I just got a Springfield Hellcat and was having a hell of a time finding ammo. I jumped at the first box of Gold Dot +p as quick as I could, only to realize they made them in a short barrel version well after I completed my purchase. This (6 year old, lol) video reassured me that I can still use them. Thank you for doing this!
I think the difference is the burning rate of the gun powder they use. The short barrel version most likely has a faster burning powder to maximize it's power in a shorter barrel. Just like magnum ammo rounds have a slower burning powder to maximize it's power in a longer pistol barrel. That's why if you shoot a magnum in a short barrel gun, you get a lot of muzzle flash, and you do not achieve the full potential power of that round.
Thank you so much for sharing this information. For what it's worth, I contacted Speer directly last week regarding their 124 grain Gold Dot Hollow Point bullets (not loaded ammunition) and asked them about the availability of these in the short barrel configuration as they offer two versions for .38 special (regular and short barrel) each with different design characteristics and minimum velocity requirements. I'd never seen a short barreled 124 grain Gold Dot Bullet available as a component for reloading before. Speer's response was as follows (and I'm copying and pasting the actual verbatim response I received via email): The 9mm SB uses the same bullet as the standard 9mm (thus not two different bullets used in 9mm) to ensure proper feed and function, we use powders that we feel give you better performance in the SB guns. Shoot Straight! Coy Getman 2299 Snake River Ave. Lewiston, ID 83501 Sr. Technical Coordinator Alliant/Blazer/CCI/Speer Bullets & Ammunition This would seem consistent with your tests as the Short Barreled ammunition seemed to have consistently higher velocities out of your P938 albeit not by much more than say around 50 fps.
Simple, "short barrel" loads use a faster burning propellant that is consumed completely in the shorter barrel. This does two things...gets the velocity up some while reducing flash.
Yes, my instincts told me that they were using a faster burning powder. I am sure GD can be hand loaded to achieve similar performance out of a short barrel, but the question becomes how fast of a powder can be used before hitting pressure to obtain optimal performance. The GD Short Barrel would probably be faster out of a 4" than a 3", but I don't consider that really important to the conversation.
This is exactly the video I was looking for. Multiple shots of each ammo thru a short barrel, and comparing them against bare gel vs denim as well. Very well done.
Thanks for the great reviews, I especially like the comparative nature of your reviews, which tends to reveal a more about ballistic behavior. I also like that you review from the angle of the short-barreled guns. Thanks again and more power
If you look closely from above, looking into the HP cavity, at both bullets side by side, you will see the SB variety has a flatter interior. Perhaps this is engineered to more reliably open at lower velocities, as you said. (and closer targets) Great channel. Just subscribed.
Please don’t hold me to this, but I remember reading about the short barrel Gold Dots and what Speer had done was use a faster burning powder so that most, if not all, the powder would burn before the bullet exited the barrel whereas with standard pressure and +P some powder doesn’t have a chance to burn all the way. From your tests that doesn’t seem to be the case or it’s not enough anyway to matter. I just received some cartridges from Underwood with 124 grain Gold Dot bullets. They’re +P and rated at 1225 muzzle velocity. I know I won’t get that from my short barreled autos, but seeing your tests today I’m certain now that they’ll work as they should. I just pray to God I never have to find out. Thank you so very much for your videos. You’re the only one (that I know of anyway) that tests stuff from short barreled autos. God speed
Excellent video! This has been on my mind, The short barrel Speer ammo has been consistently hard to find. My takeaway is that you'll be just fine with the regular +P. I read somewhere that short barrel ammo becomes more critical with larger calibers.
Jeff Donner (below) is exactly correct. I called Speer and talked to one of their engineers who know what they're talking about. The short barrel version in any caliber contains faster burning powder. That's the primary difference because the objective is to maximize velocity of the bullet from barrels under 4" to maximize expansion while retaining penetration standards.
Extremely helpful test! Thank you also for acting like a normal human being instead of dressing in ridiculous amounts of mall-ninja, "tacticool" gear like many of the other pistol/ammo reviewers. Anyway, I wanted to mention that the key difference between the regular and short-barrel rounds is in the powder charge. The short-barrel rounds will be slower out of any barrel of 4" or more, but they use a faster-burning powder than the regular rounds and reach peak pressure more quickly (same peak pressure in both), thus accelerating the bullet more quickly and propelling it to higher velocities over the first few inches of travel down the barrel. Somewhere around the 3.5" mark the velocities are more or less the same, and in longer barrels the pressure tapers off too quickly in the short-barrel round, giving it lower velocities than the regular one. Thanks again for doing this test!
