SHORT or LONG BARREL?

[bubbajoe45]

I recall he wrote in Sixguns that the 4" was the longest practical barrel for a policeman or any other person who carries a handgun on the belt who rides in a car. True enough, but I think preferred the 4" because of his stature. Look at some of the pics of Keith in his books and articles when he is standing next to other folks, and you can see he was actually pretty short. It makes PERFECT sense that a shorter fellow would prefer a barrel an inch or two shorter than normal/average, because it will balance better for them.

Elmer said what he meant. On the other end of the 'stature' spectrum was Bill Jordan, who was over 6 1/2 ft tall. He also prefered a 4" gun for exactly the same reason - sitting in a car. He goes into great detail on this subject in "No Second Place Winner", but also talks about how much quicker a 4" gun is due to the balance and pointability.