In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options

How short can a snub barrel be?

511pe511pe Member Posts: 258 ✭✭✭
edited January 2009 in Ask the Experts
Got an x-military friend (highly trained)who stated the minimum is 3/4". My topic is how short can a snub nose barrel go and still be lethal? lets exclude the forcing cone & crown please in this forum.
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Options
    Don McManusDon McManus Member Posts: 23,489 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A round fired out of a cylinder without any barrell would be lethal. If the question is how long a barrell is needed to stabilize a bullet, it will vary with caliber, bullet weight and velocity.
    Freedom and a submissive populace cannot co-exist.

    Brad Steele
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,880 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The earliest revolvers were called "pepperboxes", & had basicly just several short barrels rotating around a rod.

    The term "snub nose" refers to modern revolvers with a frame surrounding the cylinder; you really don't need ANY barrel with these, as the bullet will (hopefully) pass through the hole in the front of the frame. But, like Don says, the barrel helps stabilize the bullet; plus, it's nice to have a place to mount the front sight.

    Neal
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    grdad45grdad45 Member Posts: 5,317 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    "plus, it's nice to have a place to mount the front sight."

    With a barrel that short, "We don' need no stinkin" front sights!"
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Some early snubbies were Colt Single Action revolvers with their barrels removed.
    Caliber by itself doesn't mean much until you have enough barrel length
    to develop meaningful velocity.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    There was a woman murdered here in Cal years ago by a guy who removed the barrel from his revolver and shot from the cylinder only.

    He wanted, obviously, to leave no rifling marks on the bullet, but was caught anyway.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    clb024clb024 Member Posts: 36 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here's a thought - Grab a round around the case, you choose the caliber, with a pair of vise grips. Now place a nail over the primer and have someone hit it with a hammer. Lethal? Yep! Dumb? Absolutely! Happy New Year!!!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by 511pe
    Got an x-military friend (highly trained)who stated the minimum is 3/4". My topic is how short can a snub nose barrel go and still be lethal? lets exclude the forcing cone & crown please in this forum.


    As already mentioned, historically, some of the earliest "snub noses" were standard revolvers with the barrel entirely removed to improve concealment. They may not be accurate, and you may lose most of the velocity, but at point-blank (ie card table) distances, they're plenty lethal.

    So long as the cartridge case is supported (to contain the force of the gunpowder charge) and there is **some** degree of barrel, frame, or cylinder length (to direct the bullet) a revolver with any standard cartridge is potentially lethal. . .so long as you hit a vital area.

    FWIW, I have personally seen with my own eyes a successful suicide with a 1" barrel .22 short pistol.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    ebeshirsebeshirs Member Posts: 382 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Actually CLB, i had an uncle that did close to that very thing as a kid. He put a .22 in the vise and hit it with a hammer. Physics being what it is and all, the case being lighter than the bullet, the case blew backwards and went in his arm. Not what he expected.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    clb024clb024 Member Posts: 36 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yea, this is actually something from my childhood. There was a railroad tie between mine and my neighbors houses that had varying nails sticking in the side. We would grab .22's in pliers or channel locks and hit it against the side of this railroad tie to get the rounds to discharge. Luckily no one ever got hurt. I was a dumb kid.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    511pe511pe Member Posts: 258 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Way... way... off topic. Short barrel-OK, no barrel only cylinder-OK, no gun-what? Got a very interesting childhood. Thanks for shairing, I look forward to reveiwing all your postings.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.