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Ballistics question: 38+P vs. 357 in snubbie

beantownshootah
Serious question.

How much better is the ballistics of a .357 magnum vs. a .38+P from a 2 inch snubbie?

I suspect that because of the super short barrel much of the benefit of the .357 magnum gets translated into more flash and noise rather than extra muzzle velocity.

Anyone have chronographed numbers to compare, in terms of muzzle velocity and energy from actual snubbies?
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • 1911a1-fan
    quote:I suspect that because of the super short barrel much of the benefit of the .357 magnum gets translated into more flash and noise rather than extra muzzle velocity

    It only gets translated more because it has more to start with, percentage wise you will loose the same

    .357 magnum 158 grain chamber pressure 38,000+,at 1,158 fps
    .38 special+p 158 grain chamber pressure 18,200+, at 761 fps

    when I get my 4" back from the gunsmith I will chronograph it next to my 2" and post the results, I did do it with a 5" and 3" .45 and only lost a maximum of 75 fps, but gained quite a bit of muzzle flash and noticeable recoil


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  • dbarale
    Speer Gold Dot .38spl +Pwas designed to offer maximum performance from a 2" barrel. Might be a good compromise, that's what I keep in my snubbies. Hard to tell the difference without a chrono but I trust a company like Speer...

    Daniel.
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  • Frogbert
    Remington Ballistics:

    Rem UMC 125gr JHP 38sp+p: vel:945 erg:248

    Rem UMC 125gr JSP 357mag: vel:1450 erg:583

    This is of course with a 4-inch bbl. You'll lose 5 to 10 percent
    in a 2-inch bbl, proportionally.

    Frog.

    RiBBButt...You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to. -Roger Miller
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  • D.S.COLE
    I never recomend a 357 snubbie to anyone at our shop. Full charge 357 loads in a 2 in. bbl are brutal to shoot, muzzle blast ,concussion, and recoil are beyond the tolerance of most anyone. You dont get very much more velocity over good +P 38 spcl because the 2 inch tube is not long enough to utilize the powder charge.In long barrels the 357 is far ahead but avoid the snubbie.

    <BR>
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by D.S.COLE
    I never recomend a 357 snubbie to anyone at our shop. Full charge 357 loads in a 2 in. bbl are brutal to shoot, muzzle blast ,concussion, and recoil are beyond the tolerance of most anyone. You dont get very much more velocity over good +P 38 spcl because the 2 inch tube is not long enough to utilize the powder charge.In long barrels the 357 is far ahead but avoid the snubbie.


    Well that was exactly my question. *Exactly* how much do you really gain from a .357?

    If Frogberts numbers are right it looks like the .357 puts out twice the energy of even the .38+P. . .that's a huge difference. I suspect you end up losing more from the short barrel than just 5-10%, but even if you lost 30% its still a huge advantage for the .357.

    The reason I'm asking this, is because looking more and more at the numbers of the .38+P, I'm starting to think even a .38+P is inadequate for reliable self-defense purposes. At only 250 ft-lbs the .38+P is substantially less powerful than even a standard 9mm luger (which packs nearly 350 ft-lbs, and which everyone always mocks as being inadequate).
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  • 1911a1-fan
    .357 snubbies are great due to the fact you can shoot .38's, and carry the .357, recoil is much for some people, it does affect a long shooting session a bit, during a defensive situation you will not notice the recoil

    a gun built for the .357 and shot with .38's will last a long time


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  • select-fire
    That is exactly the reason I went with a S&W 60 .357 in a 3". It is still compact.
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  • torquimata
    Ditto on the Model 60, # inch. I can shoot 110 grain .357s comfortably all afternoon and they far outpace any 38 +P. Anything over 110 grain in a .357 is like an M-80 going off in my hand, too much!
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