What is this thing?

[Chilly Willy]

I borrowed and modified this pic from a post by Tony Fly on this site.



OK, real stupid question time.

I have absolutely no experience with real handguns. In revolver pictures, I usually (but not always) see this little thing on the left side, above the grip and behind the cylinder. It always seems to have a diamond/checkered pattern cut into it.

What is this called, and what is its purpose? I have a couple guesses, but they seem even dumber than this question.



Thanks.

[gnbrotz]

I'd call it the 'cylinder release'. Push forward slightly, and the cylinder will tilt out for easy loading/unloading.

[synergy]

Gnbrotz nailed it. Different manufacturers call it different things.

Thumb break, thumb latch, cylinder break, cylinder release, cylinder latch....all names for the same part, just depends on what made it (dan wesson, rossi, taurus, S&W, ruger, colt, etc)

[Chilly Willy]

Oh OK. That was quick, thanks for the answer.

[Pa. Patriot]

Push forward slightly, and the cylinder will tilt out .

Colt's pull to the rear

[thanker92]

I was told a long time ago that the only dumb and/or stupid question is the one that you don't ask.

[CG1492]

I was told a long time ago that the only dumb and/or stupid question is the one that you don't ask.

So was I, then the teacher made fun of me for asking a question in class then wondered why I failed the class and didn't seek help for not understanding the material.

[HSMaxim]

Colt's pull to the rear

Yep, and always seemed akward to me. Probably why I don't own a Colt revolver anymore.

[PennsyPlinker]

Colt's pull to the rear

And my Ruger Redhawk has a "press in" button. And if you come across a revolver that has none of these buttons, it is most likely a single action instead of a double action, which means you have to cock the hammer every time you want to fire it, as opposed to just pulling the trigger. SA revolvers load differently, but that is the subject of another post.

These boards are for education. None of us was born with this knowledge, and we all aquired it somewhere. If someone is going to ridicule you for asking a question like this, they are not worth your attention. When you come down for the shoot, we will make sure to show you the various actions and how they work.

[RocketFoot]

My Raging Bull actually has two cylinder releases! One in the front (pull down) and on in the rear of the cylinder (push forward) Makes it tough for one handed tactical reloads! LOL