Based on the data above, it appears that for subsonic loads such as 220 grain (where the .300 BLK really shines), barrel length can be an afterthought, particularly if you plan on using a suppressor. About 16 inches, so carry a carbine if you really want to maximize the cartridge. loads. Gel has similar organic properties to flesh and tissue and provides a similar resistance. The .357 Magnum basically doubles its kinetic energy when its fired from a carbine, and it almost earns a promotion to the Big Leagues of rifle ballistics. Anything longer is even more non-standard, and has diminishing returns, though still does offer velocity advantage. For real life use, the 4" is easier to shoot and control, at 5' as well as 50 yards over the 2/2.5" barrels. Author: John Haviland / Wolfe Publishing Co. You must be a subscriber to see the full article. Barrel length to realize the full potential of the 357 Magnum? I've read that after 16-18" the 44 will actually slow down. I couldnt measure their velocity from the revolver, because theyre so smoky and sooty that the flying particles gave false readings from the chronograph. Rifle dimensions for our 357 Threaded Barrel Blanks are .355/.349 with 6 lands and .125 wide. But first, the concepts will be discussed below, and data from Ballistics by the Inch and other various sources will follow. After all, the title is a fair warning of what is contained therein. You wont find one off the shelf, but I could take a standard 9mm barrel and find a good lathe operator to deepen the chamber. The Buffalo Bore 140 -gr. Colt Python. Its interesting that some folks who dispute the value of this article would waste their time reading it, let alone waste More of their time criticizing it. For maximum velocity with 5.56x45mm NATO, a 20-inch barrel will give the most velocity possible out of a common barrel length rifle. or just newbies to the field exploring a rich resource. Many will advise against bothering with subsonic loads using heavier bullets in a 5.56 firearm and instead opt for an AR-15 chambered in .300 Blackout, since it will have better muzzle energy due to much heavier bullets at the same velocities. The 9mm Luger has a muzzle velocity of 1,120 feet-per-second (fps), while the .357 Magnum touts a muzzle velocity of 1,240 fps, despite the fact that its bullet is 34 grains heavier. Its delightfully accurate, and has never choked on any loads 38 or 357. As if often the case, it depends what the user is looking for. Although that killing power number is based on published Winchester factory load ballistics taken in a 20" test barrel, a reasonable extrapolation might be a 16.5 inch .357 Magnum carbine still coming close enough to be about a third more potent than either the .30 Carbine or . Hollow point ammunition works only in a narrow velocity range. Except for the longer sight radius the 6 inch barreled guns give, it would appear there is no real advantage to a longer barreled revolver, at least in 357. For example, going from a 4" barrel to 7" (a 3 inch difference), every load got well over a 100 fps increase in velocity. The same load of H-110 shot a Sierra 140 . For a high-energy load, its probably better to shoot 158-grain bullets with their 500 fps of additional velocity. Yoga bolster Online Average Gr: 165. Sounds like youre the target audience for an article detailing why the 300 AAC Blackout rifle cartridge is ballistically superior and much more powerful than 9mm handgun ammo. 357 Threaded Barrel Blanks have a twist rate of: 1-12 for 6 and 11. The .357 Rem. Buffalo Bore also claims that their "Heavy" .357 Magnum hard cast 158-grain loads will produce 2153 fps and 1626 lb-ft from an 18 carbine. TTAG must be hard up for subject matter. 92 converted from a 32-20 Winchester . It has an 18 round barrel, weighs a little over six pounds, and holds 9+1 rounds. Note: If you're looking for absolute maximum range from something like an AR-15 platform, it may be worth considering cartridges like the 6.5 Grendel, .224 Valkyrie, and others. Velocity by barrel length for the 10mm Auto - Data from Ballistics by the Inch. Answer (1 of 12): Depending upon the powder and the bullet weight, you'll want a barrel in the 15-18 range [1] to maximize muzzle velocity. Most double-action revolvers chambered in .357 Mag. For a pistol cartridge that's moving. Average Energy: 528. With 21 grs. Actually its a pretty simple takedown compared to field stripping some handguns in my opinion. Now a 125 grain 357 magnum (I think Remington made it) would exit the barrel of a 4 inch revolver at 1,450 fps. he is just trying to say not everybody is as knowledgable as you. . And the .30-30 still dramatically outperforms these exotic .357s at longer ranges. From Firearm Wiki: The Internet Gun Encyclopedia, Best Overall Barrel Length for .22 Long Rifle, Best Overall Barrel Length for .300 Blackout, https://firearmwiki.com/index.php?title=Velocity_by_Barrel_Length_of_Various_Calibers&oldid=1654, About Firearm Wiki: The Internet Gun Encyclopedia. For uses other than big-game hunting, .357 Magnum carbines have other benefits which have nothing to do with ballistics. Likewise, semi-automatic or fully-automatic firearms will typically have lower muzzle velocity due to some of the propellant's energy being bled off into the gas system to work the action, and this can vary by individual firearm as well. Being that the cylinder is cut to accept a Magnum case, the .357 can also be loaded with .38 Spl. Velocity by barrel length for the .44 Magnum - Data from Ballistics by the Inch. The .357 Magnum basically doubles its kinetic energy when its fired from a carbine, and it almost earns a promotion to the Big Leagues of rifle ballistics. Korth Mongoose. If youll be doing your shooting at anything but short ranges, you should find a good load and stick with it. The first thought was to check on the differences between the handgun ballistics verses rifle ballistics. Shooting the 158-grain .38 Specials, the revolver clocked a leisurely 676 fps and 160 lb-ft. Some manufacturers offer Ruger 10/22 barrels at 21 inches in length. Since I had to eyeball it a little let's call it 3.5". After about 8 theres