Category talk:Revolver

About revolvers and ammunition types ....

Could someone explain why blackpowder revolvers can't fire smokeless ammunition? Yes, i know they are too weak to handle modern ammunition, but why are they too weak? Why can a modern Colt SAA reproduction fire smokeless ammo when an original vintage one cannot, aren't they basically the same gun? What part of the gun is changed to make it able to fire smokeless? Z008MJ (talk) 18:31, 14 November 2013 (EST)

You kind of answered your own question, the old firearms aren't considered to be strong enough to handle the added stress and force that smokeless cartridges make when discharged, certainly at least not in hard and/or long-term use. The reproductions made these days, while aesthetically similar to the classics, are made like modern guns, with modern materials and to stronger tolerances than the older stuff. Keep in mind the metalworking and manufacturing of firearms wasn't as good 100-150 years ago and therefore the guns just weren't as strong and durable as they are today. It should be noted that smokeless rounds are a great deal more powerful than blackpowder rounds. When smokeless powder came out, many gunmakers had to re-manufacture their weapons much stronger in order to handle it (Some might have been strong enough to handle it as is, but many makers wisely chose not to count on that). Jacketed bullets even came about because smokeless powder gave such a higher velocity and force that plain lead bullets would potentially disintegrate when fired. In the case of revolvers, generally if you discount modern steel/alloys and metalworking, the frame and cylinder would be thicker/heavier, as would the trigger, hammer and other internal parts.

Technically an old gun CAN fire modern smokeless rounds if the chambering is correct, but I wouldn't say it's a wise idea to try it, especially not with any serious shooting. StanTheMan (talk) 22:14, 14 November 2013 (EST)