Barrel lengths

[castmiester]

Close quarters /draws snubs… anything longer, why ? I mean l get snubs are for strictly self defense 7 yards. But 4 inch, 5, 6, etc…. Accuracy doesn’t really rely on 7 or better, from what l’ve been told.

[cwtebay]

I prefer 5.5" (PERSONALLY!!!).
My heavier revolvers are carried a lot more than they are fired. I like the look, they are accurate in my hands and they're not ridiculously long.
YMMV

Sheer curiosity - would you mind elaborating on the "180 days" you mentioned in a different post of yours?

[reddog81]

Longer sight radius makes the guns easier to shoot accurately.

[stubshaft]

Longer barrels give you a longer sight radius which improves accuracy and balance. Longer barrels allow more of the powder to burn increasing velocity. AFAIK - NO major competition (Silhouette, Olympics et al) have been won with a short barrel!

[david s]

If the pistols sitting in the house on a shelf the size and weight don't matter to me. If it's being holster carried, then a 4-inch revolver or a 5-inch semi auto are my limits. Anything longer barreled means the bottom of the holster hits the seat when sitting and jams the pistol butt into my ribs. Anyway, those are my outer limits for carry size. There are occasions where less is more and snubbies do have their place.

[Winger Ed.]

Longer sight radius makes the guns easier to shoot accurately.

^^^this^^^

You'll get more speed out of a longer barrel, but the distance between the sights is critical too.
Or more nearly, our ability to line them up.

If you clamp different barrel length guns down on a heavy duty rest, the group size will be almost the same.
For example:
Years ago, Ruger had a exabition shooter that popped common kid balloons 6 out of 6,
with a off the shelf/right out of the box, 2" GP 100 at 100 yards.

[lar45]

I like revolvers with 5.5" ish barrels. I have a 4" gp100 357 that is accurate and a joy to carry. My most carried and shot revolver has got to be my ss Ruger Blackhawk with 4 5/8" barrel in 45 colt
I do have a 10 BFR in 45-70, it weighs over 5# and sadly doesn't get carried much.

[castmiester]

Longer barrels give you a longer sight radius which improves accuracy and balance. Longer barrels allow more of the powder to burn increasing velocity. AFAIK - NO major competition (Silhouette, Olympics et al) have been won with a short barrel!

Increased velocity nothing to sneeze at.

[FLINTNFIRE]

All a preference of the shooter doing the shooting , short is handy for a hideout close in and yes I have shot snubbies at 50 yards and you can hit , but that being said a handy carry not to short not to long is great afield or packing for self defense .

Longer barrels shooting at targets and animals and gongs works with longer sight radius and a little more velocity , it is all what you feel feels right .

[M-Tecs]

ferent barrel length guns down on a heavy duty rest, the group size will be almost the same.
For example:
Years ago, Ruger had a exabition shooter that popped common kid balloons 6 out of 6,
with a off the shelf/right out of the box, 2" GP 100 at 100 yards.


I've only seen it done thee times in person. The steel plate is significantly larger that the ballon, Lead frags do the rest. This one with a little practice is very doable for the average shorter.

[Thumbcocker]

Increased velocity nothing to sneeze at.

Rule of thumb is 25fps per inch of barrel. My testing bears that out. I have shot deer with 7.5", 5.5", and 4 5/8" barrel length guns. They all died. My favorite hunting revolver is 7.5". My second favorite hunting revolver is 5.5" which I feel is a good compromise for where I live and hunt. As noted above barrel length is not a significant factor in mechanical accuracy, it is a factor in shootability.

[Thumbcocker]

I've only seen it done thee time in person. The steel plate is significantly larger that the ballon, Lead frags do the rest. This one with a little practices is very doable for the average shorter.

Very true.

[castmiester]

Rule of thumb is 25fps per inch of barrel. My testing bears that out. I have shot deer with 7.5", 5.5", and 4 5/8" barrel length guns. They all died. My favorite hunting revolver is 7.5". My second favorite hunting revolver is 5.5" which I feel is a good compromise for where I live and hunt. As noted above barrel length is not a significant factor in mechanical accuracy, it is a factor in shoot ability.

balance and sight radius

[rintinglen]

castmeister touches on another advantage of the longer barreled revolver: balance and by extension, handling. The longer barrel adds weight to the front which makes pointing the gun and keeping it on point easier. Especially in point shooting, the longer barrel makes hitting easier.

