jamesjames
Member
I've been shooting for 4 years, so I'm a relative newbie. Recently, I had an epiphany where I finally began to understand handgun barrel lengths and their general uses and was wondering if anybody ever ran across a useful guide like this for newbies or enthusiasts?
I want to put this out there just to get some feedback. My apologies in advance if I don't mention every possible application for a barrel of a certain length. Would this kind of information have helped you early in your process of learning about handguns? These are just general categories for the barrel lengths and their accuracy, your mileage may vary. Well, here goes:
Handgun barrel lengths and their uses:
Barrel length.................Description/type...................................................Effective range (tight groups)
2-inch and shorter.........Concealable for personal defense at close range .......................0-7 yards
3-inch .........................Kit gun, Bar B Q gun, utility gun for walking in the woods...........12 yards
4-inch..........................Service revolver or pistol (preferred LEO length).......................15 yards
5-inch..........................Combat pistol (preferred military barrel length).........................20-30 yards
6-inch and longer...........Target and Hunting.............................................................25-75 yards
In your reading and research you may have run across this information stated in a concise way. So far, I have not. I can't say that the information would have been helpful to me early on, but when I was starting out a knowledgeable friend gave me the general advice of 4-inch barrel length as a good, all-purpose gun and that was very helpful to me in the beginning. Understanding the difference between a combat pistol and a service pistol has been a personal revelation for me. I now understand that each barrel length has its specific uses. For me, anything over 5 inches is better done with a rifle.
I want to put this out there just to get some feedback. My apologies in advance if I don't mention every possible application for a barrel of a certain length. Would this kind of information have helped you early in your process of learning about handguns? These are just general categories for the barrel lengths and their accuracy, your mileage may vary. Well, here goes:
Handgun barrel lengths and their uses:
Barrel length.................Description/type...................................................Effective range (tight groups)
2-inch and shorter.........Concealable for personal defense at close range .......................0-7 yards
3-inch .........................Kit gun, Bar B Q gun, utility gun for walking in the woods...........12 yards
4-inch..........................Service revolver or pistol (preferred LEO length).......................15 yards
5-inch..........................Combat pistol (preferred military barrel length).........................20-30 yards
6-inch and longer...........Target and Hunting.............................................................25-75 yards
In your reading and research you may have run across this information stated in a concise way. So far, I have not. I can't say that the information would have been helpful to me early on, but when I was starting out a knowledgeable friend gave me the general advice of 4-inch barrel length as a good, all-purpose gun and that was very helpful to me in the beginning. Understanding the difference between a combat pistol and a service pistol has been a personal revelation for me. I now understand that each barrel length has its specific uses. For me, anything over 5 inches is better done with a rifle.