Pistol Barrel Length: Does it matter?
Pistol Barrel Length: Does it matter?
A discussion and comparison of velocity from three different size Glock models, the G26, G19, & G17.
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It DOES make difference! Just came back from local range with my brand new pistols (two SW MP2.0 9mm): they are identical except one is 5 inch barrel w safety n the other is 4.25 wo safety. At 11 yards(10 meters): for 5” longer barrel, 16/17 bullets ended within 10 point circle, 1 is in 9p. For 4.25” shorter barrel, only 9/17 in 10p, 4 in 9p and the last 4 in 8p. Then I used 5” to try out 25 yards target, got everything in 8p circle, woohoo! Felt very confident =)
I’ve been following this man since the very beginning, and every time I tell myself "what a beautiful place is his range!"
It’s more about sight radius for me. I’m nowhere as good as Hickok hitting bullseyes with compact pistols.
Hi, thanks for the video. But a longer barrel, apart from velocity, doesn’t it give you a greater accuracy? and that definitely can make a difference in a life or death situation
So if I run a threaded barrel, is a 1:16 twist OK??? Is thqy better than 1:10, says for shooting steel cased and jacketed, plus without a comp I get right over half an inch
I was taught there was 3 main things that affected the velocity and energy and that was the projectile weight, barrel length, and amount of powder used…
Hickok is the best
I asked my girlfriend if barrel length mattered. She wouldn’t give me an answer. Sigh.
Rags. Yep you must ride
Boils down to get the gun you wanna carry,get the ammo your good shooting through it. Practice,practice,practice,practice,practice,practice then…..and ONLY then!! practice some more! Then stay safe and always stay locked and loaded!🤘
What about accuracy?
So the conclusion is that if there is a need to go for a shorter barrel handgun, do not hesitate and do so, and let the associated loss in bullet velocity do NOT confuse you as it is quite insignificant. You get more benefits having a shorter gun at the cost of minor loss in velocity. Depending on the bullet and manufacturer, 1/2 inch barrel velocity equals to roughly 20-50 ft drop when 1 inch can lead to 50-100 ft drop. In any case anything around 1000 ft and more from 5 – 20 yards distance is lethal. So it is quite clear that if there is need to choose a 3" handgun vs 4" handgun because one just need a smaller item, he/she should definitely go for it and be confident that their smaller 3" handgun will perform quite close to the one with a longer barrel. Thank you, Hickok45!
I like a long barrel with a steel frame. Excellent for pistol whipping the criminal.
dunno other than a 1911 I just don’t like the plastic looking glocks
"When the target shots back the fun factor goes to suck".
Velocity is important as it relates to the energy it delivers. For your examples, 15 fps equates to around 10 ft-lbs of energy. A 100 fps increase would deliver another 100 ft-lbs.Hard to say what would make a difference in stopping a threat.
Subbed thanks to this video and his humble personality as well as exceptional talent
I’m a fan of small compact pistols
Thank you. I’m happy my G26 g3. Interesting to see the difference in +p and +p+ HPs
Nice video and genius touch towards the end. "I don’t have much time, and I think this one has more velocity… so I’m gonna use that one" Lol. Sharp shooting by the way.
9:07 *SI SEÑOR*
Work hard or hardly working 👋😘🤝🐦💨🙊👯
whether it’s 1056 ft/s or 1137 ft/s, the end result is that you’d hit a target 30ft away in a similar time span unless you have no idea where to aim.
… it’s how you use it.
Aight, imma head out.
depends on use and caliber…… edit – some shorter revolvers are more accurate that longer strikers. fixed barrel design . that lends to point shooting. which is one reason i love the PA63 in 9×18. when things happen so fast you have to point shoot up close. accuracy matters. above all..
yes..yes it does..especially for accuracy
Did this guy just use a bullet as a pointer?
You gain more in percentage from longer barrels with more powerful cartridges I think.
Would it make a difference in hunting
Might not be the FPS , it might be capacity, that gets you kilt !
You know what they say vulieosity killed the cat 🐈
He took a moment to say "if he is killed".. probably thinking that will never happen.
Absolutely love watching your videos!!! Very educational and informative
When it comes to barrel length, im not so much concerned about the speed of the round, but the accuracy of the shot. Im one of those weirdos who loves to try and hit targets at long distances with a hand gun lol.
I’m more about the better sight radius.
I don´t care with what barrel i´m shot with. Hurts like shit every time
Life is good.
I don’t really care if it’s going 800fps or 1800, it’ll still ruin your day and id rather not catch either.
Found your info to be very useful in deciding which barrel length to consider. I guess feet per second is just one factor along with hitting your target. Thanks for taking the time to explain and for the video. KW
Call me an idiot but I’m barely getting into guns or even pistols at that. I’m interested in getting a sub compact pistol. The barrel length is 3.60”.The manufacturer sells threaded barrels for this SC pistol. Although I’m not interested in putting a compensator or suppressor on it but I’m more interested in the color of the barrel 😂 BUT the barrel length is 4.13”… in theory with a slightly longer barrel would it be worth it or even ideal for a slight boost in velocity or in turn maybe a bit help for accuracy.
_100% Agree with hickok45 & I read this when I started shooting too._
*NOTE:* The difference in velocity between full size, medium size, compact, & sub compact pistols/revolver is so small *_it does not matter._* This includes the main self-defense calibers (.380acp, 38 Special, 9mm, 40 S&W, .45acp) = small difference in effectiveness.
*_The Truth:_* the most important difference you can make is your shot placement. The power of your bullet is not in velocity or caliber,
it is in where the bullet hits.
*_Practice_* is the best way to make a real & very noticeable difference in being effective or not training/practicing so being a poser.
That’s interesting to know.. Also, it seems to me that when I fired the critical duty stuff, it had fairly more kick than cheapo ball ammo. Maybe wrong. Been a while.. But it almost looks like Hornady may have used a quicker burning powder to compensate for short barrels, giving less deviation from different barrel lengths..
Gosh, that seems long for what I was trying to say. Maybe I need to get out and shoot more.. TY again!!
The increase in velocity isn’t a big deal but the radius of sight influence on accuracy is.
I love he way you take the scientific approach – as in check it out for yourself.
So the ammo gained just shy of 100fps seems like the real advantage of the barrel length is weight for recoil management
You need a 6" barrel
I have a XD 45 acp with a 3.9 inch barrel,
can I replace that with a 4.5 inch barrel. I have corrosion on some of the lands and grooves.
As I understand it, the extra barrel length starts to really matter when you start firing hotter ammo. I saw a test where a .357 dropped over 200 feet per second going from a 4 inch barrel to a 2 inch.
The question is whether it matters. Most of the time, 1000 feet per second from a 2 inch barrel will do the job I’d think. Maybe if you are hunting with it or shooting at range it means something.
I prefer a longer Barcelona no shorter than 3 inches don’t want a snub nose the longer the Barrel the further the bullet will go before it drop just like a modifide choke comparado to a full choke on a shot gun the full choke and the longer Barcelona will go further the modifica will splatter first
barrel length impacts getting sight picture…. but no… not really a big change in impact or effictiveness.