Speer Gold Dot and Speer Lawman are my goto ammo! They’re very reliable and accurate and usually easy to find in stock, as I buy direct from the Speer site!
Of the short barreled loads that Speer makes, the 9mm is the only one that uses the same bullet for the regular and "short barrel" loads. In the other calibers they had to re-engineer the bullet to work.
Chuck Haggard Thanks for pointing that out. I'd tested the .45 versions, and there was no question that the bullet was re-engineered, but I couldn't determine any difference whatsoever in the 9mm version. Even without it being re-engineered, it did very well from the short-barrel gun, and so did the 124+P regular barrel. Given that the bullet is the same, and the velocities were comparable, it should be no surprise that they performed equally well.
@Chuck Haggard Which BTW, is great testimony to the versatility of 9mm. It is right in that "sweet spot" in terms of effective HP ballistics, recoil, and size to work well in both large pistols and sub-compact guns.
Another great vid! I think the short-barrel version has a slightly more efficient (faster burning) powder to maximize performance in smaller handgun platforms.
This was fantastic information. I recently bought a new LC9S Pro model. I knew I wanted 124 +p Gold Dot’s but wasn't entirely sure if I should go with short barrel or regular rounds having a 3 inch barrel. I’ve had a hard time finding the short barrel version, good to know the standard 124 GD +p’s are also good to go. -Travis
I just started to say the same thing. When the short barrel gold dots first came out, I read an article and that’s exactly what the difference is. The bullets are exactly the same as in the standard +p, the difference is a faster burning powder so that all or most of the powder will burn before the bullet leaves the barrel and it’s supposedly worked very well. Especially in short barrel revolvers. Anyway, what I’ve found works best for me is the 115 gr solid copper bullets from Barnes, either from Cor Bon or ASYM. Cor Bon no longer uses bullets from Barnes, they’ve created their own solid copper bullets and they still perform just fine, even out of 3 inch barrel autos. I just bought an M&P Shield and I’m looking forward to shooting it and adding it to my permit. I live in the Soviet Union, California to you guys most likely, so I have to wait 10 days before I can pick it up. And no, I can’t leave here or I most certainly would.
I love the Gold Dots. It doesn't look like they're quite as good as the HST, especially in standard pressure, so that's what I now carry in my M&P Shield. But my wife uses the "short barrel" version Gold Dots in her snubnose .38 revolver (the 135 grain bullets). I've seen a few tests of that round, and it looks like the best option for the short barrel .38, but I'd like to see a few more rounds fired in those tests. Most everybody else shoots one-and-done in gel. The methodology of these tests is far superior! How about it, ShootingTheBull410, do you foresee a 2" barrel .38 Special Ammo Quest in the future? It would surely be worth a box of Gold Dots to me.
Many people have asked for it. Unfortunately I don't have a short-barrel .38 or .357 firearm, so ... unless I find something like an LCR or a Rhino or Airweight that I find irresistible, I don't foresee doing it any time soon. You never know, it might happen. What would push me over the edge would be something like an LCR with an interchangeable .38/.357 and 9mm cylinder; if they made that, I'd probably take the leap.
I'd love to see the .38 special Short Barrel Gold Dots (135 +P) compared with the 125 GDs (std and +P) and the HST Micro .38 specials (130 +P) in a snubbie.
Great review I was told the short barrel ammo has a quicker burning gunpowder So in theory it will launch quicker and harder so it should have more velocity to make up for the shorter barrel.
I have probably watched a 1000 ammo videos. The production and efficiency of this video is unmatched. This was awesome. Would love to see Federal HST 124+p/147 grain tested. I can send you some for testing if you would like. Message me if your interested! Now, on to check out more of your videos...!
Really excellent and professionally done. I've continually reviewed all your videos and rely upon the the "short barrel version".Maybe the that's and defend versions are slightly better, but these are loaded by CCI whom I trust!! Question--Some of us have a 9mm for personal defense and a target .22 for the spouse to use in a critical situation. Would it be possible to run a test on mini-mags, velocitors, and stingers in a 3" SB pistol. Many people use these small caliber pistols as their primary!!
Excellent video and test, as always. The 124 grain +P Gold Dots are my preferred carry load in both my full-size and compact Smith M&Ps, but I don't like the extra jolt of recoil these give in my little Kahr PM9. For the latter, I'm carrying Hornady Critical Defense (until you find something else that's better and also readily available).
