Why recessed cylinders on .22lr?

[kscardsfan]

This might not be in the right section of the forum, so mods please move if necessary.

How come smith still recesses the cylinder of .22lr revolvers, but discontinued the practice on centerfires? Is it cause the rimfire needs more support under the rim to keep the firing pin from esentially crimping the shell into the chamber on firing or what? I have been studying on this and can't figure out why rimfires kept it, but centerfires didn't. Thanks guys.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

I figure since it's rimfire if the rim was exposed it could catch on the recoil sheilds steps & possibly have a round go off..
Maybe I'm wrong but I bet that's why they still recess the rimfires..
Gary/Hk

 

[pownal55]

very early in the production life of rimfire ammo i believe the rims were hollow, creating a potential weak spot in the case. this dictated the gun design which is still in use today, though the ammunition is much safer now. if i am wrong someone will let me know.

 

[s&wchad]

Rimfire cartridges are much more susceptible to casehead failures then centerfire cartridges, because of the hollow rim and thin case (that's where the priming compound is spun). The recessed cylinder is there to protect the shooter and bystanders in case of a rim failure where brass or combustion gasses could caused injury. S&W started the practice on revolvers in the 1930's and the recommendation is to not shoot high speed .22's in a non-recessed chamber.

Centerfire cartridges have solid heads (at least modern ones do) and aren't prone to the same type of failure. S&W first offered recessed chambers in the 1930's on the Registered Magnum to set it apart from other guns and continued the feature on all magnums until the early 1980's. Colt never bothered doing it and I think it was more of a marketing tool then anything else.

Plus, the guns look better without that big gap behind the cylinder.

 

[dant]

my guess is its a combination of BOTH ,support as well as protect the rim itself, solves any and all issues .............

 

[Spotteddog]

All of the above...

 

[Big Cholla]

pownal55 and S&W chad have it right. It was to protect the shooter's hands from rear case rupture on early .22LR loadings and now since that is the way the public has seen revolver cylinders built from day one it is too late to change. .......... Big Cholla