Flame cutting (firearms)

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Flame cutting is a destructive phenomenon that occurs in some firearms (usually revolvers) as a result of hot gases under high pressure.

The most common manifestation is on the underside of a revolver top strap, where the hot, high-velocity gases released when a round is fired begin to cut through just above and in front of the cylinder. [1] In most cases, this is self-limiting; eventually, the depth of the cut will place the undamaged material far enough away that the heat and pressure of the gas will have dissipated to harmless levels. [2] This limiting tends to occur before structural integrity is compromised.

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References

  1. Association, National Rifle. "An NRA Shooting Sports Journal | How To Avoid Revolver Forcing Cone Failure". An NRA Shooting Sports Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  2. Kokalis, Peter G. (2016-08-19). "Era of the Classic Snubnose Revolver". Firearms News. Retrieved 2022-06-10.

Further reading