Shorter barrels? Something to think about!

Lots of confirmation bias for me watching that video; I already loved 6" barrels for that extra bit of velocity, whether 1911 or any other make.

I am building a 7". Will post up when done.

A .451 hole ought to do the job just fine.

The 45 will lose about 30 fps when going from a 5" barrel to a 4" or 4.25" barrel. The velocity drops off a bit more radically after that. A 3" barrel will lost about 130 fps, the 3.5" barrel probably around a 110 fps loss. Select your ammo accordingly. I like +P 200 grain for barrels less than 4".

The other issue @Vortec is the smaller barrel is attached to a smaller slide and +p doesn't play well with itself in those guns nevertheless the increase need to control it.
This diminished affect is one reasons a 9mm snub revolver works more affectively than a 357. The same affect of a massive 357 jars the crap out of your hand whereas the 9mm won't in comparison.

I like 5” barrels because I like the looks better and the longer site radius for irons. For self defense purposes though at the distance you are likely to engage, the loss of muzzle velocity isn’t that important. Conceal-ability is more important IMO.

@Roehl I like your point but would modify it a slight bit. I think when the bullets are flying it is not about the concealed aspects. Concealablity is good when you can access it smoothly (practice of course) but the defenders ability to move from the original contact area once the rounds start flying and the ability to hit the target.

With all the different nuances that surround a gun fight, the adrenaline dump, the body and mind's ability to function even under duress and injury in combination to external factors of other people, loved ones, schools...

Speed, caliber, age and arthritis, eye sight, seasons. We compromise on many factors and one we give up on is that speed due to more want to blend in and be grey. We have all thought about this and have made our peace with what we have chosen. If it becomes reality, may your rounds be true and may cover find you and yours.

I have a Detonics (1980) and a C&S Adventurer (1997). Both work well and are plenty accurate but they work hard. Fast cycle times, plenty of recoil and muzzle flash but they do carry well.

My preference is nothing shorter than a Commander length slide now. These carry very well.

Jim

I choose my CCW pistol based on overall size, thinness, weight, and capacity. I tend to like pistols with a 3-4" barrel for their weight and concealability.

If you're concerned about velocity, simply buy +P ammo for your short barreled pistol.

My conceal carry handguns are five-inch 1911s or four-inch big bore revolvers.

I like 4" and 5" barreled 1911's, the small drop in velocity is a non-issue (my opinion). Choose your ammo accordingly. I won't go below a 4" due to reliabilty issues primarily, secondarily because I just don't really see any need to go that small. The only exception I have made to that rule was my EMP and I paid dearly for that (to get it reliable) and the choice was forced upon me thanks to the state of Kalifornia.

The little ammo testing I did with a chronograph agrees with the ~25 fps GAIN over a 5" barrel with a 6" barrel. Is shortening the barrel to LESS than the test length a linear ~25 fps?

Add to this a quick look at my factory ammo from Cor-Bon, Speer, and Federal show their test velocity only NOT the length of their test barrel. So how is the buyer to make an informed decision on selecting ammo for a given barrel length? I think ammo makers are either not doing any pertinent testing at the typical carry gun's barrel length AND not specifying their test barrel length or may be deliberately keeping any results from publication.

gnappi said:

Is shortening the barrel to LESS than the test length a linear ~25 fps?

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Not necessarily, probably powder dependent as to what the changes will be. I would guess that as you go shorter the velocity change between the lengths would increase and as you go longer the change would decrease, a non-linear change. But I've not tested the theory just spent a lot of time reloading, testing with a chrono and QuickLoad.

The bullet and powder manufacturers will sometime list the barrel length and maybe even the gun in their loading manuals. But even then there are differences in the firearm, brass, primer, cartridge overall length (COAL) that will affect the measured velocity. Certain powders benefit from barrel length (the slower powders) and others burn fairly completely (faster powders) in 4-5" of barrel.

Jim

Samurai Jack said:

The other issue @Vortec is the smaller barrel is attached to a smaller slide and +p doesn't play well with itself in those guns nevertheless the increase need to control it.

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I've heard that, but I have not experienced any reliability issues or recoil problems with +P loads in short barreled handguns. I go with ighter bullets (185 or 200) at +P rather than 230 grain +P specifically to negate those issues. Same diameter bullets with a velocity that facilitates expansion and penetration.