does barrel length in a 44 mag revolver have a huge effect on performance?

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member

does barrel length in a 44 mag revolver have a huge effect on performance?
BTW Id point out the movies like "good bad and the ugly" may make the use of a single action colt revolver,
or similar handgun, look impressively lethal, but its outdated technology.
but thats 100 plus year old technology, no one in his right mind would use one today, for personal defense against human predators.
or for anything related to defensive use , where you might require rapid repeat shots, sure you can hunt with one but even there its less than ideal.
I suppose the answer to suggested barrel length you select, partly depends on what your trying to accomplish,
I doubt variations of a 100 plus fps velocity or penetration maters much if you shoot paper targets at 15 yards.
you can assume you get 35-50 fps added for each added inch of barrel over 4"
without watching 2 seconds of the video, I can tell you from decades of experience that barrel lengths under about 4"-5" are preferred for concealed carry, but for hunting where concealment is useless a 7"-10 barrel makes more sense as it adds velocity and sight radius
and an external chest or shoulder holster is preferred by most hunters
when your referring to a gun chambered in 44 mag, both commercial and handload ammo, velocity varies between brands and models
shorter barrels do tend to significantly reduce projectile velocity and shot to shot velocity consistency a great deal compared to the more common 7.5"-8" revolvers.
especially with use of the slower burn rate powders like 296, 2400, blue dot and H110, and burn rates vary
and as a result accuracy tends to be reduced.
powders like those listed here above, tend to give much more consistent results, with barrels longer than 5",
but from lots of experience, I've seen barrels in the 6"-10" range are much more consistent,
with slower burn rate powders and these benefit you with barrels over 10" with added velocity,
while powders you might like for target work at low velocity like "unique" red dot, etc, do work better in shorter barrels.
obviously manufacturing tolerances' vary as does quality between brands/models.
after watching the video, it shows he's getting better and more consistent velocity's than I've seen with the shorter barrels





more than a few guys I hunt with vastly prefer a pistol caliber carbine over a handgun,
(most just find its a hell of a lot easier to hit well consistently with a carbine than a handgun,)
mostly because few handload and practice frequently

burnrate1801op.png



yes, most pistols ARE rather anemic , while I consider the 10mm near ideal for human predators, its not my first choice for hunting or bear protection,
I, but I've shot and own both a 445 DWSM and a 500 S&W, rather frequently over the last few years.
and, in the years past, with proper hard cast handloads Ive shot completely through an elks chest , with just a 44 mag,
both those handguns ,more powerful handguns,
have a considerable increase in power/penetration , over the 44 mag 10" barrel ' revolver i hunted with for decades, as it throws a 310 grain bullet at about 1379 fps
so I have no doubt they would prove perfectly adequate with good shot placement
the 445 dwsm throws a 330 grain hard cast at 1500 fps, the 500 mag throws a 480 grain at 1400 fps easily, both shoot through a rather amazing amount of that ballistic gello in videos, both easily shoot though more than 60 inches


1/2in holes!

I always heard anything worth putting a hole into, is worth putting a big hole in! Local gun store had this XIX brushed chrome Desert Eagle in .50AE for a price i could not pass up.
garage.grumpysperformance.com


445 dan wesson revolvers

YOULL NEED TO SHOOT A GREAT DEAL TO GET THE NECESSARY PRACTICE, its that frequent practice and hand loading that significantly reduces ammo cost, THAT MAKES THE 445 REALLY EFFECTIVE IN YOUR HANDS, CASTING YOUR OWN BULLETS SIZED EXACTLY TO THE THROAT/BORE SIZE HELPS, AS DOES THE COST SAVINGS...
garage.grumpysperformance.com
 
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