Short-Barrel Ammo in your Short-Barrel Pistol?

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Commander Keen

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Good choice, IMO.


Yes. Hornady Critical Defense 115gr is specifically DESIGNED for short barrel guns, per Hornady's web site. If you search hard enough, you can find Gold Dots for shorties too...just not as commonly and easily found.
I've been looking for .45ACP short barrel rounds for a long time with no luck.
 

druryj

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It would be interesting to see a comparison between say...Regular Gold Dot 124 and Short Barrel Gold Dot 124 out of the same short barreled gun. I really wonder if there would be any significant difference? Right now, I can buy a box of 50 Regular Gold Dots for $29.95 at SGAmmo.com and a box of 20 of the Short Barreled Gold Dot is priced at $18.95. If there is any significant difference out of our test gun, is that difference worth the increased cost for the short barrel ammo? I mean, if you put your shots on the target in the right place, is it gonna matter? Or is short-barrel ammo more of a marketing thing to make us feel like we are giving ourselves an edge?

I just don't know.

Now, if the price per pound was the same, then why not go with something designed for a short-barrel? But if it turns out there's not enough difference in them to warrant the added cost, why bother?
 

druryj

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Cowcatcher

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You've definitely got me thinking about this since I carry a k6s 357 and my wife carries an airweight 38spl+p. Off to YouTube it looks like.
 

davek

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When I shot both the SB Gold Dot and regular Gold Dot 124 gr 9mm out of my PPS my opinion was the the SB had less muzzle flash. This was at an indoor range with relatively low light. Just an opinion though, no objective measurements.
 

Shadowrider

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I searched for an answer to my own question in #23, and here it is. Of course, this is just one test...but the bottom line in this test is there was no significant difference between them out of a 3" barrel.
https://www.full30.com/watch/MDA1MzA1/ammo-quest-9mm-gold-dot-124-grainp-regular-vs-short-barrel

Whodathunkit?
Don't know about 9mm or other loads, but the Speer GD .38 Special +P 135 grain short barrel load is a totally different animal than their 125 grain +P "regular" load. Aside from bullet weight the 135 is specifically designed for expansion at lower velocity.
 

druryj

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Don't know about 9mm or other loads, but the Speer GD .38 Special +P 135 grain short barrel load is a totally different animal than their 125 grain +P "regular" load. Aside from bullet weight the 135 is specifically designed for expansion at lower velocity.

I am guessing it’s mostly a matter of bullet design here; considering that you get a trade off between penetration and expansion. I’m pretty sure Speer factored that in, and if they say that it is a good load for a snub, I’d be more than fine with carrying it. My expectations out of a 1 7/8” barrel aren’t much, compared to a 4 or 5” barrel, but then the old snub nose .38 Special’s actually been getting the job done for decades. Myself, I kinda like wad cutters as a defensive round for snubbies. The heavier the better too. But alas, at the moment, I am wadcutterless, so I’ve got Hornady Critical Defense in my J Frame now, and I think that’s okay too.


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