[delftshooter]

castmeister touches on another advantage of the longer barreled revolver: balance and by extension, handling. The longer barrel adds weight to the front which makes pointing the gun and keeping it on point easier. Especially in point shooting, the longer barrel makes hitting easier.

the extra weight is better for snap shooting as it tricks the brain into letting the muzzle hang lower when your shooting. yeah, you might hit lower then expected at 20 yards,, but hitting the target in the gut every time is preferrable to having mystery head shots.

[HWooldridge]

I like 4-5” for SD purposes; 7-1/2” for hunting. But it’s individual choice in the end…

The playing card exercise at ten steps is a good way to sharpen skills. Tack the queen of hearts to a fence post then back off and try your hand at quick hits. Harder than it looks…

[Bigslug]

Because a 5" S&W is just sexier? :mrgreen:

[LeonardC]

Long ago I tried barrel lengths on a pair of Dan Wessons, .22 and .357. Same frames, just changed to different barrel lengths on each caliber. I shot the 4" OK, the 6" was a LOT better, and the 8" was only about 10% better than the 6".

I use a mix of lengths; 4" for a mostly carry guns, 6" for carry and better accuracy (and more pleasant shooting), and 8" +- for best accuracy. Accuracy = my being able to hit the target, not necessarily the raw accuracy of the gun.

[dtknowles]

two or three inch to hidout, ccw. four inch, five max in a hanging holster if in and out of a vehicle. Five and Six inch seem to balance the best for me depending on barrel weight. Six to eight get better velocity and better sight radius (if not using a scope) on magnums. Ten inch for every last fps or just to be Mr. Buntline.

Tim

[Bigslug]

For added point of discussion, you need roughly a 3" or longer barrel in order to mount an extractor rod long enough to fully push out the entire length of a .357 case. . . not that anybody remembers how to combat-reload a DA revolver anymore, but. . .

Also, consider the days of having to deal with your problems from the back of a galloping horse. . .

. . .maybe with a cap & ball gun where the six you have is realistically the six you have. . .

. . .and the typically nonexistent amount of training. . .

. . .sight radius helps.

[dtknowles]

For added point of discussion, you need roughly a 3" or longer barrel in order to mount an extractor rod long enough to fully push out the entire length of a .357 case. . . not that anybody remembers how to combat-reload a DA revolver anymore, but. . .

Also, consider the days of having to deal with your problems from the back of a galloping horse. . .

. . .maybe with a cap & ball gun where the six you have is realistically the six you have. . .

. . .and the typically nonexistent amount of training. . .

. . .sight radius helps.

If you are on the back of a horse it pays to have 6 six shooters. One in each armpit, one on each hip and one on each side of the saddle. I think it was in "The Outlaw Jose Walles" Clint had one in each arm pit and one on each hip. Seemed like a good idea to me.

Tim

[cwtebay]

If you are on the back of a horse it pays to have 6 six shooters. One in each armpit, one on each hip and one on each side of the saddle. I think it was in "The Outlaw Jose Walles" Clint had one in each arm pit and one on each hip. Seemed like a good idea to me.

TimYou're right!! I have tried the "cavalry reload" mentioned in the army handbook from 1885 for the Colt SAA and can say I'm not proficient enough to get it done even at a lazy lope and no one shooting back. My #3 Smith and Wesson's are far easier to empty and reload from the back of a horse. However, losing 44 American brass hurt my soul and I still have no idea how the Russian diplomat was able to kill a buffalo with that or 44 Russian - it's hard enough with a 44 mag.
That said - I'm quite certain my forefathers were far more ingenious and talented than I.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[JSnover]

For most purposes I love 4"-6" barrels but for concealement (in my case) 3" is about the max, and even that's too much if I'm sitting.
With a true 'snub' you may as well use WC or SWC because the velocity just isn't there.
Shot Placement.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Longer sight radius, less muzzle blast, less muzzle rise/flip, usually less recoil(more weight), easier to handle.

