How to load a revolver with ammunition

The following weblog will illustrate how to load a standard revolver with ammunition. Even though the revolver used in the illustrations is an old .38, the information presented applies to all modern revolvers.

The first step in loading a revolver is to open the cylinder as mentioned before in a previous blog entry. Once the cylinder is open, tilt the revolver down slightly as shown in the photo below.



From there, drop in a cartridge of ammunition into one of the open slots in the cylinder as shown in the photo above. Different revolvers will have different numbers of available slots.

Continue to drop in cartridges in the open cylinder as shown in the photo below. Once the slots in the cylinder are full, you can proceed to the next step.




NOTE : You MUST use the correct ammunition for your revolver. .38 caliber revolvers only use .38 ammunition only. .22 revolvers use .22 ammunition only. .357 revolvers use .357 ammunition, but can also use .38 ammunition. And only newer revolvers can use ammunition specially designated as +P or +P+. Check with your local firearm dealer if you are not certain what ammunition your revolver uses. DO NOT LOAD AMMUNITION INTO YOUR REVOLVER IF YOU ARE NOT CERTAIN IT IS THE CORRECT TYPE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL

Once the chamber has been loaded with cartridges, press up on the chamber so that it moves into the frame of the revolver. Continue pressing until it "clicks" into place. You may also wish to move the cylinder slightly up and down once it has "clicked" into place to make certain it is seated properly. Once you close the cylinder on a revolver two or three times, you will know by feel when it is set in place.



In the movies, you may see actors snap their revolver chambers shut with a flick of their wrist once they are loaded with ammunition. This is a great way to send your ammunition flying out of the cylinder, and is also a great way to damage a firearm's internal mechanisms. Don't waste your time with it.

The revolver is now loaded. You can see a cartridge in the open space near the rear of the cylinder.



And, as always, remember the four rules!

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