Handgun Barrel Length ?

[Big Bill]

So, how much difference is there if one uses a .38 Special out of a 2" barrel revolver over a .380 out of a 2" barrel auto (My LCP has a 2.75" barrel.)? I've been concerned that I'm not getting the optimal performance out of some of my carry guns because of the short barrels. I'm thinking of just going to a 4" barrel as a minimum length just to insure the best preformance possible in my CC firearms. Is this a resonable conclusion to draw?

My

Ruger SP101 has a 3.05" Barrel

Ruger LCP has a 2.75" Barrel

These are my two main carry guns.

 

[John Wayne]

How much barrel length affects velocity varies greatly depending on the cartridge.

There is a plethora of information published by ammunition companies, gun writers, and ballisticians. Try googling it, people have been debating it for years.

Bottom line:

Handguns are all about compromise. If you want power, you carry a rifle. If you can't carry a rifle, you compromise and carry a handgun.

Handguns are poor substitutes for rifles; their appeal is that they are more easily carried. If your handgun is so big you don't carry it, then it is useless.

A 2" barrel will not give you the "best performance." A 4" barrel will not either, for that matter. Some cartridges make better use of the short tube than others, 9mm vs. .38 for example.

If you have the money, get both. Carry the larger guns whenever you can, and the smaller guns when you can't. I for one would rather have the small gun, with the poor ballistics and the 2" barrel, than the 4" gun I left at home.

 

[sheepdog]

...with modern ammunition, you can get better performance from a short barrel than even ten years ago...I like the new Gold Dot Short barrel loads...and the FBI load in .38 Spl...and the Nyclad's back out for the .38...I carry full-sized in my .45s...Ruger P90 and P97, but my backup's always the 2" Bodyguard .38...when I carry revolver primary it's a 3" .44Spl or 3" Ruger GP100...I'm just as confident with the 2" .38 as with the .45...because I can hit well with it...the extra 2" that a 4" offers doesn't interest me, though it will hit a bit harder...what you have now will do the job...these links may help...

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Feedingthe38Snub.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Making J Frame Work.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38 Snub Ammo Test.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Humble 38 Special.htm

 

[Big Bill]

Thanks you guys. My SP101 is kind of bulky; so, I am thinking of going to a Charter .38 special, because they are so light and my local gunshop has them on sale right now. But, they all have 2" barrels.

Sheepdog - I'll study your suggested articles and then decide. Thanks to both of you.

 

[Shadan7]

From John Wayne:

Bottom line:

Handguns are all about compromise. If you want power, you carry a rifle. If you can't carry a rifle, you compromise and carry a handgun.

Bingo. Because of our BBTI project (see my sig) I am often asked what is the "ideal" barrel length. There is no such thing - there are only good compromises that you make based on a variety of different factors.

I'll carry everything from a 642 to a full-sized 1911, conditions permitting. Sure, I'd love to have the performance of my .44 levergun, but I can't, and am not even going to get close to that in a handgun I'm willing to lug around. So, you make compromises based on other factors.

Jim D.

 

[John Wayne]

FWIW, I like a 3" heavy barrel in a small revolver. Not because of ballistics but because of balance, and it's the shortest length you can get with a full-length ejector rod.

With that said, my guns are 2" and 4." But some day I'll find that elusive Model 65!

 

[Steve 48]

I also like the 3 inch as a comprimise for concealment.

 

[Ghost Walker]

Ruger SP-101 with 3.06" barrel. Presently available in a remarkable new powerhouse of a handgun caliber. I think it's called a, (Wait! It's coming to me, ...... ahhh,) 357 Magnum!

This is my wife's carry pistol. It's stoked with full-house Speer 125 grain JHP's. She uses it very well.

 

[Old Fuff]

Unless you have side-pocket or ankle carry in mind, a 3 or 4 inch barrel offers some important advantages, but additional velocity isn't one of them. Yes, the bullet does go faster, especially out of the 4-inch length, but as a real life practical matter it only looks good on paper.

But the additional length will buy you a longer extractor rod, more forward balance, and a longer sight radiius. These things may not seem like much, but you'll notice a difference when you shoot them.

 

[Confederate]

I wouldn't own a Charter. Had one years ago and they don't hold up. They're okay for keeping in a drawer, but so are better guns.

As for barrel length, 4-inchers are fine. My 3-inch Ruger Speed-Six is one of my all-time favorites, though. Why anyone would want a K-frame Smith with a 2-inch barrel is beyond me, but the little J-frame is fine. (I always liked the little GET SMART guns on the TV series.) But big frame guns with snub barrels have generally been a turn-off. And the Charter Arms guns would go a few hundred rounds and then start binding.

Many new ammo loads are designed to do well in shorter barrels, but why would a 2.5-inch barrel be any more unwieldy than a 2-inch?

 

[Big Bill]

Well, after doing some research, I've decided to buy a Charter Undercover SS with a 2" barrel. I'll let ya'll know how I like it and how it shoots. I am buying it new for $289 from my local gunstore. I've already plinked down $30 to hold it till I pay in full for it mid week next week. I hope I am pleasently surprised.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[logical]

Keep in mind an autos barrel lenghth is measured differently than a revolvers. A 4" auto is more like a 3" wheelgun as far as effective length.

 

[BossHogg]

Refresh me on how the barrels are measured.