[dtknowles]

You're right!! I have tried the "cavalry reload" mentioned in the army handbook from 1885 for the Colt SAA and can say I'm not proficient enough to get it done even at a lazy lope and no one shooting back. My #3 Smith and Wesson's are far easier to empty and reload from the back of a horse. However, losing 44 American brass hurt my soul and I still have no idea how the Russian diplomat was able to kill a buffalo with that or 44 Russian - it's hard enough with a 44 mag.
That said - I'm quite certain my forefathers were far more ingenious and talented than I.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

I think the buffalo hunt technique is to ride alongside the buffalo and put all six of those .44 Russian rounds right in his ear.

Tim

[Winger Ed.]

. My #3 Smith and Wesson's are far easier to empty and reload from the back of a horse.

That flip up & eject feature was a big design and sales feature.
It was all about reloading while on a horse. I think they even had 1st generation speed loaders for them.

Sort of like the slides on early Colt automatics, like the 1903 that later became the 1911.
It had those hand grip serrations on the front of the slide for the same reason.

In its day, saving brass for reloading them wasn't a big deal.
For anybody reloading them back then, it was like us now with .38Spec.
If you lose a few, it's no big deal.

[georgerkahn]

For added point of discussion, you need roughly a 3" or longer barrel in order to mount an extractor rod long enough to fully push out the entire length of a .357 case. . . not that anybody remembers how to combat-reload a DA revolver anymore, but. . .

Also, consider the days of having to deal with your problems from the back of a galloping horse. . .

. . .maybe with a cap & ball gun where the six you have is realistically the six you have. . .

. . .and the typically nonexistent amount of training. . .

. . .sight radius helps.

And to "deal" with a galloping horse, Ruger issued their ubiquitous Vaquero in a short-barreled version they call the Montado. Their blurb includes, "single-action revolver that meets the needs of cowboy mounted shooters" which is accomplished by it sporting a 3 3/4" barrel. Both in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum -- you can read the blurb in its entirety at: https://ruger.com/news/2007-04-12f.html. Again, Ruger professes the Montado -- short barrel length -- was "designed especially for cowboy mounted shooters."

[country gent]

Also back in the day the mounted troops were wearing gloves that didnt help with the reloading of the revolvers. The fastest reload is another gun.

An old member of the club would say longer barrels arnt more accurate they are EASIER to shoot accurately. Out of the ransom rest Ive gfotten very good groups with short barreled pistols. (2-3") but sight alignment follow thru and technique are critical to do this.

[Baltimoreed]

2-3 inch for self defense, 4-6 inch for field carry and 6-7.5 inch for target work. Just bought a 7 inch barrel for my M41 Smith and a 7.5 inch barreled Officers Model Colt .38. But the trigger and sights have more to do with breaking a good shot than barrel length. Imo.

[georgerkahn]

2-3 inch for self defense, 4-6 inch for field carry and 6-7.5 inch for target work. Just bought a 7 inch barrel for my M41 Smith and a 7.5 inch barreled Officers Model Colt .38. But the trigger and sights have more to do with breaking a good shot than barrel length. Imo.

Interestingly, Dan Wesson came out with their Pistol Pack -- I think (?) in the mid-1970s which sported four different barrel lengths which owner might swap on this revolver -- offered in .357mag and .22. Waaay back I bought one which was missing its four inch barrel. I rang many, many distributors as well as Dan Wesson to find one, and I still recall many hopeful suppliers telling me that they took several in trade, with most having ONLY the 4' barrel as being used. It seemed strange at the time that, "why would you buy one with four different barrel lengths and then only use one?" Whatever -- apparently for at least this revolver -- the four inch barrel was most owners choice.

[justindad]

3”-5” is my carry range. Less than 3” gives up too much velocity and gives me nothing for portability. The grips are the big item once you get under 4”. Not that I would prefer a rock to a 2” .38…

[MT Gianni]

I used to use 4 oz hammers in my work for peening orifices, I also had a few 4 lb single jack hammers. Different tools for different purposes. I gather you don't hunt with a revolver is all I have to say.