Barrel Length vs Penenetration

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I know this is posted somewhere here but I can't find it.
In the 147gn sticky Doc states that there is no real difference from a 3.5 to a 5 in. barrel.
My question revolves around shorter barrels specifically in this case a 3" 9mm barrel. Does it make a difference with a barrel this short in the depth of penetration?
In a 3" barrel is it better to run a Slower bullet like the 147 or should I switch to a faster 124 or 124P+?
I currently have 4" and 3.5" barrels in 9 mm and am considering a 3" barrel. However I would prefer to standardize on one bullet weight for all barrel lengths if I can do so without compromising penetration.

[BehindBlueI's]

I know this is posted somewhere here but I can't find it.
In the 147gn sticky Doc states that there is no real difference from a 3.5 to a 5 in. barrel.
My question revolves around shorter barrels specifically in this case a 3" 9mm barrel. Does it make a difference with a barrel this short in the depth of penetration?
In a 3" barrel is it better to run a Slower bullet like the 147 or should I switch to a faster 124 or 124P+?
I currently have 4" and 3.5" barrels in 9 mm and am considering a 3" barrel. However I would prefer to standardize on one bullet weight for all barrel lengths if I can do so without compromising penetration.

I asked the same question here: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post485205

and was told 147 gr.

[Hauptmann]

A 124gr or 124gr+P uses a larger powder charge than 147gr, and those are best used in longer barrels where enough of the charge can be burned off inside the chamber and barrel to give it the higher velocity it needs to be effective. 147gr has a much higher momentum, and is less dependent on velocity to be effective. Plus, 147gr uses a smaller powder charge, and that charge can burn off more efficiently in shorter, or longer barrels. Simply put, there is no disadvantage to using the 147gr load in any barrel length. With 124gr, there is more of an advantage to using it in a longer barrel. In a shorter barrel, the 124gr load ends up detonating more powder forward of the muzzle resulting in a higher blast and flash, and less explosive pressure built up in the chamber/barrel resulting in proportionally(compared the the 147gr) less velocity for the 124gr load. The 124gr JHP was designed to open up at supersonic velocities, and when it goes subsonic or close to subsonic such as from a very short barrel, it looses the expansion reliability.

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Thanks That fits my plan perfectly. A DocGKR article and sticky on this subject would be great.

I asked the same question here: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post485205

and was told 147 gr.

[Nephrology]

I asked the same question here: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post485205

and was told 147 gr.

I've more or less consolidated my defense ammunition to 147gr Federal HST & 147gr Ranger T for the reasons described in the linked thread and in Hauptmann's above response.

[Hauptmann]

I've more or less consolidated my defense ammunition to 147gr Federal HST & 147gr Ranger T for the reasons described in the linked thread and in Hauptmann's above response.

Another interesting thing is to compare the effects of wind on a bullet. I used to live in Oklahoma where there is a nice stead cross wind that measures pretty consistently on a wildland firefighter wind meter. The rounds I initially compared were the Speer 124gr+P GD, and the Speer 147gr standard pressure GD. At 50yrds with a 30mph cross wind, the 124gr bullets could not even hit the paper on a human silhouette. However, the 147gr load which has a better ballistic coefficient, better sectional density, and better mass didn't show hardly any windage effects by that cross wind. On another day did the same test with Fed 124gr+P HSTs, Fed 135gr+P Tactical Bonded, and Fed 147gr HSTs. As predicted, the 124gr still missed the paper with a similar wind speed. The 135gr hit the silhouette with a decent grouping, but it was thrown right about a foot with the direction of the cross wind. Again though, the 147gr didn't seem to show any measurable effects by the cross wind. I'm sure it was there(maybe a few inches), but with a handgun at 50yrds it was tough to determine that.

[Wondering Beard]

Out of curiosity, what has the drop been like between those two rounds at 50 and 100 yards.

Oh and what gun did you use, since the thread is about barrel length?

ETA: I meant between the 124gr +P and the 147 gr, but comparing the others you mention would interest me too :-)

[Hauptmann]

Out of curiosity, what has the drop been like between those two rounds at 50 and 100 yards.

Oh and what gun did you use, since the thread is about barrel length?

ETA: I meant between the 124gr +P and the 147 gr, but comparing the others you mention would interest me too :-)

They were out of a Sig P226. Unfortunately, Sig barrels are kind of slow, so they tend to favor 124gr+P versus 147gr. 124gr+P velocity is close to the factory advertised velocity out of a P226, but 147gr tends to be around 40-50fps slower than the factory 4" test barrel. For instance, 147gr HSTs are advertised as 1000fps from the factory 4" bbl, but out of a P226 they are around 960fps give or take(measured from 4 different P226 pistols to get an accurate sample). I did do some Kentucky windage for the 124gr so that I would hit the paper. At that range I could not see any measurable drop. For the 135gr it was around a 5" drop, and around a 10" drop for the 147gr.

[Wondering Beard]

the 10" drop is at 50 yards?

I ask because, if i remember correctly, the factory numbers seemed to say that 10" is expected at 100 yards. Could the loss of velocity have something to do with that?

[Hauptmann]

the 10" drop is at 50 yards?

I ask because, if i remember correctly, the factory numbers seemed to say that 10" is expected at 100 yards. Could the loss of velocity have something to do with that?

Probably due to the muzzle velocity of 960fps. A G17 barrel would probably keep the muzzle velocity around 1000fps. At 100yrds I was getting a lot more drop than that. Hard to measure with any certainty out of a pistol, but it was almost 2 feet. Basically I would keep the blade of the front sight at the top of the head on a Transtar II target, and it would hit the torso around the belly button. I have found that the heavier calibers tend to slow down less at longer ranges. The best long range characteristics from the service calibers that I found was actually from P226 .40S&W with 180gr JHP. It had a more predictable trajectory and less drop at 100-150yrds. However, Sig barrels run faster in the .40 and .45 for some reason. Usually when I chrono .40 and .45 loads out of a P226/P220 they are very close to factory velocities.