issues with bullet set back due to cycling rounds through, limp wristing and riding the slide.

You all are a veritable fountain of useful information!

[Soccerdad1995]

That being said, I have owned one revolver, it was a Dan Wesson .357, and it was a sweet piece of machinery...I could not get it to screw up on me, but for some reason I had to sell it years ago, and I kick myself for doing so almost everyday....

Oh man same boat. I had a Dan Wesson .357 . the thing was in perfect condition and built like a tank. It was a real joy to shoot. I needed cash one day and sold the thing for 100 bucks. Grrrrrr

I had no idea that revolvers were subject to issues like that. Having shot semi autos most of my life I am well aware of issues with bullet set back due to cycling rounds through, limp wristing and riding the slide.

You all are a veritable fountain of useful information!

I feel the same way about a Ruger SP 101 I once owned. It was the only gun my ex wanted in the divorce. I should have fought her harder on that point, but I was just so happy to be rid of her.

[TXBO]

I had no idea that revolvers were subject to issues like that. Having shot semi autos most of my life I am well aware of issues with bullet set back due to cycling rounds through, limp wristing and riding the slide.

I've only seen this happen once with a revolver and it was over 15 years ago. It was a light frame .38 being limp wristed by a pettite young lady.