Outstanding Video thanks. I'm subscribed. I'm just speculating here but the short barrel loads might contain a slightly faster burning powder in order to get the velocity up before leaving the muzzle. Most likely faster burning, lower charge weight with an equivalent +p pressure.
My understanding is that the SB load is designed to give a more complete burn to the powder, thus less flash and a bit less recoil out of a short barrel, rather than a difference in performance of the bullet in gel. Could be wrong, but, that's what I've been told.
So if consistency and expansion are what your looking for these are something you wanna check out. When I use my .38 I carry the short barrel +P version for the .38 caliber. Cant afford a lot of these so I don't buy em for my semi's. Gold Sabers, Gold Dots, XTPs, Hydra Shoks, and Winchester White Box are all I can find for 9mm in my area so I went with the Gold Sabers, cant beat $14.99 a box for a tried and true, if not a bit dated, loads.
Hi Nate, Wait until you see the results for the 147-grain HSTs. Might change your mind again. Or not. I could make a case for either, but I was pretty impressed with the 147's. Can't wait to try the 147+p and see what it changes.
Looking at Speer Reloading Manual #14, it appears that both loadings use the identical bullet - Speer part number 3998. The other short barrel offerings have unique part numbers. However, the 135 grain SB bullet is shared between the 38 Special and 357 Magnum.
Also, the 44 Special and the 44 Magnum short barrel load use the 200 grain GDHP - Speer part #4427. www.speer-bullets.com/ballistics/default.aspx?caliber=0&usage=0&brand=0&firearm=2
This probably sounds ridiculous, but a couple times in my life I've had to carry (but thankfully never had to use) +P Short Barrel Gold Dots in a full-size (4" barrel) firearm, in 9mm and .38 special. I did so because I figured a Short Barrel Gold Dot was superior to FMJ (isn't anything?) and it was what I had on hand at the time. I've since acquired proper non-SB ammo for them, but I've always wondered: what would the outcome be? If you still have some spare SB Gold Dots on hand I'd be thrilled to see you do a quick test in a 4 or 4.5" barrel. And thank you for the work you do, for whatever reason you seem to be the guy testing all the stuff no one else is.
I would have no concerns whatsoever about carrying the short-barrel rounds in a 4" barrel. While they are optimized for shorter barrels, I would fully expect them to perform just fine from the longer barrel. I don't have any more of the short-barrel 9mm's on hand, but if I come across some I could try them in a 4" and in a 6" barrel just to see what difference it may make.
Thank you for another test. The Gold Dots did very well but didn't quite match the performance of the Federal HST 124 grain (standard pressure). As another mentioned,I would really like to see Underwoods loading of the 124 gr +p gold dots.
One more thing ... bullet cavity in short barrel versions is different. It may not be that noticeable in 9mm, but in .40 S&W 180 grain SB there's a very noticeable difference ... especially in bullet cavity diameter.
Your theory that the short barrel gold dots may have some unseen design feature that would allow it to expand better at lower velocities over the standard +p would be easily proven true or not by simply increasing the distance to the target after each shot from each round . Extending the distance would lower the velocity of each shot and you could use that as a gauge to see if your hypothesis is correct. If the short barrel ammo outperforms the standard +p ammo at longer distances and subsequently lower velocities you have a correct hypothesis!!!
I've got some XTP in 115 grain, but no Gold Dots in 115 grain. In general I find better performance with heavier bullets, but I'd test Gold Dots in 115 grain if I found 'em.
My thanks to you sir. I found your video very informative. The Short Barreled version's faster burning powder would give you the slightly higher velocity, and would produce slightly more "energy dump" when used. Remember that "stopping power" is a combination of wound characteristics AND energy transfer. I would be curious to know if the short barreled ammo's velocity fell off faster at longer range (due to its faster burning powder). This is not very important in 99% of self defense scenarios; but it would be nice to know if performance at or beyond 25 meters is compromised.
Without giving an overall endorsement of one brand over the other (see in your comments you don't wish to do that) can you at least give us what you like for your particular gun....I understand different guns will perform differently with different ammo. ***I'm Just tying to narrow it down to a Good Defense round for my M&P Shield 9mm with 3.1"barrel. I have even read a heavier bullet through a shorter barrel is the way to go. Please help me get through all the fodder..... for my firearm the 9mm Shield, can you recommend... Manufacture/Brand, Bullet weight and +P or not?? Thanks for the hard work on your research!!
