Revolver from Retention

[DirtyDan]

Dear Mas,

I've always been advised to keep hands and any bodypart away from the sides of the cylinder when firing a revolver to avoid the hot gases escaping out the side of the cylinder gaps, but how significantly harmful or dangerous is this blast really if say for example you were firing from a retention position and had the cylinder of the revolver against your body?

Seems like it could very likely happen is a close quarter self-defense struggle or a Woman in a Rape/Assault scenario and was just wondering if were talking just a little heat or major burns?

Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
Dan

[Mas Ayoob]

It's going to depend on how the gun is oriented to the body, and how powerful the given revolver is. With a .22 Short tight to the body and the shooting taking place in a nudist camp, I would be expecting nothing more than a little embedded gunpowder and a minor burn. With an Elmer Keith Memorial .44 Magnum handload and the barrel cylinder gap against the body, you could get a very severe flame cutting effect that could even open an eviscerating wound if that part of the body was right up against a morbidly obese shooter's abdomen.

When practicing retention shooting with the revolver, make sure the barrel-cylinder gap is ahead of the torso. To get an idea of flame cutting effect, buy a cheap piece of meat and drape it snugly over that part of the revolver, and fire into a safe backstop. Examine what it does to the meat.

Yours for caution,
Mas