Flame cutting is a destructive phenomenon that occurs in some firearms (usually

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

s) as a result of hot gases under high pressure. The most common manifestation is on the underside of a revolver top strap, where the hot, high-velocity gases released when a round is fired begin to cut through just above and in front of the cylinder. In most cases, this is self-limiting; eventually, the depth of the cut will place the undamaged material far enough away that the heat and pressure of the gas will have dissipated to harmless levels. This limiting tends to occur before structural integrity is compromised.

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