School me on Revolver barrel length

[Bret4207]

When Bob Milek was writing for Shooting Times and pushing Handgun Silhouette real hard, the long barrel heavy caliber revolvers were THE THING to have. I never got into it myself, there being no ranges over 100 yards where I lived. But we used to see the guns around a lot. The longer barrel was a status thing I think. I wonder how many still are around in original form vs how many got cut to 6" or 4"?

 

[Rick]

I doubt very many silhouette guns got the barrel lopped off. I still have several of mine. No, not a status symbol, a very useful tool.

 

[RBHarter]

One of my loading manuals had 4 or 5" barrel data listed because" yes our test pistol was a Buntline Special but the barrel was cut before our acquisition to this length" .
If you want a loooooong barrel there's the solution . There's always the option of the 1875 or 1858 Rem conversion to the cattleman's carbine then taking the stock off and slipping that Bisley grip frame on it , though I prefer the Army version .
The 16-18" barrel kind of takes the handy easy to carry out of the picture though .....

I once thought that a Striker/XP 100 in a 308 family rifle cartridge with an 18" Varmint barrel would be just about the perfect pack in rifle . Full values , around 4# and only about 26" total in a repeating rifle . Find an 1896 94' and do what you want , was the answer ..... Whatever . The 1200 fps MV 265 gr 45 out of the RBH should be plenty .

 

[358156 hp]

I doubt very many silhouette guns got the barrel lopped off. I still have several of mine. No, not a status symbol, a very useful tool.

The further west you get, the lower the population density gets, and options for long-range handgunning increase dramatically. I used to be able to go to northwest Nebraska and shoot handguns as far as I pleased. We would shoot at rocks, stumps, and generally anything that would standout on distant hillsides with everything we cared to shoot. I was primarily interested in handguns, but everything was shot from field positions and the experience ruined me for shooting on a square, flat range at paper targets. We also shot IHMSA silhouette in those days, but for some reason Nebraska always had some difficulties keeping IHMSA going in those days.

Now I'd be lucky to be competitive in Field Pistol and Small Bore.

 

[358156 hp]

Thanks for that Keith but after reading all this, just gonna keep it 4".

Just as well. A longer barrel is no guarantee of higher velocity or greater accuracy than a 4 inch. Some longer barrels are actually slower than some shorter barrels, and each individual gun is a rule unto itself as far as accuracy goes. There is something to be said for the longer sight radius though.

 

[Bret4207]

I doubt very many silhouette guns got the barrel lopped off. I still have several of mine. No, not a status symbol, a very useful tool.

I was referring to where I lived where there were no ranges more than 100 yards and no silhouette ranges at all. Definitely a fad status symbol in that area, like the 8 3/8" M29's after "Dirty Harry" came out.

 

[CZ93X62]

That 8-3/8" barrel length seems like a strangely random length, but it is not. That length provides a 10" sighting radius for revolvers, which was max sight radius length for NRA 2700-series target shooting back in the day.

Since I retired, my revolver barrel length selections have morphed a bit. There are a few more 6" and 7.5" barrels in the safe, and revolvers are more about hunting than about social venues these days. The 4" 686 remains a faithful friend, though; that one has been with me since 1990 and is far too useful and practical to ever let go.

 

[358156 hp]

That 8-3/8" barrel length seems like a strangely random length, but it is not. That length provides a 10" sighting radius for revolvers, which was max sight radius length for NRA 2700-series target shooting back in the day.

Since I retired, my revolver barrel length selections have morphed a bit. There are a few more 6" and 7.5" barrels in the safe, and revolvers are more about hunting than about social venues these days. The 4" 686 remains a faithful friend, though; that one has been with me since 1990 and is far too useful and practical to ever let go.

Yup. If you compare the length of the bore and cylinder back to the recoil shield, you get 10 inches, the legal length for production classes back then.

 

[fiver]

so that's where that ported 8" barrel for the 445 come from.
the 375 also wears one.
wait,, the max also has an 8".
i'm seeing a trend here...LOL
and no i never shot no silhouette stuff with a handgun, shot lots with lever rifles though.

