Flame cutting questions

[annasophia]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk in .357 and like to play around with moderately hot hand-loads and cast lead bullets. Probably 80% of my shooting is cast lead from Bumble-bee and Laser-cast in .38 spl brass. I bought the gun used in about 90% condition, so it was fairly well used before I got it. It's quite accurate and probably about average on how tight it is with cylinder lock-up. The timing is still good from what I can tell. I've noticed some flame cutting on the top strap of the frame just above the barrel/cylinder gap. It's quite minor at this point (just a little indented line or divot) but I was wondering if it's anything to worry about. I didn't notice if I caused this or if it was already that way when I bought it second-hand. Do they tend to get worse with any particular type of load (ie, fairly hot loads, or lead vs. jacketed bullets, or particular powders etc.)?

 

[annasophia]

I also wanted to ask if blued steel vs. stainless steel tend to do this more?

 

[AGrizz]

Flame cutting will not have any detrimental effect on the gun in any way. You will wear out the barrel before anything else happens with the flame cut. It can go to about .020 deep and then it will stop.

The older .357 maximums were though to have an issue however even there it would stop at about .020 depth. Plus there were a few other things that entered into this issue with this caliber.

Blue guns will do this more than stainless. The stainless guns have more nickel in the steel. This and other metals are what make the material stainless to start with.

Just shoot the hell out of it and have fun.

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

If it bothers you, just avoid loads that combine a light bullet with a slow powder (like a 125 gr bullet over H110).

Hot load and light bullet is what aggravates it. Jacketed or lead do the same. Get into the 158 gr bullets and most any load won't give you that particular problem.

 

[pisgah]

I won't go so far as to say that flame cutting is a myth, but I will say that the incidence of flame cutting is grossly exagerrated. Here's how I reached that conclusion.

About a year ago I decided to do an unscientific survey on the subject. In the ensuing months, I attended six gun shows, and at each one I took the opportunity to examine every used revolver I could lay hands on. These ranged from guns that had obviously been shot very little to guns that had been shot so much they barely functioned any longer, .22s to magnums, blued to nickeled to stainless. I paid particular attention to the frame topstrap, where you'd expect to find cutting, and I carried a small pocket magnifying glass to help my examinations. In all, I am sure I have looked at well over 500 revolvers in that time.

I cannot say I have seen a single case of flame cutting. Oh, there were some oldtimers that began life in the final years of the black powder era that had pitting in the area, and many, many that had a thin line of built-up and plated-on lead that LOOKED like flame cutting -- but the application of a popsicle-stick "scraper" to these proved it was what it was, and not cutting.

My conclusion is that unless you shoot a super-mega-highpressure blaster like the .460, or at least the .357Max, or you shoot thousands upon thousands of maximum-level magnum loads, you have very, very little to worry about when it comes to flamecutting -- and even then, the lockwork is likely to be worn out long before any cutting reaches any level of significance.

 

[Lee Martin]

Way over-done, especially on the 357 Max. You may notice a cut but it doesn't weaken the gun. As noted, it tends to go so deep then stop.

 

[stantheman86]

Flame cutting does exist, I am not at home but I can take pics of a few of my Rugers with flame cuts.

You won't see it on many .38's, you're more likely to see it in .357's, .41 Mags and .44 Mags that, like was said above, were fired with light bullet magnums. I did however have a S&W 10-10 that was a LEO gun, that had slight flame cutting.

If you want to see flame cuts, look at LEO trade in .357's. 110 and 130 gr. .357's were popular due to the fact that they didn't overpenetrate.

It's just a little etching on the frame, some people make a huge deal about "flame cutting" but odds are, the stamping on the barrel that was done at the Ruger or S&W factory is far deeper than the flame cut under the top strap.

Shoot heavy bullets and you'll see little to no flame cutting. It's like cylinder turn lines, people go through great pains to reduce or avoid them, but they affect nothing and are part of normal use............I'm pretty sure guys like Bill Jordan didn't worry about flame cutting or turn lines and he's a legend to anyone who's heavy into wheelguns. It's the guys that shoot 100 rounds a year that stress about this crap lol

It's like people who make a big deal about some slight rust pitting on a used "working gun" hunting rifle, but then happily take it home and drill 1/8" deep holes in the receiver to mount a scope :?

 

[WESHOOT2]

To reduce flame cutting use a soft lead pencil on the top strap.
To eliminate flame cutting apply Brownells Action Magic II directly to the top strap.

 

[Dan in MI]

I have seen a few guns that were thought to have flame cutting and it was actually tool marks from the bbl threading tap.

 

[roaddog28]

Like others have said, flamecutting or gas cutting is self limiting. Loading light grain round with slow burning powders will increase flamecutting to a point. Then mostly likely you won't notice anymore.

I would pay attention more to your forcing cone. Shooting the 125 gr "flame throwers" will erode the forcing cone much sooner. That could mean at some point you will have too get a gunsmith to recut the forcing cone or replace the barrel. Watch your loading chart, powders etc. Here is what happened to a GP100 as a result of the person going to far.
Cracked forcing cone GP100.

Load: Hornady XTP over 22 gr. of H110 with a Remington 5 1/2 primer. Shooting 100 rounds a week for a year.
Regards,
Howard