On Fri, 06 Sep 2013 12:38:17 -0500, Tim Wescott wrote:

It seems like it'd have a strong impact on the gun operation if it
sticks out the front of the cylinder, though.


Well, IIRC the Belgian Nagant gun used by the Russian Tzar Army (19th
century, mind you, and subsequently the Bolshevik revolutionaries) solved
the problem of blowout from between the cylinder and barrel by having the
bullet retracted into the cartridge, and advancing the cartridge slightly
upon firing so that the front of the cartridge entered the barrel and
sealed the gap:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagant_M1895