Barrel Ballistics

[zakmatthews 14]

Is the difference in ballistics (velocity, ft/lbs, patterning) between a 8", 12", and 18" barrel worth considering? I feel like 12" would be ideal for me. I would assume you really lose a lot of stopping power shooting 00 buck from an 8" or 12" barrel as compared to a 18" barrel.

[mccumber1916 1]

Is the difference in ballistics (velocity, ft/lbs, patterning) between a 8", 12", and 18" barrel worth considering? I feel like 12" would be ideal for me. I would assume you really lose a lot of stopping power shooting 00 buck from an 8" or 12" barrel as compared to a 18" barrel.

 

WELL... what is the purpose of the gun... home defense?

is your home really big enough that the longest shot you can take and miss with 00 buck?

as far as energy... 12 or 18 inch... no difference

 

just my opinion

[MikeD 541]

I "think" Tony said you loose about 100fps for every 4inches removed. For home defence you could have a 1inch barrel and do just fine.

[MikeD 541]

I "think" Tony said that you lose about 100fps for every 4inches you remove. If you are using for home defense even a 2 inch barrel would be alright..

[Caspian 32]

Here's the breakdown based on a single shot break open shotgun.

 

BBL. Length Aguila Win 3"(1 oz.) Rem 2 3/4" (1 oz.)

31" 1022 1725 1557

25" 1137 1685 1498

19" 820 1542 1411

13" 1139 1433 1324

7" 1024 1134 1131

 

I know the numbers look screwy, but that's what they were. I'm guessing QA/QC is to blame for the fluxuation.

 

Caspian

[Red Jacket 329]

the choke is what matters . My 10 in shoots a 4-5 in pattern w/ 00B @ 15 yrds w/ full choke on it . Velocity in a shotgun = rank amongst 2nd Lt's .

[marvin42 2]

lol Red Jacket! +1

[Azrial 1,091]

I know the numbers look screwy, but that's what they were. I'm guessing QA/QC is to blame for the fluxuation.

Caspian

 

You are clocking the wads with your chronograph. It is difficult to get good velocity readings on a shotgun load, without certain precautions.

 

As to the statement that velocity means nothing in a 12 guage, penetration is a function of velocity x shot weight. Shotgun loads by nature lose velocity, and thereby penetration quickly.

 

Rounds that do not penetrate your target, dumping there energy, including whatever heavy clothing they may be wearing in a personal defense scenario, will do very little to diminish the threat.

 

I am not saying that is no place for a 8" barreled shotgun. I am saying it is a specialized tool, of maximum usefulness under limited circumstances. It is a compromise in performance for the sake of maneuverability and size.

 

One of the guys on my a old team carried a old flare pistol with a 7" barrel in 10 guage. It was his last ditch "super backup" weapon. When we tested it, it would not penetrate a heavy leather jacket at 10 yards.

 

While I am pissing people off, buckshot will throw its best pattern from cylinder bore. A choke is not desirable for buck shot or hopefully it goes without saying, slugs.

Edited March 20, 2007 by Azrial

[Bvamp 604]

well, I suppose it sounds stupid, but you could do a snowball test. LOL, yep a frosty test. 12 gauge rounds will penetrate only so much snow, which is quite a lot, several packed feet (I would start with 5 feet of it) of it in fact, and I would think that you could fairly clearly measure the change in traumatic force from the same loads with different barrels out of like make guns. if you are good with math that is or have ballistics software.

 

for instance someone with snow on the ground, hand pack a snow bank as straight and even as you can, and shoot it with a shortie and a regular length barrel. my suggestion is to shoot down the bank, instead of into the face of it, with a 12 gauge. this would DEFINATELY give you a consistant result, if you use different parts of the snowbank. if you dont get any dirt or rocks or hard ice in there, you probably will recover the slugs in pristine condition, bore marks and all, with a metal detector.

 

I know you all think frosty is a joke and all, but the last two Ive destroyed I did in such a way that I learned a few things about ballistics and bullet weight that left me speechless. i dont have access to leo ammunition in NYS, but I did shoot a bunch of .40 mag-safes into a 28-32" ball of freshly fallen packed (rolled and smoothed into a ball) snow that sat overnight, and not only did they not penetrate, but all stopped in almost the same depth when shot from various directions at point blank range (about three feet), and the bullets were so pristine, the rifling cuts still had the sharp burrs on the edges of them. the same thickness of snow doesnt stand a chance against a 12 gauge slug, so think snowbank in this case instead of snowball. rifle rounds, well, thats another story. you might actually get some slug deformation in longer barrels and 3" loads, but I really cant tell ya, because I generally say "fuck it, I got something that will fix this problem in the house" and shoot the shit out of the thing after about two seconds of pulling bullets out of the thing.

 

I do it every year I am home for snow, and outside of centerfire rifle rounds, and shotgun slugs, I get the same results every time. all one would need is thicker snow to stop the shotgun slugs, and if its packed right, i GOTTA think it would give you an accurate measurement, at least to the inch or even 1/2" if its done carefully.

 

its something to think about, even if it does sound a bit ridiculous.

 

speaking of which, I got a mag of 5 in my s12 that needs to go off tomorrow. I hear frosty is in town. I may POP by and pay him a little visit.