I believe that high pressure cartridges such as 357 mag and44 mag show less of an advantage over lower pressure cartridges such as 38 special and 44 special in short barrels. I believe the 9 mm is a very good round for short barrels. The high pressure cartridges need a longer barrel to burn the extra powder in the bigger case, and the short barrels lead to increased recoil and muzzle flash with slower follow up shots.
A great resource is "Ballistics by the inch" where they chronograph velocities in one inch increments. The website is
BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: Home , check out the results yourself.