For a while now my S&W model 69 with a 4.25" barrel has been one of my all-time favorite guns. On another thread recently Paul105 said how much he likes his version with the 2.75" barrel. So I decided to get one. I found out they're pretty hard to get right now, but I waited until there was one on gunbroker that was priced semi-reasonably and I got it. Took it to the range this morning for the first time and chronographed some hand loads and compared the results for the same loads fired from the 4.25" barrel. I thought you might be interested in the results. For a 3 round average:
240 grn CheyCast HiTek bullets with 14.2 grns Blue Dot
2.75" 1154 fps
4.25" - 1273 fps
260 grn Cast Performance LBT Style with 17.5 grns 2400
2.75" - 1081 fps
4.25" - 1123 fps
So the loss in velocity for the shorter barrel isn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. I didn't notice much difference in recoil although the muzzle flash from the shorter barrel was noticeably brighter. I didn't shoot as well as with my 4.25" model but hopefully it's because I'm not as used to it.
The one issue I noticed is that the ejector rod isn't quite long enough to cleanly discharge the spent brass. I had to manually pull them out but I guess that's an issue with any snub-nosed revolver. Overall, I think I'm going to like it.
