Chuck R.
Member
Now to the semi-auto 9mm vs 357 Magnum snubbie. The S&W 640 below weighs in at 23 ounces, but has a smaller practical form factor than any 4" semi-auto. It is very easy to carry. For me to get close in effective size I would need to drop down to a sub-compact sized gun (GLOCK 26). I'm not sure what the velocity numbers are for BB ammo fired out of the G26's shorter 9mm barrel, but I would think it will be much slower than a similar weight 357 Magnum round out of a snubbie.
Edmo
Honestly not by much, for comparison according to one source:
S&W 640 5 rds of 357Mag
Length 6.6" for a 2.13" barrel
Weight 22.1 empty
Width 1.25”
Height 5.1”
My CCW: HK P2000 LEM 12+1 of 357SIG
Length 6.85" for a 3.66 " barrel
Weight 22oz empty
Width 1.3”
Height 5”
The HK P2K is effectively a compact, so the 640 is close to size to that. So between these two, you shave .25" in length, .05" in width, some weight due to 7 less rounds on board and you have slightly less than 50% capacity. Having fired both, the HKP2000 in 357SIG is easier to control in rapid fire (for me at least) and has similar MV with a 125 grain.
Chuck