Lyman makes, or used to make, a 147 gr cast HP that only gets 1061 fps out of a 4" barrel, according to Lyman 49th edition. That's 368 ft lbs of energy from a 4" barrel.

OTOH, I have clocked 1100 fps out of a 2" barrel with .38 Specials using a 158 gr bullet for 425 ft lbs of energy.

How much that extra 58 ft pounds means on a target is unknown to me, but if I had my druthers, I'd druther have it.