Velocity difference .357 mag Browning v Win Trapper

[pharmseller]

I recently chrono'd some American Eagle 158 gr. SJSP 357 mag loads from my 20" barrel Browning 92. The average velocity was 1760 fps. What should I expect with my 16" barrel Winchester 94 Trapper?

P

[Pete44ru]

IMO, you're going to have to handload to make a difference, as (AFAIK) most factory .357 ammo is loaded with the proper powder/charge to achieve max velocity in handgun length barrels.

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[Tycer]

I'm gonna take a guess at 1780.
I don't think any barrel length helps the 357. I think the small case of powder runs out of pressure after 16". I can fire a tube full of hot 357s and the barrel of the trapper is cool the last five inches.

[TedH]

I'm with Tycer. I don't think you'll see a decrease.

[GANJIRO]

I believe AK Church in one of his older articles on Gunblasts tested Buffalo Bore brand 357 ammo using a 16" and 20" barreled rifles and found that after 16" you actually lose some velocity due to powder being spent and friction from additional 4 inches of barrel left. The amount as I recall is minuscule though still there. You'd be very safe to call it even and definitely not a loss in the shorter barrel.

[Buffboy]

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=12683

[pharmseller]

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=12683

That's a great site!
I'm very surprised by the velocity trend and very pleased that my handy little "toy gun" can be a deer killing machine inside of 150 yards (as long as I do my part, of course). I'd love to carry it next year.

P

[Old Savage]

Then there are those pesky real world varitions. My 20" Cowboy shoots 50 to 89 fps faster than my 18 1/2" C with the same box of Win 158 gr 357 Mag ammo.

Anyone who has done much chronographing with different rifles knows this could be a variation between the two barrels and their chambers etc. You pretty much have to chronograph the two rifles with the ammo you want to shoot to find the difference. It is in my opinion not enough to override the rifle you like most.

Look at the fired cases from both rifles and see if one is tighter than the other with less bulge in the case - that can affect vel. - my experience has been Win has more generous chambers. That is a small sampling though.

I do think 150 yds might be strectching it.

[AJMD429]

With only a two inch difference, you might even find the shorter barrel faster, partly because the cartridge is a handgun one, but ALSO because the individual difference in guns sometimes is several hundred feet per second - especially if they are of different brands.

Bottom line is I doubt there'd be any significant difference one way or the other.

[Old Savage]

True AJ, I chronographed one 30-06 22" that was significantly faster than a 24" that I bought. A 243 BLR with a tight chamber and bore would have beginning loads at almost max from the #11 Speer manual.