 

[jad0110]

Why anyone would want a K-frame Smith with a 2-inch barrel is beyond me

Well, if you get a good one that works and shoots accurately, what the heck. The short barreled guns do have one advantage in that their is less barrel for a BG to grab onto, though any BG trying to grab onto the barrel of my gun aint gonna like what happens next.

I do tend to agree that you don't sacrifice much comfort with longer barrels when carrying OWB/IWB. Though if you are sitting down a lot, the shorter barrel is just a bit more comfortable.

I guess it all depends on my mood, as to whether I carry my 2" or 4" K Frame. There is something about my 2" M15, I'm not sure what it is, that leads me to carry it more than the 4". It's just a sweet gun. And it will fit into my coat pocket, unlike the 4 incher.

So yeah, a 2" K Frame probably doesn't make the most sense, but I carry one anyway .

 

[Shadan7]

Refresh me on how the barrels are measured.

BossHogg, revolvers are measured from the forcing cone forward, semi-autos measured from the back of the receiver.

Jim D.

 

[btg3]

Laser sights on a snubby can help addresss a few of the short barrel issues -- especially shot placement, which ranks pretty high in discussions about compromising caliber & power.

 

[D!rty H@rry]

i dont see barrel length being an issue for the OP. .38 special pretty much kicks .380 in the nutz.

 

[MICHAEL T]

.38 special pretty much kicks .380 in the nutz.

Out of a snub they are very close in FPS The only real advantage of 38 is can shoot a bullet that weights more Top factory 380 is 102 grains 38 goes to 158 gr which equals more FT LBS ENERGY I trade a few lbs for more rounds and flatter pistol
Both still require shot placement .

New born yet again Charter Arms are suppose to be best of the lot. I have a old 44 spl bulldog Its still a good carry pistol.

 

[Big Bill]

Well, I just bought a very nice S&W 28-2 Highway Patrolman instead of the Charter. It's about 95%. The gun locks up tight and the trigger and action are very nice and smooth. Everything on the gun appears to be orignal and came with two speedloaders (no box). I paid me $440 - so how did I do? Don't hold back now.

It looks exactly like this one:



The actual pictures are here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=492500

 

[Archie]

Big Bill, excellent revolver; I'd have bought it if I had the chance.

They're not as easy to conceal as a Charter, but as has been mentioned, handguns are compromises.

One of the best hideout guns I have is a modified S&W M10. It started as a basic skinny barrel gun. The modifications are shortening the barrel down to just in front of the extractor rod lug (front sight remounted), removing the hammer spur and round buttting the frame. It fits in the front pocket of a pair of regular blue jeans.

Refresh me on how the barrels are measured.

BossHogg, revolvers are measured from the forcing cone forward, semi-autos measured from the back of the receiver.

If I may (and it doesn't look like anyone can stop me) Holstermakers measure revolver barrel length from the muzzle to the rear of the barrel, front face of the cylinder; autos are measured from the muzzle to the face of the breech supporting the rear of the cartridge. (Which is probably exactly what Shadan meant.)

Ballisticians measure barrel length from the base of the bullet in a loaded round to the muzzle. So a 'three inch' revolver has a longer ballistic effective barrel length than a 'three inch' autopistol. In fact, a 'three inch' autopistol effective length is three inches minus the length from the breech face to the base of the bullet. A 'three inch' revolver has an effective ballistic barrel length of three inches plus the distance from the front of the cylinder to the base of the bullet.

Someone is going to bring up the cylinder-barrel gap. Sounds like a problem for Ballistics by the Inch (BBTI). But remember to factor in the actual effective barrel length.

As a final note (for those who are still awake) about velocities; looking at the most excellent information published by the heroic and dedicated staff at BBTI, one notes in all instances for the .38 Special or 9x19 velocity data the load that registers highest velocity in the longest barrel also registers the highest velocity in the shortest barrel. So the idea of 'special loads' for short or long barrels is a pretty ephemeral concept.

 

[rmfnla]

FWIW, I like a 3" heavy barrel in a small revolver. Not because of ballistics but because of balance, and it's the shortest length you can get with a full-length ejector rod.

With that said, my guns are 2" and 4." But some day I'll find that elusive Model 65!

Well said, JW; IMHO balance is more important than worrying about a few fps.

I used to carry a nickled S&W Model 36 with a 3" bull barrel and Mustang grips. Couldn't do much with the DA trigger pull but that was a sweet CCW!

 

[Big Bill]

Thanks Archie - great comment.

 

[Shadan7]

Archie, thanks for the kudos! And you're right on the money about the cylinder gap question, which is our next project:

Announcing the Cylinder Gap Test!

We’ve had a Single Action Army clone in .357 magnum modified to allow for adjusting the barrel position from a standard 0.006″ to 0.001″ to no gap (barrel snug against the cylinder). We have a dozen or so different ammunition loads in .38/.357, and we’ll be essentially repeating the BBTI procedure for each of these, with the normal gap then the minimum gap then without any gap, starting with an 18″ barrel and going down in increments of one inch to just 1″ . Actually, one slight difference – to make sure we get a better statistical sample, we’ll be firing 10 (ten) rounds of each type of ammunition at each point rather than just 3 (three) as we did with the BBTI tests. Because we are limiting this test to just one caliber, we thought this was a reasonable step to take. We hope that this will allow us to conclude with some actual data what the effect of having a cylinder gap in a revolver actually amounts to.

We’ll probably be conducting these tests in the spring of 2010, and if past experience is any guide will have the new data sets available on the BBTI site sometime a couple of months later. We’ll keep you posted!

Jim D.