Anyone chrono'd .357's from a J-frame?

branrot

New member
Has anyone actually chronographed the speed of .357's out of a 2 inch (or 1 7/8 - 2 1/8) J-frame? How does this compare to the same bullets out of longer tubes, or alternatively to .38's out of the same tubes? I'm trying to figure out if there is any benfit to .357's out of such short tubes (specifically, my 340 and 60). Please include bullet weights. Thanks.
 
Hopefully TERRY MURBACH will chime in on this one. He has chrono'd a bunch of different snubbies.

Chamber, gap, barrel etc differences between individual guns seem to have more effect on snubbies than longer barrels. Even tho individual snubbies show a wide velocity spread with same ammo.........

.357mags still far outperform .38 special (std, +P etc) in snubs. With all weights of bullet.

Now if the mags seem uncomfortably stiff for you and your gun, that is a different colored horse. You should shoot what you can shoot well.

Sam
 
We chrono'd a bunch of stuff a couple of years ago...I dont have the exact #s but in 5 different snubbies we tested 38+p and 357 loads...all around 125-130 gr JHP's ...the average FPE for the 38+p was around 200-220.....not bad. The average for the 357 was around 400+ FPE...we had velocities of around 1250+ FPS from a couple of rounds. There is a major difference between the two....if I remember right the velocities varied as much as 10% from one gun to another of similar barrel length from the same box of ammo.
Newer faster 357 ammo is out too, supposedly! Ive read chrono results over 1400 FPS from a 2 1/4" SP and a 125gr JHP on the net places...that is smoking for a snub.

Shoot well
 
smoking indeed. The speer 125 gold dot does mid 1400s from my 4" and mid 1200s from the 2.25 sp101. Normal pressure .38 loads are almost equal in 4 and 6 inch but loose 100 fps or so in the short sp.
 
Any greater power factor load, versus a lesser power factor, out of the same length barrel, equals a greater power factor.

How could this ever be subject to any legitimate discussion? Anybody ever studied Phsyics x.101?

"Duh!" comes to mind.

Yup. You'll have a greater muzzle flash (most probably) & greater muzzle rise (almost surely), but still, "bigger boom = bigger "stuff" at the end" ( all things being equal).

Longer tube likely equates to added velocity (which is squared in the foot pound formula) ... another "not so hard thing to figure" as in longer is "better" reagrds velocity, but doesn't consider momentum ....

Jeez! Every bit of this has been covered to the Nth degree - use the search function - maybe 1K+ hits?

'Bout ready for a show of hands (except I do hate a Democracy!) to exclude anything ever already covered that which could be answered by a simple SEARCH ....

... just another reason I hardly ever look at at anything handgun related .... full of "repeated dumb-stuff" ....
 
labgrade. I won't waste my time insulting you. It's probably been done to the n'th degree, and you can use the search function to look each post up.

Nonetheless, my question is not whether the .357 is more powerful than the .38 out of a short tube (obviously it is), but rather if the added power from the .357 is worth the additional recoil, muzzle blast, etc. If I'm only getting another few fps from the .357, it's obviously not. However, if there is a substantial jump in velocity, and therefore energy, it may be worth the other drawbacks.
 
With a given bullet you probably gettin around 200 fps gain with the .357.

Know for sure. Chrono some loads in YOUR gun.

Sam
 
38/357 SNUBBIES, HUH...

No guns vary more more in the output than snubby revolvers. I once tested four S+W M36 revolvers with the CORBON 110gr JHP. They varied from 925fps to 1150fps.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR PERSONAL SNUBBY IS DOING YOU MUST REPEAT MUST CHRONOGRAPH THAT PISTOL WITH THE AMMUNITION OF YOUR CHOISE.
The newer 357MAG snubs do deliver more power but the cost is nasty recoil and lots of noise. Do remember also that everybody's 357-125jhp load, WIN, REM, FED, CORBON ETC is meant for 4" or longer service guns and is not usually the best choise for a snub 357 fivegun.
CORBON has loaded a 357-110jhp load for years specifically loaded for small short barreled 357MAG revolvers. Our original load was the 110jhp at 1350fps and it worked well for years. In those same years all we heard was it was too wimpy, can't we speed it up a bunch. So we did. Now the only complaint I hear is it kicks too damned hard for a snubby load. THEY'RE RIGHT. IT DOES!!!
So, it seems to me that many I talk to who have done some serious testing with 357 loads in the snub end up figuring that's just too much of a good thing and go back to good 38+p loads.
Recoil is all well and good, about 90% of it is between our ears anyways, and can be well managed by experienced shooters. Still, 357MAG snubguns are a real handful; they can be nothing else if their power is what you want.
 
Excellent information. The 125gr I shoot seems to have by far and away the most recoil out of all of the loads Ive tried. With the exception of Gold Dot 158's. The 110's Ive tried have very little recoil in comparison.
Some of the Corbon we tested had pretty wide ES numbers..I dont know if thats consistant with all of it..or just the boxes we tried. I would like to try the 110's from Corbon.
Shoot well
 
In my *&* 360PD, 125gr 38+p average between 750-820. 125gr .357 average between 1070-1200. Not insignifigant. I have never fired a 125gr .38+p that clocked anywhere near 900fps from a snubbie.
 
I took my Sc340 out today for the first time with 145 gr SilverTips.
Man what a stout kick. The 5th round's bullet started coming out about 1mm. I fired it anyway and it kicked 20% more and was alot louder. Probably shouldn't have done that. I got hit in the ear with something at one point (not the extra powerful shot) and it caused a small cut that bled profusely. That was the end of my shooting. I shot around 20 rounds and had enough. Think I'll try 125gr GS before giving up on magnum rounds and going to .38+p.
 
OK, I'll try to play again.

branrot, the point I attempted to make was that this same discussion has been talked over again & again (versus my own personal ineptitudes describing same) to the Nth degree.

A simple search function would have described what you want to know & I can't imagine why a moderator didn't just say that more politely than I did - they do so in most other forums - after providing a more polite answer than did I.

BTW, you will find that search queries regards my character are much less than such posts such as your own already over-asked & answered posits.

Suffice it to say that any given weight bullet propelled to a greater velocity, no matter what tube length, gives greater "umph" down range - muzzle flash, recoil, etc. not withstanding. Matters not what bullet weight you'd consider - greater velocity = bigger bang for the buck - in all regards = likely recoil, muzzle flash, etc. Some will give lesser mitigating circumstances regards

Although I was testy at the time of replying, I don't see how my initial reply didn't answer your intial premise. & too, didn't Eric's reply "what hasn't been covered here a million times squared?" reply do the same, although a somewhat condescending slant to my reply, & but a "yeah, all this has been covered a million time here"? .. just makes my point. Shoot the messenger, comes to mnd.

(watch what you ask, watch what you reply to & watch who you insult = thereare rules regards personal attacks & such-sames, ya know ... )

You asked a question that has been covered so many times before that I merely figured that one of your stature/numerous posts would have the wherewithal to use the search function to acheive a realistic answer rather than result to "just another random post" to "hear yourself talk"- thing ... my mistake in taking it seriously.

Pity various forum threads aren't moderated to the same degree of "professionalism."

"Testy" a tad? Yup. You won't waste time insulting me - while you appear to ... that is interesting.

lonegunman, I reply so simpy because it irks me. Why would the mods bring up any search function in other forums/threads if they don't want it used? Inconsistantcies are my downfall - I'm a failure analysis egineering-guy by trade - call it a quirk. ;) This same subject has been brought up so many time as to warrant its own forum ....
 
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