Further thougts on Munden & Frame Collapse

[SAAJim]

Guess I'll add my 2cents to the Bob Munden/Frame Collapse discussion.

I think Munden has a point about frame collapse though I think it's a poor choice of terminology. Look at where the bolt sits in the frame. Now imagine the hand moving the cylinder in fast draw or very fast two handed shooting in CAS. The bolt stops cylinder rotation at full cock but what stops the bolt moving sideways in the frame while the hand is still straining mightily to continue to rotate the cylinder? What stops it is the left side of the frame's bolt cutout and it is a very thin ledge. I don't do fast draw and I'm not abusive to my guns so I've never had a bolt slot enlarged from the pounding but can certainly see it as a distinct possibly from continued pounding of rapidly cocked SAAs. That bolt spacer provides a lot of additional support for the bolt and protects the frame slot from pounding. Another protection for the bolt/frame/hand/cylinder ratchet is something that I first saw on Captain Eagle's web site. A hammer stop that stops hammer movement right when the hammer reaches full cock. I then carefully adjust the 2nd shelf of the hand so that with the hammer hard against the hammer stop the hand will just move the cylinder into index.

A quote from Captain Eagle's web site - http://www.captaineagle.us/Home.html - for his Deluxe Action Tune-up:

"I install a hammer stop in the trigger guard which stops the hammer dead right after it engages the full cock notch. This eliminates the strain caused by the hand attempting to continue rotating the cylinder while it is locked by the bolt, springing the cylinder pin upward and generally trying to destroy a lot of parts. One of the best things about my tune-ups."

Jim

[RRio]

That is probably what Munden is talking about. I have also talked to Capt. Eagle aka Burt Mossman (SASS alias), about his hammer stop, which made sense to me, but being the "puritan" that I am about putting stuff on a gun that don't belong, I did not even consider it. But Burt is totally right and his stop does work.

Which only goes to prove, that the modern day gunslingers put these guns through more, than they did in the old days.