.41 magnum ballistics in a Snub-nose

[American1776]

I am a big fan of the .41 magnum. I've got a model 58 (4 inch barrel) and a model 657 Performance Center that has a 2.6 inch barrel.

I know what many of the factory loads in .41 do from the 4 inch barrel. My question for those who know: how many ft/s should I subtract from the 4 inch barrel to get an accurate estimate on muzzle velocities in the 2.6 inch barrel?

For example, I know that the Speer Gold Dot 41 magnum does 1200 ft/s from the 4 inch barrel. What can we expect that load to do from a 2.6 inch barrel? 1050 ft/s? Less?

Thanks

 

[ridgewalker]

Click on this link for the Ballistics by the Inch page for 41 mag: BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: .41 Mag Results
At the bottom, the data is from an actual gun. In the larger table above, the data is calculated. Comparing the data and making an educated guestimate, I would day you would lose about 250-300 fps going from a 4 inch to 2.5 inch barrel. This is a larger loss than I would have guessed if you asked me before I looked at these tables.

 

[colt_saa]

General rule of thumb with handguns, everything else being equal, the loss is 25-100 FPS per inch, but all things are never equal.

Unfortunately, most of my 41 Magnum chrono data is with handloads. The only factory load I ran was the Winchester 210 JHP. These are the averages of 5 shot strings all fired on the same day. As barrels get longer, handgun ammunition gains less per inch

2 1/2" 415: 1169FPS
3" 657: 1205FPS
4" 657: 1279FPS
6" 57: 1341FPS
6" 657: 1354FPS
6" 657LH: 1378FPS
6" DE: 1385FPS
6 1/2" 657CH: 1372FPS
6 1/2" 657CH-II: 1372FPS
8 3/8" 57: 1424FPS
10" DE: 1560FPS
10" T/C: 1682FPS
14" T/C: 1738FPS
20" 1892: 1790FPS

 

[American1776]

Click on this link for the Ballistics by the Inch page for 41 mag: BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: .41 Mag Results
At the bottom, the data is from an actual gun. In the larger table above, the data is calculated. Comparing the data and making an educated guestimate, I would day you would lose about 250-300 fps going from a 4 inch to 2.5 inch barrel. This is a larger loss than I would have guessed if you asked me before I looked at these tables.

Thanks for that. I saw that table, and I wonder whether any of those numbers can be verified. Would seem that with the snub nose, maybe I should opt for the heavier bullets since velocity could be significantly reduced.

What about the 240 grain winchester Platinum tips? If those do around 900 ft/s out of the 2.6 barrel, that's still markedly better than 45 auto and more momentum than a hot 40 S&W round.

I do practice with full tilt Remington 210 JSP from my M58, so recoil isn't a big concern.

I know many like the Winchester Silvertip 175 grain, but they always struck me as somewhat 'weak'.

 

[629shooter]

I know many like the Winchester Silvertip 175 grain, but they always struck me as somewhat 'weak'.

They do seem "weak" to me as well.(tested in a 6" 57) If I had a 3" or less barrel on a 41 Magnum, I'd give Double Tap's 170 gr. Sierra JHP load for a light for caliber option.

 

[colt_saa]

What about the 240 grain winchester Platinum tips? If those do around 900 ft/s out of the 2.6 barrel, that's still markedly better than 45 auto and more momentum than a hot 40 S&W round.

I have never used the Platinum Tips, but I did chrono some of the Federal 250 grain Core Cast. I had a limited supply of this round, so there are less results to compare.


4" 657: 1041FPS
6" 57: 1083FPS
10" DE: 1280FPS
10" T/C: 1432FPS
20" 1892: 1502FPS

 

[ridgewalker]

The real world data which colt saa provided in post #3 shows approximately 100 fps difference between the 4 inch and 2.5 inch barrels. This is about what I would have guessed if you asked me before looking at the BBI tables.
The BBI data for Gold Dot suggests the 4 inch barrel is almost 400 fps faster than the 2 inch and approximately 150 fps faster than the 3 inch. Since you asked about a 2.5 inch barrel, I estimated that 250-300 fps would be a good approximation based on the BBI data.
While BBI is a nice web site and has some value, I think that we must defer to the real world data like that supplied by colt saa. This shows the limitations of the BBI data and that we must take it with a grain of salt and always verify with real world data if possible.

 

[American1776]

I have never used the Platinum Tips, but I did chrono some of the Federal 250 grain Core Cast. I had a limited supply of this round, so there are less results to compare.


4" 657: 1041FPS
6" 57: 1083FPS
10" DE: 1280FPS
10" T/C: 1432FPS
20" 1892: 1502FPS

Thanks very much for sharing your empirical data. It helps a lot toward addressing my question.

 

[BigBill]

I run my ccw loads@,

357mag,,,,,,1597fps
41Magnum not sure yet.
44mag,,,,,,,,,1400fps sometimes 1500.

Shock n awe,

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
A quick look at BBI will show why many of us like 3in and 5in guns.
The 3in is much ahead if the 2in and not too far off a 4in.
The 5in is a good step above the 4in and not far off a 6in.
This is with full power / hunting loads .
Also look at other cartridges , this applies to most......