Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Question: what is "short barrel" ammo?

In the Midway catalog, I see where I can order Speer 9mm+P ammo in 124 grn or 124 grn "short barrel". What's the difference?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

The Short Barrel ammo is specially loaded by Speer with powders designed to burn more efficiently in short tubes, with less "flash" from unburnt powder, and with GoldDot JHPs designed to perform better at the lower short-barrel velocities.

It does make a considerable difference.

I've tried both the regular GoldDot loads and the short barrel loads in a couple of differet calibers, and across the board, the expansion and overall performance of the SB stuff is better than the standard stuff in short-barreled handguns. In the standard barrel lengths, the standard loads retain an edge overall.

By and large, an excellent idea for the sub-compact handguns.

What VA said, and something that handloaders have been doing for decades. It's surprising how long it can take manufacturers to pick up on something so obvious.

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like my Kel-tec would prefer those "short barrel" loads.

Yep, the K-T will eat up the short barreled loads.

FWIW, my K-T, a .380, likes the standard GoldDot fodder well enough, but the SB versions are a bit less "flashy".

In the 9mm, though, I'd say the SB versions are a near-must. The standard stuff is designed to work at the higher velocities and gain those velocities via burning more powder in the longer barrel. The SBs are an improvement over that in the little K-Ts and the Taurus revolvers.

The short barrel ammo was initially a request from a law enforcement agency to create ammo that would perform in short barreled revolvers. (off the top of my head, I can�t remember which agency was the original requester, but it�ll come to me). What they were looking for specifically was for 4� barrel performance out of a 2� barrel in .38 Special. Although handloaders had been adjusting their powders appropriately for years, not much could be done about the bullet unless you cast your own hollow points with a soft mixture (generally about 30/1 lead-tin, which didn�t fill a mold very well but they expanded pretty well). So Speer designed a bullet that would open at reduced velocities, while using powders that maximized velocities for the shorter tubes.

IIRC, Speer was able to create a .38 Special +P load that was effective enough for FBI approval in a 2� .38 Special, which is quite amazing. This load has made me even more of a fan of the snubbie .38 and I carry it all the time. I have little experience with short barrel loads in small autos, but I do use it for carry in my compact 9mm and .45ACP. Although I think people obsess a bit to much over the load they carry (because it�s almost never a deciding factor), I am pretty big on this concept.

I had not heard of this load until I saw it on the Campfire. I gotta buy it and try it!

I called Speer and asked specifically about their new "Short Barrel" offering. I had just bought a new .45 Kimber Ultra Carry 11 with the short barrel and thought that perhaps this new ammo would be just the ticket. The Speer tech told me that the only real difference was that the hollowpoint is actually wider than their standard Gold Dot offering so it allegedly opens up quicker on impact out of a shorter barrel which produces less velocity.

I bought 6 of the most "highly regarded" PD ammo before choosing the load I decided to carry. The tech suggested that I do that and chrono each load to see which one produced the highest velocities in my Kimber. These were all 230 grainers, none were +P's. I looked at both the hollowpoint cavities of the standard and Short Barrel Speer Gold Dot loads and the tech was correct, the HP of the Short Barrel ammo was a bit larger. I chose the factory ammo with the 3rd highest velocity of the 6, but it shot most accurately. There are always tradeoffs, compromises. The Short Barrel load was one of the higher velocities tested, but not accurate enough to make the cut.

Hope this helps.

magnumb;

I had a Kimber Ultra Carry II; the SB ammo was slicker'n snot in that rig. That, and the CorBon DPX would be the only one's I'd try in that piece... unless those two just wouldn't feed. And I doubt that'll be the case.

Try the 185 gr. fodder in that little Kimber. It might like it a bit better.

VAnimrod;

The SB chambered just fine and I didn't get around to the Corbon's. I ended up with the Ranger SXT's. Good groups and velocity. What was interesting is that the only ammo out of the 6 tried that had any hiccup (very small and infrequent) at all was the standard 230 gr. GD's! Go figure. Actually, all the velocities were quite close, but the accuracy aspect was the deciding factor.

