Warning for shooter of lighweight revolver, esp. LCR

[Greybeard]

During a private class today, a doctor and his wife were trying out our new Ruger LCR (Lightweight Compact Revolver). They had brought their own ammo: Fiochi 158 grain FMJ (which was all they could find locally). The lady got off 5 rounds sucessfully, but did not like the recoil and was promptly "done with that one". I had just gone from the range to office to get some 130 grain bullets for her to try and left them alone for the husband to try a few rounds with it. When I got back to the range, he had fired 2 rounds and the gun was locked up. Round #3 had jumped the crimp to the point that cylinder would not turn or open. It appears that the bullet will have to be forced back into the casing about 1/8" to get the cylinder open. It's been a looooong day, so I just put the LCR away and will "deal" with it when more time ... Anyhoo, for those think the revolvers are always "5 for sure", that ain't necessarily so ... Murphy is alive and well.

[longtooth]

Strongly agree Greybeard.
Not long ago I was doing a training cession & a Taurus 85 failed too. Something in the chlinder release broke & it would not open. It did get the 5 for sure but then was a rock.

Revolvers can fail too.

[MoJo]

Bullet jump is a real danger in lightweight revolvers shooting heavy bullets. In lightweight .357 Magnum J frame Smith and Wesson and Taurus revolvers bullets over 125 grains are not recommended. I won't carry or shoot 158 grain ammo in my .38 Taurus ultra light.

[Greybeard]

Conversely, stamped on the barrel of my "old" 340PD is "No less than 120 GR bullet". When I got it years ago, per text in S&W owners manual, IIRC, I tested 8 types of .357 ammo. 5 out of 8 slipped enough to never lock up the cylinder, but certainly be of concern to limit what I fed it.

[wheelgun1958]

My aluminum J-frame will NEVER stovepipe.

[casingpoint]

As I recall, the general consensus on this issue is to shoot only jacketed rounds from the ultra lightweights to avoid bullet creep.

[Liberty]

I am not sure I understand what is happening. The bullets are separating from the brass case?
I

[MoJo]

The recoil causes inertial pulling of the bullets. The light gun recoils so heavily that the bullet is jerked out of the case like in a hammer type bullet puller.

All guns do this to a certain extent that's the reason for crimping the bullet. The light weight snub nose guns just do it worse than most. I had a S&W Model 13 .357 magnum that would lock up if I didn't crimp my reloads hard enough.

[couzin]

The recoil of the lightweight guns like the Airlite and other titaniums causes the bullet to slip out of the casing a little ('jump crimp') on each round fired, and eventually protruding far enough forward to interfer with the cylinder rotation - thus 'locking up'. Heavier bullet weights are said to be cure - but, some ammo makers still use a light crimp on them and you can still get bullet creep (jumping crimp), especially on lead rounds because the crimp is necessarily 'light'. A (heavier) jacketed round is better because the crimp is tighter. One should always fire a bunch of the rounds that will be your defensive round out of the light revolvers just to make sure there is no creep. Do it like the manual says, fire four rounds, remove the unfired round and check the length against one from the fresh box. I use Speer Gold Dot 135gr with no problem out of my S&W 360PD for defensive carry. I have shot WWB .38 for range time without any creep - but, one should also check other .38 rounds (esp. defensive, jacketed, or lighter grain) for creep as well because a shorter round could creep almost out of the casing in the .357 chamber and could create a problem if the round is fired but doesn't have sufficient pressure to push it out of the barrel. Might not be aware of it until you fire the next round.

[WildBill]

The recoil causes inertial pulling of the bullets. The light gun recoils so heavily that the bullet is jerked out of the case like in a hammer type bullet puller.

All guns do this to a certain extent that's the reason for crimping the bullet. The light weight snub nose guns just do it worse than most. I had a S&W Model 13 .357 magnum that would lock up if I didn't crimp my reloads hard enough.

It's simple physics - conservation of momentum. With a good grip on lead bullets, I haven't had any issues. With jacketed bullets, I recommend a bullet with a cannelure. I believe that it allows for a better crimp. YMMV.

[The Annoyed Man]

Hmmm... I carry Golden Sabre +P 125 grainers in my 642, but the practice ammo I have on hand is 158 grain soft points. They shoot just fine - although they beat the snot out of my hand.

[casingpoint]

The Airweights apparently don't have this bullet creep problem. I've never had any issues with my 637. The alloy Airlite guns are about 2ounces lighter and, man lemme tell you, they certainly have much more felt recoil shooting the same 130 grain practice round. It's almost violent by comparison.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if there are any potential creep problems with the 357 rounds though an 18.5 ounce scandium/aluminum alloy Mountain Lite.

[WildBill]

The Airweights apparently don't have this bullet creep problem. I've never had any issues with my 637. The alloy Airlite guns are about 2 ounces lighter and, man lemme tell you, they certainly have much more felt recoil shooting the same 130 grain practice round. It's almost violent by comparison.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if there are any potential creep problems with the 357 rounds though an 18.5 ounce scandium/aluminum alloy Mountain Lite.

Since the .357 Mag cartridge is longer than the .38 Special, I wonder if creep is as much of an issue.

[casingpoint]

Maybe most 357 MAG SD ammo is jacketed, so it might not be a problem.

[Greybeard]

salty1 came out this morning with a solid rod, tapped the bullet back down and had the cylinder open while I was tied up with arriving students. I'd e-mailed another buddy who had recently bought an LCR and (all that he could find) Fiochi 158 grain ammo (4 boxes). He'd fired 25 rounds successfully on Saturday. He came out again today and fired the rest of that box without any issues ...