Hi, Dpris,
I was, of course, being a bit sarcastic, so I will add
to my previous post.
Seriously, though, I am wondering about your description of the cylinder beating on the hand and shortening it. You seem not to be talking about normal wear on the hand from rubbing against it to turn the cylinder or on the lower finger to hold the cylinder against the bolt, but from something that happens when the gun is fired, and I can't quite envision that. The cylinder isn't turning, so the ratchet tooth can't be beating on the hand. And the cylinder can't be moving back, since the ratchet hitting the frame stops the cylinder. (Actually not that much since the cartridge case moves back under pressure and only friction pulls the cylinder along.)
Any rearward pressure on the hand is absorbed by the rebound lever, which is pressing the hand forward. There is nothing else that stops the hand or would act as an anvil to allow anything to beat on or distort the hand in that way.
Jim