I toyed with the idea of trying the 185's, but with the velocity of the .45, I figured bigger is better. Lots of differing thoughts on that, just my opinion. You said, "had a Kimber....", what happened to that piece? If it's bad, lie to me as I've grown quite fond of mine and it shoots lights out. Mine has the IE as opposed to the much maligned, EE. I have had 0 FT anythings, 1,200 rounds out the tube.

Has anyone tried the "short barrel" offerings in a Kel-Tec? Just curious as to how they'd act.

I dote heavily on the SB loads in a Kel-Tec. 'Tis almost exactly what they were made for.

magnumb; the Ranger SXTs are REALLY good. I have a couple of boxes of the 230s, and they shoot POA/POI from my Rock Island, and right with the GoldDots and DPXs. I'd not hesitate for one second to use them defensively or even hunting... and I'll probably try the latter later this year.

Try the 185s. You might be very pleased. The 185s sometimes shoot, and sometimes perform, a bit better out of the short tubes due to the lighter weight, larger HP cavity, and higher velocity. They also recoil a bit less.

Yes, I "had a Kimber." Absolutely no complaints about it at all. It functioned like a Swiss watch, shot better than most full-size .45s I've handles, and had ZERO failures.

I sold it recently to coyotewallace simply because I just didn't/couldn't carry it 24/7, and that Kimber NEEDED to be carried.

I carry the speer .38spl 135gr +P load in my S&W 36. I get higher velocities with it's 135gr bullet than with other manufactureres 125gr +p loads.

VAnimrod,

You're totally right. The Kimber begs to be carried. So, I give in alot. I found a very skilled leatherman in Richard Olson of Texas recently and have ordered 2 holsters from him recently. The finest custom made leather holsters (IWB/SOB) I have handled. One for my Ultra Carry and one for my G27. Perfect fit, perfect work and most importantaly, allows for perfect draw. The draw angles are, once again, perfect. The bonus: 1/2 the price (or less) of the 3 or 4 most highly touted holster makers. I told Richard he should charge more, but he is one person that truly loves his craft and he is beyond honest.

I will run some 185's through my UC because I can tell you're trying to guide me in a proven direction that you were impressed with. It may not make me rethink the SXT's as my chosen carry round as I find them a good fit for my needs and my Kimber, but it is always fun to experiment. Thanks for the nudge.

I shoot the DPX in my 5" 1911, but my kimber CDP likes the 185 hydrashocks or 230 SXT's so that is what goes in it and neither give me one bit of concern shall i ever need to use them

The SXTs are a very fine round, no doubt. They rank right up there with the GoldDots, which IMHO, are the best all-around load available today.

Try those two, and the CorBon DPXs, which, in early tests for me have shown to be absolutely incredible. They are a Barnes X-bullet, so comparing them to the SXT and the GDs is like comparing an X to bonded core bullets in rifles.

My 3 40's all carry the 180gr. Gold Dots as I also have total faith in their results concerning PD use. As I believe we all do, I had a desire for the standard 230gr. GD's to "win" the 6 factory load shoot-off when I was looking for my .45 carry load. But as I stated earlier, they were the only load to show a very infrequent, but disconcerting, feeding issue in my UC. Oh well, we can't expect and get the results we want everytime. Just proves to me, once again, the importance of relying on actual testing rather than on what's worked before in another firearm, be they the same make/caliber or otherwise.

Exactly.

I just got some "short barrel" 9mmP+P ammo, ordered online, and some of them have found their way into my Kel-Tec. I'll let y'all know how the range test goes.

Sweet...

While you're testing 'em, get about a half-dozen empty gallon jugs, fill 'em with water, line 'em up, and poke one into the line.

Retrieve the expanded bullet and post a pic, will ya? I suspect I already know what it'll look like (GoldDots almost always look the same), but it should be interesting to see the comparison on yet another load.