357 Snubbie, here comes the BOOM! (and fire rings)

That's really cool. I get something similar out of the Coonan with 158g JHP and 16.5g 300-MP. It's great fun.

Very nice, now it just needs to be ported!

That's just plain cool.

Only slightly off topic but I remember reading of one of the 19th century African big game hunters had a 7.62 broom handle Mauser pistol. The indigenous folks called it "boom boom". It was their belief that the bullet made a hole so that the fire from the muzzle could get inside the body and kill it.

That there is a very lethal round by their standards...

My Smith and Wesson Snubbie I had in the 1980's did the same thing.

Do you boys not see the downside of that? Any .357M fired from anything less than a 3" barrel is just so much wasted energy. Not to mention the blinding flash and uncontrollable recoil. One of my favorite revolvers used to be the 2.5 inch Model 19, or the newer 66. But firing in subdued light changed my mind. Why handicap yourself with the undesirable characteristics of a .357 from a short barrel when a .38 +P would serve so much better. It's true some velocity with any given bullet weight is gained in the .357, but the inherent horror mentioned above makes it a much less desirable and effective weapon compared to a .38.

Yep, that's off topic, but whoever sees a "cool" factor in wasted energy is not thinking praaftically.

Me thinks it's fun big big boom lots of fire fun fun fun.


Yes but there is a trade to everything if you use +p .38 special rounds it has been proven scientifically over and over again that it is inadequate for producing enough Fun Factor (FF) to get the job done.

FF is expressed in terms of big balls of billowing fire and rings accompanied by a huge explosion. Tests have proven over and over again that the lower pressure .38 special rounds produce significantly less FF than the more powerful rounds.

FF is also a function of barrel legnth. I have been proven in various "tests" that shorter barrels especially when loaded with magnum rounds often produce signifcantly larger amounts of FF.

There you go so you see it's has been scientifically proven to be a fact.

So the little fireball from my CCI minimags in my Ruger MK II mean I should only use them in a 22 rifle? Having FUN now & then is...........fun.

short barrel said:

Do you boys not see the downside of that? Any .357M fired from anything less than a 3" barrel is just so much wasted energy. Not to mention the blinding flash and uncontrollable recoil. One of my favorite revolvers used to be the 2.5 inch Model 19, or the newer 66. But firing in subdued light changed my mind. Why handicap yourself with the undesirable characteristics of a .357 from a short barrel when a .38 +P would serve so much better. It's true some velocity with any given bullet weight is gained in the .357, but the inherent horror mentioned above makes it a much less desirable and effective weapon compared to a .38.



Yep, that's off topic, but whoever sees a "cool" factor in wasted energy is not thinking praaftically.

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Who are you to say what is a waste to someone else?

Also 38+p would not serve as well. There is no 38+p load that will keep up with a full house magnum handload when shot from the same length barrel.

So, because the muzzle flash is too much for YOU and it's uncontrollable for YOU doesn't mean that it is so for everyone.

but the inherent horror mentioned above makes it a much less desirable and effective weapon compared to a .38.

Yep, that's off topic, but whoever sees a "cool" factor in wasted energy is not thinking praaftically

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Less effective than a 38??

No.

My little sp101 (2.25in) will shoot medium/hot 125grn XPB's at 1250fps, and the recoil is not "uncontrollable"

I think you should do more research.

Cool pictures thanks for posting them.

short barrel said:

Do you boys not see the downside of that? Any .357M fired from anything less than a 3" barrel is just so much wasted energy. Not to mention the blinding flash and uncontrollable recoil. One of my favorite revolvers used to be the 2.5 inch Model 19, or the newer 66. But firing in subdued light changed my mind. Why handicap yourself with the undesirable characteristics of a .357 from a short barrel when a .38 +P would serve so much better. It's true some velocity with any given bullet weight is gained in the .357, but the inherent horror mentioned above makes it a much less desirable and effective weapon compared to a .38.

Yep, that's off topic, but whoever sees a "cool" factor in wasted energy is not thinking praaftically.

Click to expand...

what does wasted energy have to do with punching paper at the range??? I never understood people that do not enjoy shooting guns. The vast majority of my guns are for nothing more than enjoyment.

Also your login name in Short Barrel and you are talking to others about wasted energy?

Those pictures of the fire rings are awesome!

Cool pictures, yes they are big fun. You should try a 44 mag snub, its even BIGGER FUN. Some people just fear the noise and flash.

Very hot pics, for sure! Enjoyed them a lot. Thanks for sharing.

My '58 Remington makes a fireball you can feel on your knuckles with a full load and it blows smoke rings too!
Such cool Pix!
Thanks!
ZVP

ShortBarrel said:

Do you boys not see the downside of that? Any .357M fired from anything less than a 3" barrel is just so much wasted energy. Not to mention the blinding flash and uncontrollable recoil.

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But Short Barrel, don't you see the upside of that? Even if you miss someone at that distance, the fireball would light them up like a Roman candle! We know from our fancy chronographs that .357s still do very well from short barrels. Muzzle flashes have not been tested for their psychological effects on people being shot at (as far as I know), but I'm willing to bet that whether you're a cop or a bad guy, someone shooting at you with heavy blasts is going to rattle you. There have been many gun fights where both sides have missed each other from just a few feet away; but imagine being caught in a muzzleblast from a 2-inch .357. You're hit with a virtual wall of fire and sound from all that "lost" energy.

Having said that, while 2.5-inches is my lower limit for a .357, I'm more than a little miffed that Ruger has trimmed down the barrels of their LCRs to 1.78-inches. No one should ever go below 2-inches when designing a gun, and I prefer 2.75-inches. That will still get you a respectable blast of fire and sound.



The late, great Ruger Security-Six, with a respectable 2.75-inch barrel.



Ruger's Speed-Six with a 3-inch barrel and its SP-101, with a 2.5-inch barrel. Either will singe your eyebrows off at four feet!



The only reason that Rossi's M-88 barrel is a soul-satisfying 3-inch barrel and S&W's .38 Model 60 has a shortie 2-inch barrel is because the M88 is an import.



Rossi's 3-inch revolver (top) and Ruger's 1.78-inch LCR.

.

I agree cool pics . Who cares about wasted energy when you are just having fun? I thought that was the theme of the thread.

Now, what I'd like to see for the ultimate fun factor would be nighttime shooting of the "Mosin Nagant Pistols" - the sawn off "Obrez" that were used by the Boleshevik revolutionaries before they took hold of the armories.

THAT would be mega fun factor.

What?!!! I can't hear you!!!


S&W M60, 357 Magnum 1 7/8" barrel, 5 shot, SS
BuffaloBore Ammo

You guys need to buy a bunch of fireworks. Seriously.

I don't buy fireworks. I buy ammo.

ZVP said:

My '58 Remington makes a fireball you can feel on your knuckles with a full load and it blows smoke rings too!
Such cool Pix!
Thanks!
ZVP

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I've also heard 60 grain loads fired from a Walker Colt are something to behold at twilight!