accuracy difference from 3" to 4" barrel

[scooter123]

Groo here
The difference in accuracy between a short and a long barrel has more
to do with the way you see the sights than most anything else.
Most shooters who are near sighted will go to a shorter barrel
[closer to the eye ] as they age,, far sighted will go to a longer.
Got to see the front sight well!!!!!!!!!!!

Or just say NUTS and mount a reflex sight.

From a purely engineering standpoint, with a one piece barrel the shorter barrel will actually be more accurate than a longer barrel. When a barrel is attached to the frame at just one end it becomes in effect a Cantelever Beam. Since a bullet transitting the barrel will cause that beam to bounce like a diving board, a shorter barrel will be "stiffer" in it's response and the end will deflect less during the transit event. I suspect that if a 2 1/2 inch 686 and a 6 inch 686 were both equipped with a good handgun scope and fired from a rest by a real good shooter, the short barrel would just trounce the longer barreled gun in group size. However, in order to prove this out completely, each gun would have to use a load that was optimized for the barrel length. Because Harmonics can have a distinct effect on any vibrating system and barrels do vibrate in response to a bullet transitting them. Ideally you want a load and bullet mass where the end of the barrel is passing through it's Neutral position when the bullet exits the muzzle. Ask anyone who's worked up loads for long range rifle shooting, just a 100 fps difference in velocity can make a distinct difference in group size downrange.

Now, if you are still young enough that you don't need to cheat with Optics, Sight radius Rules. Even the eagle eyed pro who never even smells caffiene will shoot more accurately with a longer sight radius. However, since most of us don't fall into the eagle eyed, caffiene free, category, I don't think the difference between a 3 or 4 inch barrel will be very noticable. The plain truth is that most of us can't come close to shooting to the accuracy our guns are capable of. Fact is for offhand shooting almost all of my practice is spent at 15 yards or less, for anything longer I look for a rest because most days I'm just not as steady as I would like to be.

 

[windstrings]

I too am debating on a 3" nice and tidy verses a 4 or even a 5".
Seems most of the "visibility" while trying to conceal is the handle anyway.

Added barrel length adds weight but also adds speed and I expect gets more spin???

My gunsmith told me that .45acp like to tumble after a certain distance.
Bad news for someone contemplating buying a Kimber Ultra raptor or similar.

I'm wondering if a little added length gives better speed of revolution on the bullet allowing further distance and accuracy before the "tumble" starts?

I expect if your shooting FTX hornady ammo thats pointed cutting through the wind rather than "bucking" the wind may help too.

With that being said... I now wonder if .45 acp is still ok to get or whether I should consider 10mm "seems those are never ultra though" or maybe .40mm?
.40mm's shoot like pussycats, so I'm not afraid of the idea of shooting a 10mm.

Maybe thats cause I cut my teeth with my first pistol being a .460

Seems just about the time I think I know what I want, I learn more and am glad I waited.

 

[one eye joe]

There is NO appreciable difference in accuracy @ the range you describe between two good revolvers. I have a 2 1/2" 686 that prints one ragged hole groups @ 50 ft. off the bench. Can't get much better than that.........