These bullets are becoming incredibly difficult to find, though I did manage to find a box of 50 at about 50 cents per round. Still waiting on them to arrive. Will be carrying a Smith and Wesson M&P9 full size with these in the mags. Also have some Critical Defense, Critical Duty and 135 gr Federal JHPs, but the Speers seem more reliable in the research I've done.
I actually contacted Speer about this. They told me that it is, in fact, the same bullet in the 124gr+P and 124gr+P Short Barrel. The difference lies in the powder. The powder in the Short Barrel is a faster-burning variety, to help get the bullet up to required speed in the shorter barrel found on the PM9, P938, Solo, LC9, etc.
But -- the velocities were nearly identical, from the same gun... I fired both the "124gr+p" and "124gr+p short barrel" from the same 3" barrel in the same gun, and the resultant velocities were nearly identical. The 11-shot average from the 124+p was 1118 fps; the 7-shot average from the 124+p short barrel was 1141 fps. So the velocities were 98% identical. If the powders were really different, wouldn't you expect a more significant difference in velocities? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying -- well, if that's the difference, it sure didn't amount to all that much... And even so, I would still recommend the short-barrel over the regular 124+p loads for use in a 3" barrel. Even if the difference is only 2% in velocity, I'd take whatever advantage I could get when dealing with such a tiny barrel.
ShootingTheBull410 Yeah, actually, that's a good point. I hear you loud and clear. I personally have just been using the 124gr+P, since you can buy 50 for ~$35-40 bucks online, versus $25/20 of the short barrel. I do know that in 40 SW, the Short Barrel load has a shallower but wider hollowpoint cavity which aids in expansion. As always, great tests
They all have the same projectile. The 124 standard pressure loads have barely enough velocity when using a full barrel length, and not enough out of a 3" gun (your 3" gun drives the bullets noticeably slower than a 4" gun would) The regular 124 +P's have modestly more powder in the loading, and managed to raise the velocity enough to make the 3" barrel work well (which means they're adding enough velocity over the standard pressure version to compensate for the velocity loss of a 3" barrel vs a 4" barrel) The short barrel 124 +P's very use a slightly faster burning powder (and more of it than the standard pressure version), and in your tests averaged 28 fps faster than regular +P's. I think that even though your test showed both +P's performing well, the short barrel +P loading gives a bit more margin for error on the velocity (for use in your 3" gun anyway), and would likely prove to be more consistent performers in varying temperatures, ranges, or real life environmental conditions like a hypothetical 5th layer of denim ;-) Meanwhile for 4" to 4.5" length guns, the regular +P's are likely just as fast as the SB version (the fast burning powder losing it's advantage in longer barrels). But I'd still avoid the Non +P loading as it seems to have "barely enough" velocity... UNLESS using something like a 6" longslide 9mm or something like that, where the standard pressure load might be in the ideal velocity range, while the +P loads might be too fast out of a really long barrel, and under-penetrate or cause fragmentation or jacket separation.
Thank you good video. It seems it is a marketing ploy to adding maybe costs. Possible, just weighting each round, separately, prior to shooting might pull out a difference in load (?) or difference in pullet construction (?), by overall weight. I like you SEE no difference?
Hi, ShootingTheBull410! I really enjoy your videos, and I have learned a lot from you. If you have time, I just have one question. At what distance do you perform your ballistic testing from while shooting from a 3" barrel? If you don't have time to answer, I understand. Either way, great job on your videos, and I wish you the best.
Speer loads the Short Barrel with a faster burning powder to ensure you all of the velocity plus a deeper hollow point to ensure the best possibility of 100% expansion
I believe the bullets are the same but Speer uses a low flash powder for low light engagements to prevent or lessen night blindness and adjusts the load to provide the proper fps needed for the bullet to perform properly ........
I thought that the difference between the shot barrel and the +P was the amount of flash. Barrel flash is a big deal at night and a short barrel pistol or rifle can produce a blinding light for the shorter. So if you use the +P in a 3 inch barrel make that first round out the tube count if its dark in that ally.
You do very good videos. I'm curious if anyone has done a video on which is the most powerful Full Metal Jacket. I've seen the Underwood Ammo deep penetrator and thought it would be good to carry if I was out in the woods and I needed something to penetrate deeper than something that we just use to stopped a human. I keep Speer Gold Dot ammunition for defensive rounds in my gun but if I want to go backpacking and be way off the beaten path I'm more likely to put full middle jacket in my gun. I wouldn't mind knowing what the most powerful FMJ round is. At this point I can only guess.
