Hello All, Just read the FAQ section regarding flame cutting. My 686 is relatively new, having less than 100 rounds through it and the flame cutting is obvious. I realize this is a normal process but at what point should I be concerned, if at all. Thanks for the help!
Flame Cutting
- Thread starter Yuccathumper343
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They all do it and all stop at a point - never seen one the factory considered dangerous...
andyo5
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I stopped using ball powders (H110, HS6, etc) after noticing flame cutting on my 686. I switched to a flake powder (2400, Blue Dot) and the flame cutting stopped.
kscardsfan
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I've got a friend with a M19 that has well over 50k rounds in its 28 years of service with him and minimal flame cutting and no forcing cone issues to speak of. If a k frame can take that much, an L frame should do just fine.
Alk8944
US Veteran
What he says! Flame cutting on modern revolvers only seems to have become an issue with the introduction of the high-energy Ball-type propellents, particularly 630, 630P, H-110 and 296. This coupled with some loaders desire to milk the absolutely highest velocities, another 25-50 fps, out of their revolvers.
As andy05 says, switch powder type to any of the cut-grain propellents, and reduce your loads by 3-5%, and flame cutting will never be an issue. If you do any shooting from sand bags even maximum charges of 2400 won't shred your bags like H-110 will!
Shooting4life
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I don't even have flame cutting problems with any of my 357 maximums. Just follow the advice above and maybe reload heavy for caliber bullets.
scooter123
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In addition to the above posts, I would suggest that it's quite likely that what you are interpreting as flame cutting is actually a deposit of lead and carbon. If you take a small, flat bladed screwdriver and carefully use it to scrape area of the top strap "level", you will probably find that your top strap is completely undamaged.
I have a model 610 that I shoot with the 40 S&W, a round with slightly higher pressure than the 357 Magnum and after at least 1000 rounds downrange the top strap is still virgin metal after the deposits in this area are cleaned off.
As for why I suspect this, these are stainless steel frames and stainless steels are much more resistant to oxidizing reactions than mild steels. Since flame cutting is actually an oxidizing process, I suspect that most of the available calibers are not capable of producing enough "energy" to trigger flame cutting very well. Meaning, with the exception of perhaps the 460 and 500 Magnums, it will probably take longer to produce any significant flame cutting than most of will shoot in a lifetime and you'll wear out 3 or 4 barrels to do it.
BTW, many will tell you that you shouldn't clean the deposits from this area because they act to provide a layer of protection. To be honest, I have to say that this advice is probably quite sound and you should probably take it. Unfortunately for me the compulsive side of my brain won't allow this and I just have to keep my stainless revolvers looking unfired. Which is why I really don't think that what you are seeing is actually flame cutting, because I have yet to see any evidence of this in any of my stainless revolvers and some have been shot quite a bit.
I have a model 610 that I shoot with the 40 S&W, a round with slightly higher pressure than the 357 Magnum and after at least 1000 rounds downrange the top strap is still virgin metal after the deposits in this area are cleaned off.
As for why I suspect this, these are stainless steel frames and stainless steels are much more resistant to oxidizing reactions than mild steels. Since flame cutting is actually an oxidizing process, I suspect that most of the available calibers are not capable of producing enough "energy" to trigger flame cutting very well. Meaning, with the exception of perhaps the 460 and 500 Magnums, it will probably take longer to produce any significant flame cutting than most of will shoot in a lifetime and you'll wear out 3 or 4 barrels to do it.
BTW, many will tell you that you shouldn't clean the deposits from this area because they act to provide a layer of protection. To be honest, I have to say that this advice is probably quite sound and you should probably take it. Unfortunately for me the compulsive side of my brain won't allow this and I just have to keep my stainless revolvers looking unfired. Which is why I really don't think that what you are seeing is actually flame cutting, because I have yet to see any evidence of this in any of my stainless revolvers and some have been shot quite a bit.
bountyhunter
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All mine have flame cutting but none have ever failed. Some of the range guns that fire a lot of full magnum loads have broken at the top strap.
buck460XVR
Member
Seems everyone here assumes you are using hot loads of H110/W296. Don't know if that's what you're shooting, but I have had flame cutting happen with factory ammo also. My 686 has put approximately 5000 rounds downrange of my H110/W296 handloads. Same can be said for my 629. They both exhibit flame cutting as does my X-Frame. I shoot H110/W296 in these guns as it gives me the best performance and accuracy. The little bit of flame cutting does as much damage as the drag line on the cylinders. I figure it will take at least to my great-great grandchildren before the flame cutting gets bad enough to be concerned with. Like others have said it goes so far and then stops.
I've shot large quantities of 500 S&W Magnum through two guns. My loads are fairly stout, 40.0 gr. of either H110 or 296 (same stuff, different can) under a 440 gr. hard-cast SWCGC bullet, and the flame cutting I have observed has been minimal. I would challenge anyone to cut the top-strap of any S&W revolver with any load, using any powder. I suspect that unless they were filthy rich they'd go bankrupt from buying components looooooooooonnnnnnnggg before they succeeded!
stevieboy
Member
If by "flame cutting" one means a razor thin line a small fraction of a millimeter deep in the top strap just at the point where the top strap is directly above the rear of the forcing cone, well, then, I have it on my 27 and my 28. On my 27 it showed up after firing just one box of factory (Remington UMC) 125 gr. .357s. The line was present on my 28 when I purchased it. In both cases the flame cutting appears to be entirely self-limiting. It has not increased despite my having fired innumerable .357 rounds through both guns and I have no worries about it.
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