Minor rant about cylinder terms

[Muley Gil]

It seems like at like once a week someone will post about the serial number stamped on the cylinder. Many times, one of the forum members will say to check the "face" of the cylinder. Now I've always thought that looking at the face of an object, you are looking at the front of it.

When you load a swing out cylinder revolver, you load the cartridges into the "rear" of the cylinder and when you fire said revolver, the bullets exit the "front" of the cylinder, going into "rear" of the barrel.

Rant over.

 

[Sevens]

I get annoyed when guys feverishly scrub the cylinder FACE with Flitz.

 

[Deceasedeye]

If someone points a gun at you, are you looking at the back of the gun or the face of the gun?

 

[GaryHK]

I asked a guy on gunbroker if there was an "N" on the rear/back of the cylinder and he couldn't figure it out. I finally said, "the side where you insert the cartridges".

A day later I see an update to the ad "guy asked me if there was an N on the face of the cylinder so I posted pics"

SMH

 

[Absalom]

It seems like at like once a week someone will post about the serial number stamped on the cylinder. Many times, one of the forum members will say to check the "face" of the cylinder. Now I've always thought that looking at the face of an object, you are looking at the front of it.

When you load a swing out cylinder revolver, you load the cartridges into the "rear" of the cylinder and when you fire said revolver, the bullets exit the "front" of the cylinder, going into "rear" of the barrel.

Rant over.

No offense, my friend, but I will continue to refer to the side of the cylinder which you face and which faces you almost all of the time the cylinder is swung out as the face.

I have no problem with front and rear. But there is nothing that requires front and face to be identical. On a cylinder, it definitely is not.

 

[JP@AK]

Muley Gil, my friend, I always write, "the rear face of the cylinder." I get your point, but I want to make sure the guy doesn't look at the side of the cylinder near the rear. So, "rear face" seems to work.

 

[Hondo44]

Good rant.

Opinions are free and everyone has a right to theirs. But how useful are they if not based on some logic?

The facts/logic of the face term:

"Face" has nothing to do with which one is facing your own face.

In geometry where the "face" term is so relevant, most 3D objects have one or multiple faces. Cylinders are 'two faced'.


Therefore if a person is referencing a particular face in a post, like the front face or rear face of a cyl, it behooves them to describe which one they mean if they care about communicating with understanding, and not just spouting borrowed words from another discipline (geometry), like we see so often. Common usage of words doesn't make the usage appropriate or helpful. It's pure laziness and sloppy writing. For example we wouldn't be having this conversation if just using "face" of a cyl clearly only meant the rear face to everyone. When does it not mean the front face?

And in this forum where we're all about explaining/imparting clarification to others, it has little useful place.

I use front face or rear face, because I want my meaning to be understood clearly, no matter what the reader's 'opinion' is.

 

[.357magger]

Well...I guess you should face the facts.

It's a facet of facing that's completely factual and not dependent on the direction you're facing.

 

[smoothshooter]

One of my “ things “ are people who refer to chambers as “ cylinders “.
It’s not only newbies that do that either.

 

[Muss Muggins]

One of my "things" is people who refer to "charge holes" as "chambers . . . " But as long as I know what you're talking about, I don't care. It ain't gonna alter the earth's rotation . . .

One of my “ things “ are people who refer to chambers as “ cylinders “.
It’s not only newbies that do that either.

 

[GF]

I look at the rear and then their faces... what were we talking about again?

 

[glenwolde]

I hate FTF and FTE. Is that "Fire" or "Feed"? "Eject" or "Extract"? I've seen all.

That said I'm probably guilty of using "Face". Not often but I've probably done it. I think of face as a flat plane, regardless of position. Since it's the only flat surface on the cylinder that's what I think of.

But I can't justify or rationalize that in any way.

 

[Waveski]

Front face and rear face seems practical and descriptive.

I know the proper use of the term "charge hole" ; I learned it a while back while dealing with a Cylinder I ruined through bad decision making. ((that's another story...)

That said , I can understand why some people refer to a charge hole as a chamber -in a rifle or semi auto pistol the chamber is the cylindrical hole into which a round is inserted and contained during detonation.
In the case of a revolver , each hole in the cylinder is the space into which a round is inserted and contained during detonation.
So why are charge holes not chambers?

 

[B_Still]

One of my "things" is people who refer to "charge holes" as "chambers . . . " But as long as I know what you're talking about, I don't care. It ain't gonna alter the earth's rotation . . .

Is that because the only "charge hole" in the cylinder which technically qualifies as a "chamber" is the one that is aligned with the barrel when the cylinder is closed and ready to fire from it?

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

 

[Waveski]

If someone points a gun at you, are you looking at the back of the gun or the face of the gun?

That is technically known as the "wrong end" , or "business end" , depending on your cultural origin.

 

[ken158]

S&W’s have yokes and Colts (and others) have cranes...

 

[Green Frog]

One of my “ things “ are people who refer to chambers as “ cylinders “.
It’s not only newbies that do that either.

This bothers me more than the face thing (I agree with Hondo44 that “face” is a geometric term and an object can have more than one face.) I’m not familiar with any revolver that has more than one cylinder in place at one time, but often see postings that talk about their revolver having one or more cylinders that don’t work, or don’t extract, etc.

The charge holes vs chambers thing is another argument entirely, and ranks with the yoke vs crane debate... either term is clear enough to the casual reader that the meaning is conveyed. Personally, I’m more comfortable using chamber, since each one is a place where a cartridge goes. I’m more comfortable using the term charge hole with cap & ball revolvers.

“Eschew obfuscation!”
Froggie

 

[RGNewell]

One of my "things" is people who refer to "charge holes" as "chambers . . . " But as long as I know what you're talking about, I don't care. It ain't gonna alter the earth's rotation . . .

When Smith & Wesson performs a Master Action job, they bevel the "chambers".
Alex Hamilton of Ten Ring Precision, Pistol Smith of the year in 1993 "Numbers and bevels the chamber"

 

[Muss Muggins]

Is that because the only "charge hole" in the cylinder which technically qualifies as a "chamber" is the one that is aligned with the barrel when the cylinder is closed and ready to fire from it?

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

It's because that's what the nice fella' at the factory with carpal tunnel syndrome told me it was when I went to revolver armorer school in Springfield . . .

When Smith & Wesson performs a Master Action job, they bevel the "chambers".
Alex Hamilton of Ten Ring Precision, Pistol Smith of the year in 1993 "Numbers and bevels the chamber"

I'm just tellin' ya' what Smith & Wesson revolver armorer instructors call 'em at the factory in Springfield. As I mentioned, it ain't gonna move the earth off its axis, but if you want to argue with the factory armorer's manual, be my guest . . .

 

[smoothshooter]

Another one for me is “ Platform “

How the heck did that get started?
Probably came from the same people who popularized “ Operator “.
Sounds “ cooler “, I suppose.
What was wrong with the tried and true “ System “.