 

[Mitty38]

With my skill or lack of it I do not notice a difference between my 4 inch or the 6 inch under 50 ft.
But stretching it out to 50 yards I just can not do it with a 4 inch and iron or glow sights.

 

[CZ93X62]

Handguns have been pressed into service within venues they likely weren't originally meant to reside within.

At work, our quals course stopped shooting at 50 yards with service sidearms not long after I started in 1977. We shot from barricade at 25 yards for another couple decades, but by 2000 our quals shot at 15--10--and 7 yards. It remains so today for sidearms. Buckshot stops at 25 yards, deer slugs ay 50 yards. Past 50 yards we use patrol rifles, and qual at that range.

Longest/best shot I ever made on a varmint with a handgun was with my S&W Model 16-4 x 6" in 32 Mag--a ground squirrel offhand at ~ 120 yards with the RCBS #32-98-SWC running about 950 FPS. It was witnessed by at least two other hunters. That was ~ 15 years ago, and a bit of rust surrounds my handgun skill set these days.

 

[Winelover]

Arkansas Fish & Game's take on barrel measurement:

​

Modern Gun​

Modern guns may be used for deer EXCEPT:

• buckshot in a .410 shotgun.
• shot smaller than No. 4 buckshot in any shotgun.
• rimfire cartridges, military or full metal jacketed ammunition.
• centerfire rifles or handguns smaller than .22 caliber.
• handguns with barrels shorter than 4 inches. See illustration, right.

NOTE: The AGFC has approved for modern gun deer season the use of large-bore air rifles that meet certain standards. The large-bore air rifle must be at least .40-caliber, shoot a single, expandable slug, produce at least 400 feet/pounds of energy at the muzzle, and be charged from an external tank. Large-bore air rifles are not legal for harvesting bear or elk.

Muzzleloader​

To be used for deer hunting, muzzleloading rifles must have a barrel 18 inches or longer and be .40 caliber or larger. Magnifying sights may be used. The use of shot is not legal. Legal muzzleloaders use flint, percussion cap, primer or electronic pulse, must have the bullet loaded through the muzzle and are not capable of firing a cartridge.

Hunters may use muzzleloading handguns with:

• barrels 9 inches or longer
• .45 caliber or larger if they shoot conical bullets (200 grains or heavier), or
• .530 caliber or larger if they shoot round balls.

A hunter may carry a muzzleloading handgun of any caliber as backup to a muzzleloading rifle.

Technically, a ROA isn't legal for taking deer in Arkansas.

 

[Thumbcocker]

On a personal note; I find i get a clearer sight picture with a 4 5/8" barrel than I do with a 7.5" barrel these days. I had the rear notch on the 7.5" gun opened up and it helped but I still get a crisper sight picture with shorter barrels.

 

[Jeff H]

Perfect view of the sights on my 3" barreled DAs, but need a small, hard to find sector in my "blended bifocals" to see the sights on my 5.5" SA.

I can see the front sight clearly on an 18.5" bolt-action carbine, but at 16" on a Contender Carbine, the front sight looks like something you might drag from under the couch or bed with a dust-mop.

Kind of crazy how so little distance makes such a big difference. It changes over time too, but never for the better.

 

[Jeff H]

Handguns have been pressed into service within venues they likely weren't originally meant to reside within.

.....

I used to shot at inanimate objects at long distance, and would not hesitate to shoot at a deer at 60 yards or coyote at a hundred.

Any more, 25 yards is "long" and I've gotten away from longer-barreled handguns in deference to greater portability. I don't need 6" or 7.5" at 25 yards, so why tote the extra? I've shot my 5.5" SA at 50 yards to reasonably good effect in recent years, but that's a gun I keep specifically for the sake of having an SA and one I can hunt with.

