357 Velocity Results - 2/3/4 inch

[sliptap]

Hey all - figured this might be interesting some of you. A while back, my father and I chronographed various 357 loads out of 3 barrel lengths. The results are below so you can see how barrel length impacts velocity.

For reference, the three pistols tested:

• 2 Inch - Ruger LCR .357
• 3 Inch - Ruger SP101
• 4 Inch - S&W 686 Plus
• Bonus 9mm: Glock 43

Yes - the Underwood readings are correct. Yes - they were pretty intense. Yes - the LCR took it like a champ. For what it is worth, I now carry 125 grain Underwood Speer Gold Dots in the LCR. To each their own, but I feel comfortable that I can shoot 5 efficiently if I needed to. I have Critical Defense in the backup speed loader.

The 9mm Underwood loading is impressive too. Long story short - I wouldn't want to get shot by any of these haha.

 

[snapping turtle]

Ok have you shot an underwood in the dark yet?
inquiring mind here?

 

[throttletony]

Impressive.
Thanks for posting

 

[sliptap]

Ok have you shot an underwood in the dark yet?
inquiring mind here?

Great question and no I honestly haven't. For what it is worth, here is a video of dusk firing of their 158 grain offering (3-4 seconds in): [video=youtube;gO9CNI8qV2I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO9CNI8qV2I[/video]

From the looks of it, it doesn't look like they use a flash suppressant.

 

[TBone3006]

Thanks for posting this, I have always wanted to see a heads up comparison of the different barrel lengths with the same ammo. Very informative.

 

[SpartanHD]

I typically use federal ammo but how big of a difference is Underwood? I'm a big believer in using what you train with. I don't like the idea of using ammunition that may behave differently than expected in critical situations

 

[snapping turtle]

That shot at dusk looks much tamer than what most 357 mag ammo has done out of my model 66 snub.

If those of you who were around going to concerts in the early 1980's. A band called triumph had a stage show called the blinding light show. Most 357 mag ammo out of that pistol reminded me that. Those flash bangs had nothing on my gun.

Federal hyrda shock 38 plus p (or equivalent) was much tamer so that is what I have run for years now. Can not trust myself to change ammo for day verse night so a compromise was reached.

 

[SpartanHD]

The blinding effect of night shooting never crossed my mind. I will need to take my self defense weapons out and see what it does. Between that and lack of hearing protection, home defense can get quite tricky. I keep headphones on my dresser next to my sig but it still makes me stress the need of practice, practice and more practice. If ever caught in a situation when I don't have PPE then I would want to be on target the first few shots to buytime to recover.

 

[snapping turtle]

It started when my mother in law was feeding a lost dog in the area. The local skunk family seemed to take to the dog food. Then the trash cans. A call from her and like a pro I grabbed the 357 (in the kitchen drawer) and a flashlight. The skunk came up on the trash and stuck the head out. Nice clean background for a shot. One nice hole in skunk head very big hole in the back bottom of skull. One blinding flash a good two three feet long from barrel and some cylinder flash. And still a good bit of smell. Just closed the lid and drug to the edge of road. The pickup was in the am anyway. Just glad his head was pretty much gone as the spray could have been much worse.
Had always shot during the day with that firearm. Full load 357 and older school factory load. It was blinding. Now trash can skunks still would get the 357 but out of a marlin rifle.

 

[24Carat]

Thanks! Well timed for my needs right now.

 

[russc2542]

BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: Home

Similar with a wider range of lengths across many calibers.

I'm not disparaging the OPs work at all, the problem with BBTI or LuckyGunner gel tests is they're only a sampling in certain conditions.