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Throwback Thursday: Big Bore, Short Barrel

Talyn

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
The big bore revolver isn’t for everyone. The type remains valuable to those that understand the system and have specific needs.

Big Bore, Short Barrel

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Loved my 4.5 in custom Redhawk in .44 magnum. Took many deer with it over the 20 plus years it was my go to rifle season firearm. It started out life as a 5 5 inch and i had it bobbed to 4.5 and other various work by Mag Na Port. I found 4 5 inches was the perfect balance for that revolver, much better than the 4 inch version Ruger eventually offered. Hated to part with it. Damn arthritis...
 
Back when the Dirty Harry movies were big a lot of us young officers ran out and got a .44 mag. I ran through police courses of fire with one and aside from the recoil, the muzzle flash during night fire wrecked my night vision and told me it was not for me for duty carry. But man are they fun to shoot!
 
Longer barrels produce a higher muzzle velocity. Totally understand that on semi-automatic pistol or rifles. But the same is true on revolvers, from what little I have read/seen. Which I have not seen how when you have a gap in revolver for the gases to leak out?

Not being very familiar with revolvers, how does that work? Is it a case of the gap still being tight enough and pressures high enough, not enough leaks out that it still accelerating the round with a longer barrel?
 
By the time the gas is expanding in the gap between forcing cone and cylinder face the bullet is already on its way to the target. The chamber pressure determines velocity and muzzle energy so the leakage of gas at the forcing cone is more or less residual. If you shoot hot loads a lot the torching of the forcing cone widens the gap and allows more crap to go sideways. I suppose we are losing some energy as compared to a locked action but I don't know if it is significant.
 
HayesGreener said:
By the time the gas is expanding in the gap between forcing cone and cylinder face the bullet is already on its way to the target. The chamber pressure determines velocity and muzzle energy so the leakage of gas at the forcing cone is more or less residual. If you shoot hot loads a lot the torching of the forcing cone widens the gap and allows more crap to go sideways. I suppose we are losing some energy as compared to a locked action but I don't know if it is significant.
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Yea, you talking about how fast it happens I think keys in how it works, at least in my head. The pressure builds so fast and the round out of the muzzle so fast, that gap isn't but a small hole in big pressure bottle causing some leak down but hardly vent all pressure before the round goes out the muzzle.

I might be totally wrong, I just see figures for pistols and revolvers, longer barrels usually produce a little more muzzle velocity. But its not like I have reviewed specs for every pistol. What you say about it all just about happens in the chamber, sounds right to me, I think the longer barrel just allows a little more time for more accelerating with what pressure is left, to produce a little more muzzle velocity. It still happens in a revolver, cause keeping in mind how quickly pressure builds and the round leaves, that gap still is not big enough to vent all the pressure before the round leaves the muzzle.
 
My 1st firearm I purchased was a 629 8 3/8" barrel 44mag. Reloaded that for decades, then sold the gun. Still having the reloads I bought a DE in 50ae and bought an extra barrel in 44mag. The loads I developed for the revolver was a little extra hot for the semi version. So, that gap loses just enough pressure that when shooting in another platform it could be unsafe. Just like gas guns tend to pop primers when load development for bolt guns are less problematic. As far as build pressure it depends on the powder used and case volume. Powder is a controlled burn unlike other high explosives.
 
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