So have you announced a winner in the 9mm ammo quest? Seems the Gold Dot 124gr. +p would be the winner, from what I've seen, as it penetrated deeper than the HST 124gr. and expanded to the same diameter.
I carry the 147 +p in my g19 and keep these in my wife's pt709. The only round I've seen better is the ranger/talons but good luck finding those. I think they quit selling to the civilian market. Keep um comN
What they are doing is either changing the peel serrations or making the jacket thinner to open up at lower velocity. This has been done before with 38 spl and 380
From Speer's web site: "We redesigned select Gold Dot bullets to make the cavity larger for reliable expansion at the reduced velocities common to short barrel handguns"
Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like they did with the .45 ACP, you can clearly see that the bullet's different on that round (between the regular and the Short Barrel varieties). It just isn't physically visibly any different in the 9mm, which causes a bit of confusion. It's possible that the cavity is the same and maybe the jacket's thinner or the lead's softer or some other mechanism that makes the bullet open up at lower velocities maybe.
Its probably the same difference as there is between the hornady critdefense and critduty lines. Critdef/sbgd has softer 'lead' (and perhaps thinner jacket) than critduty/standard gd.
Underwood loads their ammo pretty warm, for sure. Just tested some .380 XTPs and the velocities are well above the hottest factory loads I tried. They might be very interesting indeed in the 9mm 124+P
Interesting, I have some Gold Dot +P+ 115gr, I think it was discontinued though. IIRC my Kahr K9 isn't rated for +P+ though, so I have it for my G19 (and, when I can find one, an SP-01)..
The Underwood +p gold dots are listed at the same velocity as the factory +p+ gold dots. If your looking for a higher velocity 115 grain load for your Kahr, check out Underwood's offering.
Looked like on average you had a bit more velocity on the short barrel GD... Didn't really matter though. Maybe they just use a little quicker burning powder.
Maybe the short barreled version of this ammo has a more efficient powder that helps reduce the amount of any unused powder, resulting in slightly better ballistics.
If you are not throwing Liberty Ultra Lights 9mm +P into this mix, you’re not doing this competition justice… 2000 FPS 450 - lb/ft muzzle energy… more kinetic energy than most 45 ACP rounds … these projectiles function differently than any other self-defense round on the market. They designed the Civil Defense/Ultra-Lights to eliminate threats with one round. Liberty did this by creating the maximum amount of damage and tissue disruption possible. They do well against barriers, but when the large cavity fills with fluid, the hydraulic pressure builds until the side walls of the projectile explode. With that explosion comes rifle sized temporary cavities and hydrostatic shock, therefore increasing stopping power by tenfold. Following the explosion, the bullet fragments into a starburst shaped pattern creating multiple wound channels. This process also benefits in many other areas across the spectrum of things considered when talking about self-defense. Such as reduced over penetration and lessening the risk of unintended casualties. Liberty Ultra Lights are the ONLY self defense ammo I will use… They SHOULD be everyone’s choice…
The SB 124 grain is a 1150 fps and the Regular barrel is at a 1220 fps The short barrel ammo is slower for more manageable recoil with the shorter barrel guns.
I have the Remington Golden Sabers in 147 and (I think) 124 grain. I am fairly certain that they are the same as the "HTP", and that it's just a repackaging job. I will get the Remington Golden Sabers tests up sooner or later, but at this pace, count on "later"... :)
It maybe was deleted because is I put a link in the response to buds showing the round. The HTP has no nickel plated case and seems to be a cheaper round. It popped up about a year ago and I think they are the economy jhp that used to be in the white and green box. They come in 147 and 115+p
There are different burn rates in powders-most common loads are optimized for a burn rate that pressure peaks more slowly than the faster burn rate powders.The bullets are designed to open at a specific velocity range-burn rate in the powder is what gets the bullet to those velocity. When you reference the Miami FBI shootout you should note that the ammo in use was Winchester Silvertip and,it performed as it was meant to and advertised-the FBI was unhappy with it due it not stopping the fight sooner-despite several solid hits.Google it and read the FBI review of the shooting-its very insightful. My experience with 9mm as an antipersonnel round is that your best served by something in the 124grain zone with velocities of 1100 fps or more.I avoid +P in small pistols due to control and blast issues. Control=why I don't carry .40 in small guns. also,a 3" barrel in an autoloader is not 3"...they include the chamber in measureing the barrel-its actually 2"...same as a snub nose .38 FYI
The Silvertips did indeed perform as designed -- but the problem is, they were designed according to the existing Relative Incapacitation Index formula, which has since been completely discredited and replaced with the current FBI standards as per the 1987 and 1993 Wound Ballistics Conferences.
