Ok, real life ballistic differences, 9mm, 380, 38 Spl +P, 357 Mag

[saturno_v]

The first two out of a 3" semi auto the other out of a 2" (or 1.7") revolver.

Defense HP loads.

9mm and 9mm +P 124 gr, 380 90 gr. 38 Spl +P and 357 mag 125 gr.

I do not have a chrono yet and I have been bitten by the snubnose bug....so what are the realistic differences of these loads out of the above mentioned firearms....ballpark idea of velocities??


Thank you!

 

[Panzerschwein]

Ever fire full power 125 grain .357 magnum from a 2" snub nose?

I can guarantee you that any ballistic advantage, if any, is going to be the least of your concerns. It's a handful, to say the least.

Oh, and by the way, .38 special +P with the right load will be every bit as effective but with much less recoil and muzzle blast.

 

[saturno_v]

yes I did fire 125 gr. HP out of a snubnose...no fun but doable...

 

[ColtPythonElite]

A full size steel .357 snub is no problem with .125 grainers.

 

[rswartsell]

^In my old Colt Lawman they weren't bad at all, but that is one heavy tank of a snubby. Not a good idea out of a Smith K-frame for forcing cone issues. So what are we talking here, Ruger 2"?

 

[gggman]

125 gr. hp's out of a 2" Ruger sp101 are snappy but manageable. I have fired many of those rounds out of mine. SP101's are built like tanks. I find those less punishing than 38 +p out of an alloy J frame.

 

[Hometeached1]

Can't help with the others as I don't own a pistol with that size barrel but out of my 642 and 1 7/8" model 64, I tend to get around 830-850 with Speer gold dot 135gr. +P and with Buffalo bore 158gr. +P I get the advertised velocity of 1000 FPS. Granted it has quite a bit more kick out of the 642, so I tend to only use it in the 64.

 

[sauer1911]

Ballistic differences, hmm.

Well If your standing on the receiving end of any of these, I would think there is really NO difference.

be safe

 

[gun_with_a_view]

If an attacker misses me with his 357, or I beat him to the punch, I can put eight .22 LR rounds from a 1-7/8 inch barrel J frame in his ear, up his nose and down his throat before he can recover from the recoil and blast of his weapon. Game over. Bigger is not always better.

 

[dancitizen]

I have personally seen people who got in the way of 9mm, .32, .380, 9x18, 7.62x25, and 45 acp. and have reviewed medical/necropsy reports on .38, .357, and .25

Most of the time the wounds were indistinguishable. A finger sized hole, if it exited the hole was usually thumb sized. JHP or FMJ often produce near identical wounds.

Every now and then a bullet will make a real mess, I saw the results of a .357 to the elbow and it was devastating, also a .45 round ball that hit a femur and made a very large exit wound.

7.62x25 and 7.62x38r always seems to exit, as does .32 acp FMJ out of a full sized pistol (common in europe) does as well.

The bottom line is that you need a bullet strong enough to get through their clothes, and to punch a hole. But beyond that? I am not convinced that there is a significant. repeatable, real world difference in terminal ballistics.

Does this mean I'd choose a .25 acp over a .45 acp? No way, I'm not stupid. But any of the rounds you listed should prove adequate and likely will not differ enough to be calculable.

If you've got the snubnose bug it seems like .38 (especially +p) has a long track record of making people assume room temperature.

 

[jmr40]

An 8" barreled 357 mag will shoot 125's to 1500 fps. As the barrel gets shorter you lose a lot. From a 4" barrel you are down to 1200-1300 fps. At about 3" and you are 1000-1100 fps and under 3" you are under 1000 fps. But as the barrel gets shorter the noise and recoil just get worse.

NATO specs call for a 124 gr 9mm bullet at 1200 fps from a 4-5" barrel. +P loads will be 1250-1300 fps so the better 9mm loads will do anything a 357 mag will do from a 4" or shorter barrel and lighter bullets. But with a lot less recoil and blast.

The 357 mag gives the option of using heavier bullets which in my opinion are the better choice, especially with barrels under 4".

38 Spl +P 125 gr will give around 1150 fps from longer barrels, but around 900 fps or so from snubby guns

380, around 900 fps or so with 85-90 gr bullets.

A good link.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/calibers.html

 

[Deaf Smith]

Ever fire full power 125 grain .357 magnum from a 2" snub nose?

I can guarantee you that any ballistic advantage, if any, is going to be the least of your concerns. It's a handful, to say the least.

Oh, and by the way, .38 special +P with the right load will be every bit as effective but with much less recoil and muzzle blast.

I agree. Very hard to control, especially one handed.

From the 3 inch barrel the .380 is still weak, .38 +p not bad, and 9mm also not bad.

I prefer to use Buffalo Bore 158 gr non-plus p in .38 snubs. Almost 900 fps from a 3 inch barrel. 9mm, +p+ Winchester 127 gr JHPs give over 1200 fps.

But the .380 is much weaker.

Deaf