I don't reload and my question is ENTIRELY HYPOTHETICAL AND IS NOT TO BE ATTEMPTED
If we got fairly close to maxing out the powder loading in a .38, .357, or 9mm, would we gain anything really? Discounting a weapon functioning and the like, would having a round running at that pressure level be all that usefull? I'm of course assuming we've got a weapon capable of handling that kind of pressure.
I would think that the gain in MV would be offset by the massive amount of pentration you'd get from a small cartridge. I suppose if you could get them going fast enough to ensure fragmentation like a 5.56 round it might be worth it. Additionally the recoil would seem to be excessive, then again some folks don't think a .44mag is all that bad.
-Jenrick