It is my understanding that Colt double-action revolvers (e.g., a .38 Colt Cobra) can "skip" a cylinder if the trigger is pulled too fast in double-action mode. (That could be trouble in a gunfight). Note: I do not refer to "short-stroking" the trigger. I refer to simply pulling the trigger too fast.

Question: can that also happen to Smith & Wesson double-action revolvers?

(What about Ruger double-action revolvers as well?).

Thanks in advance.

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No skipping if timing is correct. IF Bubba gets hold of one and thinks he can out engineer the manufacturer, then anything can happen...

I used my Colt DS in a gunfight in 1974 and was shooting pretty fast; no problems from the gun.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I've never seen this happen on an S&W, but my sister was able to make it happen on a Ruger SP-101 that I gave her. Not sure how she did it, but I think she partially cocked the hammer in SA, then thumbed it back down. There are so few Colt's around nowadays that I guess asking about them is a moot question ... Also, not to be a terminology National Socialist - but I think you meant chamber ...

Wow. Well, I hope the bad guy "went toes up."



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I think it would take a broken, filthy or somehow messed bolt spring or plunger or possibly a messed up bolt or cylinder notches or a combination of these for it to happen. The reason S&W revolvers develop a turn line if the bolt is released by the trigger very quickly and rides against the cylinder so it is very easy to move into the little ramp that leads to the notch and lock up. Ed McGivern was timed firing 5 rds in 9/20 of a second with a S&W and practiced very fast repeat shots and never complained or told of this problem. Very low on my list of my worries with a S&W action.

Some guns have reportedly have had the cylinder come unlocked under very heavy recoil, but this is sometimes caused by the shooters finger working the trigger a bit turning such recoil.

I've shot a plethora of Colts and Smiths - NEVER an issue. NOT even once!

ANY MECHANICAL DEVISE NOT PROPERLY IN TUNE can exhibit malfunctions. I recently watched a video on CNC machines and until all the bugs are worked out they too malfunction - BUT when we see them in operation that never happens because they are all proper and de-bugged.

The situation you describe is the rare exception NOT the rule! I'd bet my life on any Colt or Smith Revolver I own !

Flattop5: He did.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

In most DA revolvers, especially the older Colt actions, you can actually induce a cylinder throw-by situation by trying to stage the trigger, or by a hesitant trigger pull.
This condition is where the cylinder rotates past the locking bolt and the cylinder just doesn't lock up.

What happens is in the older Colt's the cylinder starts to rotate and since the cylinder bolt may not have popped back up yet, the cylinder locking notch rotates past the bolt and you get cylinder throw-by.
This is BAD since the gun can fire in an unlocked condition, which usually means spitting bullet metal.

In the S&W, Ruger, Dan Wesson, and newer Colt's like the Mark III and later models, since the cylinder locking bolt "rides" the cylinder surface for most of it's rotation, it's harder to get throw-by, but it can happen.
In the older Colt action the locking bolt doesn't ride the cylinder surface and drops back onto the cylinder much closer to the locking notch.

In a Colt in proper working order, and if you pull the trigger properly you won't get throw-by.

For a Colt or any other DA revolver to actually totally skip a chamber, something has to be REALLY bad, to the extent that a hard trigger pull starting the cylinder rotating and a locking bolt that's not functioning at all would allow a skip.
That's very unlikely.