The 2 inch barrel thing
Well, no one can measure "stopping power" since it does not exist. In order to kill, a bullet does it's work by exsanguination or central nervous system disruption. Period. "Stopping power" is a myth. A bullet that stays in its target but does not cause massive bleeding/cns disruption is worthless. A bullet that goes right through the target, yet causes massive hemorrhaging or destroys the cns will work fine.
I was involved in a case in Chicago in the early 80's where three guys conducting a home invasion shot the homeowner 6 times in the chest with a .38 special. He chased them off with a baseball bat and then called an ambulance. The bullets all stuck in his pectoral muscles and didn't make it to blood bearing organs, major vessels, or the cns. He survived to testify just fine, even though all 6 rounds dumped ALL of their energy into his body.
Don't buy in to "stopping power." There is no such animal.
Hmmm… In your next post after this one you mention it was two inch barrel and 148 grain target wadcutter.
My old Speer reloading manual number nine, first printing in 1974, third printing 1976, has some factory bullet chronograph charts on page 434.
6 inch barrel is the only listing for a hollow base wadcutter (no other wadcutters listed).
6 inch barrel, Ammo Brands S-R-F-W Chronographed at 725 to 748.
Now the lead semi wadcutter (SWCL) brand S (Speer no doubt) came out of a 6 inch barrel at 868 velocity. Brand W came out at 970 velocity. (Exactly the area we would expect).
Out of a 2 inch barrel the brand S in 158 grain SWCL was chronographed at 742.
(So I would expect a 148 grain target wadcutter from a 2 inch barrel to be over 100 feet per second slower than from a 6 inch. Maybe 650 feet per second?) (Read third paragraph again).
I must note that muscles are not the only thing that grows with heavy lifting. The tendons that connect the muscle to the bone also grow. The bones also grow. And the ligament that connects bones to other bones grows, with heavy lifting.
So I completely believe the above post. Target loads designed for mid 700 fps in 6 inch barrels not advisable in 2 inch for defense.
This same page lists a Speer 140 grain jacketed bullet coming out of a 2 inch barrel at 892 fps.
The manual warns against loading up the Hollow Base Wadcutter because the bullet can deform (in Flash gap I assume).
My Chiefs Specials are loaded with 2 factory 158 gr round nose lead (sorta easy on the ears & penetrate well), then 3 (ear splitting) 110 gr silvertip hollow points behind them (if needed).