nothing left to gain from any longer barrel in 9mm. *Casing image above is an artist rendering and not a real photo of .357 Magnum (Rifle Data) Ballistics cartridge. Also consider the lesser-known .277 Wolverine, which is a bridge between the .223/5.56 and .300 Blackout, and uses the same .223/5.56 cases to load with. In fact, going from a 17 inch barrel up to 18 inches, actually LOST velocity in all but two of the loads, although the decrease was negligible. Velocity by barrel length for the .45 Super cartridge - Information is sourced from Ballistics by the Inch. It may be pretty weak sauce compared to more modern, high-velocity rounds, but it still gets the job done for most game at reasonable ranges. Capable of penetrating automotive sheet metal and early body armor, the .357 Mag. Post author: Post published: May 6, 2022; Post category: airport show floor plan; Post comments: . Consider that this is the basic setup of the U.S. military's former Mk 12 Mod 0 "SPR" (Special Purpose Rifle), which was said to have an effective range up to 700 meters. Cor Bon. With Remington 125-grain JHPs, the revolver got 1442 fps and 537 lb-ft. (Inch) / 0-0.6: This 357 Magnum ballistic chart shows 180 grain Federal Power-Shok jacketed hollow point . Frankly, I had been expecting more consistent terminal results with the .357 Mag. We do not recommend Re-Chambering 357 Threaded Barrel Blanks for a different round, for instance, changing 380 auto to 38sp. This project, and all of its results, is only our fault. Youd be better off with a rifle caliber rifle so you at least couldnt get your ammo mixed up. The 1:20 tests at 100, 200 and 300 yards proved that with a rifle length barrel, any commercially available bullet will . . Have a 44mag revolver, and two 44mag carbines. Average Gr: 142. Velocity/Energy/Drop. I suppose thats true with any handgun, regardless of caliber. load using the Barnes TAC XP bullet is a handful the highest velocities recorded. The second category is the snub nose revolver. Rifle Barrel Length: 18 Inches. Even a Mauser 98 is childs play to take apart and reassemble compared to any lever gun. Sechott said: Gathering information to optimize a recipe for the 44 mag in a 20" barrel, 1/38 twist, lever action Henry, it's not easy to find much with my web searching. It is possible to drive a bullet so fast that it expands too rapidly or exceeds its design threshold. and .38 Spl. cartridge, is no longer the choice for American police officers, but the combo is still a popular choice for hunting, sport shooting and personal defense. calibers/cartridges + The beauty of the snub-nose revolver is its ease of concealment and the choice to carry one over a larger handgun is likely based on carry comfort rather than terminal performance. Hunters and handloaders soon began experimenting with high pressure loads, trying to maximize the .38 Specials performance. The Model 1892 and Its Progress to the Alaskan Takedown. What does the group think or better have had experience with Speer 135 grain Gold Dot in a SP101 357 Magnum with a 2.25"barrel. The velocity was within about 5 FPS on a 5 shot average. Additionally, 125 grain 38 special +P (~1250 fps) hits point of aim at 25 yards with this zero. Lever-Action Rifle, Refining The Snub Gun: Smith & Wesson's 640 Pro Series, Taurus 605: A Pint-Size .357 Mag. The carbine got 2038 fps (!) The short barrel itself no doubt does present a challenge to ammo manufacturers, but this is something that can likely be overcome with a bit of Research and Development. However, that is an edge case and can mostly be ignored as it pertains to the topic at hand. An 18 .357 will hold 9+1 rounds, compared to the 6+1 of a .30-30 of the same length. I was also interested to learn about the different types of ammunition that are available. In that case, something like the Rugged Oculus with a potentially tiny length of only 3.25 inches could be an attractive option to keep the setup short. The parts are all very light weight. Velocity and energy slow to 1,458 and 660 at 100 yards, respectively. Buffalo Bore also claims that their Heavy .357 Magnum hard cast 158-grain loads will produce 2153 fps and 1626 lb-ft from an 18 carbine. Ballistic gelatin testing is one of the best methods available to assess a cartridges potential in a self-defense role. I would go with whichever one you shoot better. Through our .357s we fired the following loads: It wont be a surprise that an 18 carbine delivers substantially higher velocities than a 4 revolver firing the same cartridge. Such performance leaves the 10mm Auto, .38 Super and .357 SIG in the dirt by comparison. Although factory ammo is optimized for 6" barrels, a recipe for rifle length . I recently tested several .38 Spl. Try your best to avoid all obstacles to survive as long as possible. But not quite. Having shot some stuff with some stuff my observations have been a .4d4 mag and 3030 are pretty close in killing. Please know that we only recommend products we trust and have used ourselves. But not quite.. Even for self defense Id stick with 158s in a .357 rifle. So the differences for the 21/2 difference in barrel length were 136 fps, 144 fps and 153 fps . The revolver, and the .357 Mag. Right there with you Haz! The Remington website lists their 170-grain .30-30 at 2200 fps and 1827 lb-ft, and the shorty Trapper averaged a real-life 1986 fps and 1489 lb-ft: thats less than a 10 percent velocity penalty and an 18 percent energy penalty. Unique is a fast-burning powder; this light load was nearly consumed in the 4 revolver barrel so there was only a modest gain from the carbine. We have a number of ways you can help to support Firearm Wiki, including various affiliates. Velocity by barrel length data for the .38 Special - Sourced from Ballistics by the Inch. On the bull at 100. I have a Henry Big Boy Steel .357 leaning in the corner right now, ready to use if need be. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. Average FPS: 1294. This one cartridge, along with service revolvers from Colt, Ruger and Smith and Wesson, came to symbolize the American law enforcement officer. 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