Decades ago, I got the biggest kick out of plugging a steel plate at a hundred yards with a 3" 44 Bulldog. The plate was probably a foot wide by two high. I'm pretty sure I could still hit something like that at that distance, or at least provide suppressive fire - scare the crap out of the plate.

Beyond that, I just grab a rifle, which is always a "carbine" format for me, lighter and almost shorter than some of a friends "handguns," in fact. I wouldn't shoot what HE shoots if it had a bipod and a base-plate.

 

[Bret4207]

Arkansas Fish & Game's take on barrel measurement:

​

Modern Gun​

Modern guns may be used for deer EXCEPT:

• buckshot in a .410 shotgun.
• shot smaller than No. 4 buckshot in any shotgun.
• rimfire cartridges, military or full metal jacketed ammunition.
• centerfire rifles or handguns smaller than .22 caliber.
• handguns with barrels shorter than 4 inches. See illustration, right.

NOTE: The AGFC has approved for modern gun deer season the use of large-bore air rifles that meet certain standards. The large-bore air rifle must be at least .40-caliber, shoot a single, expandable slug, produce at least 400 feet/pounds of energy at the muzzle, and be charged from an external tank. Large-bore air rifles are not legal for harvesting bear or elk.

Muzzleloader​

To be used for deer hunting, muzzleloading rifles must have a barrel 18 inches or longer and be .40 caliber or larger. Magnifying sights may be used. The use of shot is not legal. Legal muzzleloaders use flint, percussion cap, primer or electronic pulse, must have the bullet loaded through the muzzle and are not capable of firing a cartridge.

Hunters may use muzzleloading handguns with:

• barrels 9 inches or longer
• .45 caliber or larger if they shoot conical bullets (200 grains or heavier), or
• .530 caliber or larger if they shoot round balls.

A hunter may carry a muzzleloading handgun of any caliber as backup to a muzzleloading rifle.

Technically, a ROA isn't legal for taking deer in Arkansas.

I find their rule on roundballs a bit silly. Were they purposely trying to dissuade people from using RB's or was there a modern conical rifle maker on the board coming up with this stuff?

 

[Brad]

Doesn’t always make sense Bret. Rules are made by people who make arbitrary decisions. Kinda like NE requiring a center fire rifle with 900 ft lbs of energy at 100 yards. The number is just a number, someone decided it makes sense.

How much of this is because muzzleloader were often considered minimally capable of killing deer? Think the people who make these rules are shooters?

 

[Winelover]

I find their rule on roundballs a bit silly. Were they purposely trying to dissuade people from using RB's or was there a modern conical rifle maker on the board coming up with this stuff?

What's more ridiculous is the 9" barrel requirement. Pretty much, leaves out all BP revolvers.

 

[RBHarter]

The Walker and Dragoons also don't make the cut either . They are too short about an inch but a 4" 45 ACP is good to go ......

NV rifle is 100 ftlb at 100 yd for 22 cal and larger with a 2" OAL .
Pistol requires a CF , 24 cal or larger , 4" barrel , and a case length at least that of the 44 Rem Mag .......
So you can legally hunt elk with a 256 WM in an XP100 but a ported 1895 GG with the 300 gr HP Rem factory load in 45-70 is a thin slice probably on a gun by gun basis ......there were some other " cowboy " cartridges like 38 long and I think 25-20 that make the primary side arm cut that ain't even close in my thinking. 1.280 inch case for those not all up to speed .
The pistol cartridges also don't count in a PCC but they would be hard pressed to make a legal case on a Mares leg or an original 1898 Buntline Special with a stock ......... You know if a guy just wanted to be a PITA and see how far the grey would bend .

 

[Bret4207]

I think in NYS it's still min of 45 cal for ML. I know a 40 would do it and I'm fairly confident my little 36 would work just about like a 22 mag- The Poachers Pet! But, I suppose we have to set the bar to the common denominator, eg- ignorant, mouth breathing, brain dead morons, and try to keep them from wounding everything in sight. I'll say one thing, a 54 cal RB pushed by 90+ grs of powder is gonna whomp anything it hits! So they got that part right I guess.