The other day someone posted a picture of a S&W Model 625 with a two inch barrel on a revolver page and a bunch of people lost their minds with comments like ‘stupid’ and ‘400 fps.’ This made me wonder- how stupid is it? I have this here Brazilian-contract 1917, see…

I verified that another barrel was available to me then cut the 1917 to 2″. In the interest of science, of course…

Some time back I tested my defensive load (using the Speer 200gr. ‘flying ashtray’) in my Detonics Combat Master .45 with a 3-1/2″ barrel. Averaged 848 fps. and 319 ft/lbs. at the muzzle. Fired through four layers of denim into Clear Ballistics Gel it penetrated 14″ and expanded to an average of .640″.

Using the same chronograph I tried the 2″ revolver. I didn’t use gel for the S&W, but it clocked *drum roll* an average of 841 fps. for 314 ft.lbs. Huh. How could that be?

For one thing the way revolver barrels are measured. Semi-auto pistol barrels are measured from the breech-face and revolvers are measured from the front of the cylinder. Can you guess how long the barrel of the S&W is from the breech-face to the muzzle? 3.58″, basically the same length as the Detonics.

“But what about the cylinder-gap?” I hear you cry. BBTI discovered in tests that surprisingly little velocity is lost via the cylinder gap. In this case differences in temperature, humidity and other factors could have affected the results slightly and made up the difference.

Having tested this I’m going to tell my buddy to keep his barrel. I’ll finish this one up as a snubby. I already bobbed the hammer and checkered it so it can easily be thumb-cocked. New, more ‘classic’ grips, a crane-detent and a grip adapter. Maybe strip and rust blue it.

It’s still kinda’ a dumb gun, but I like it.

Stay safe and take care,

Michael Tinker Pearce, 8 December 2022