It's about efficiency. If you use a round optimized for a 4 to 6 inch barrel, a lot of potential energy will go into producing muzzle flash and not velocity. Use a faster burning powder in combination with a somewhat lighter bullet and almost all of the charge will be spent getting the bullet up to speed with a lot less muzzle flash. I also suspect that as muzzle flash is reduced, the volume of sound produced will also go down, so it will be a bit quieter, which might be the difference between permanent hearing loss or temporary hearing loss.
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