Wouldn't swapping the bullet/gun and running the same test give you a definitive answer? As in after the test you did, shoot the "regular" +P ammo in the 3" gun and the "short barrel" +P ammo in the longer barrel gun. If the results were exactly the same there should be no doubt that there was no difference, as suspected. I want to reload a copy of the short barrel version for our Kimber Solo and the "regular" +P for our full size 9mm's so I guess I'll just load to the listed muzzle velocity listed on each respective version for each of the guns. I can get the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain bullets so it'll be just a matter of working up to the desired muzzle velocities.
My intention was to reload loads that mimic my defense loads except much cheaper but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble after thinking about it. I think I'll just stick with same weight fmj reloads with similar velocities for my practice stuff. I'll be condensing all my 9mm's to use the Speer GD 124+P in all of them, using the SB stuff for our Kimber Solo and any mini 9's we may acquire in the future. Thanks for the informative video, you helped make my mind up.
Jake Weston Gold dots are consistent based on velocity and more velocity equals more expansion with them. The Underwood loaded +p+ gold dots actually expand too large and limit penetration to around 10 inches iirc. The Underwood loaded 124 +P Gold dots are one of the best loads for 4+ inch barrel guns.
That's what I was thinking, but now I don't think so. The powder charge seemed pretty comparable in that there was very comparable velocities. I believe that the bullet is probably engineered to open up at lower velocity in the short-barrel version. That's what I encountered with the .45 ACP version; the bullet was physically different between the regular and short-barrel versions. But you could actually see the difference in the .45's, whereas with the 9mm's they looked identical, so I'm not 100% sure.
That's what I was thinking, but now I don't think so. The powder charge seemed pretty comparable in that there was very comparable velocities. I believe that the bullet is probably engineered to open up at lower velocity in the short-barrel version. That's what I encountered with the .45 ACP version; the bullet was physically different between the regular and short-barrel versions. But you could actually see the difference in the .45's, whereas with the 9mm's they looked identical, so I'm not 100% sure.
It could be done with a softer alloy in the core, but this is more complicated and expensive than just having two powder blends. It could be 3" is the intersection of the velocity curves for the two choices.
ShootingTheBull410 From what I understand, the powder in the short barrel gold dots is designed to burn faster and thus produce less muzzle flash, while still being able to achieve the velocity necessary to expand. Unfortunately, I don't have any hard evidence to support this claim...
That may or may not be the case, I don't know. Only thing I do know for certain is that the projectiles are different in the .45 ACP Short Barrel version, vs. the .45 ACP "regular" version. So maybe it varies on a caliber-by-caliber basis?
I didn't think short barreled ammo was meant to enhance performance but rather reduce muzzle flash and maybe report (that's typically enhanced by short barrels) so that it's less disorienting to the shooter.
Speer “claims” the copper jacket is thinner in the short barrel version. Personally i buy the 50rnd boxes of 124+P for my Glock 43X, better deal for your money!
Ok the one thing you failed to comment about was which round produced less recoil. If the short barrel ammo produces identical performance as the regular +p with less recoil then it is the clear winner for use in a small, light pistol.
Agreed, but I didn't notice any difference whatsoever. The velocity was (practically) identical between the two, and I noticed no difference in recoil between them. I think the difference between them is down to bullet construction, not powder, and as such, I think that even though both did the same, I think the choice should be towards the "short barrel" version just to err on the margin of safety.
ShootingTheBull410 What about muzzle flash? Perhaps there is flash-retardant in the short barrel rounds? I know you said you don't think the powder is different, but it seemd like the SB bullets averaged almost 30fps more, perhaps slightly faster burning powder?
ShootingTheBull410 Cool.....Thanks to you I will always consider barrel length AND bullet design when looking at +p ammo. You have a great format for ammo analysis and good multi-dimensional criteria. I also put my Hornady CD 380 back in the box and put Federal Hydra Shok in their place. Keep them coming! Maybe some .40 out of 5" barrels? Thanks!
