Cylinder fluting, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with strength. The chambers still have the same wall thickness at the thinnest point. If anything, the 7-shot cylinder would have the advantage over the 6-shot one because the locking bolt notches are between the chambers instead of on top of them.
S&W makes lots of L Frames with fluted 7-shot cylinders as well.
S&W makes lots of L Frames with fluted 7-shot cylinders as well.




















































