I am going to try developing a 9mm loading optimized for a short barrel

[SCBaldr]

I'm getting a Glock 17 and a 26 soon and These two pistols have barrel lengths of 4.5 inches and 3.46 inches. Thats only a difference of 1.04 inches, but my 9mm load that I use now is optimized for longer barreled guns. Right now, my 9mm loading is as follows.
(Brass = any manufacturer as long as its .748" in length. Bullet = Hornady 147 gr. XTP or other 147 gr. jacketed round. Powder Charge = 6.6 gr. of VihtaVuori 3N38. Primer = Federal small pistol. OAL = 1.1565" with a slight taper crimp.) VihtaVuori reloading manual gives the start charge at 6.3 and the max at 6.9.
This loading consistenly develops 1220 feet per second in a 4.5" barrel and it is not over pressure. This is within the 35,000 PSI 9mm Parabellum's maximum pressure specification. Before I started using this load, I called them to confirm this was not a +P load. According to their US tech, he said none of the loads they published are +P and all are within SAAMI specs....
I have a suspicion that this loading will not develop anywhere near the 1220 FPS when fired out of a 3.46" barrel. There would likely be a huge muzzle flash in that case. So the challenge for me is to develop a load that is optimized for the shorter barrel. My theory is that a lighter bullet using a faster burning powder should be a better formula for higher velocities in a shorter barreled gun. Time to find out if it works.

[Guns N'at]

I'm getting a Glock 17 and a 26 soon and These two pistols have barrel lengths of 4.5 inches and 3.46 inches. Thats only a difference of 1.04 inches, but my 9mm load that I use now is optimized for longer barreled guns. Right now, my 9mm loading is as follows.
(Brass = any manufacturer as long as its .748" in length. Bullet = Hornady 147 gr. XTP or other 147 gr. jacketed round. Powder Charge = 6.6 gr. of VihtaVuori 3N38. Primer = Federal small pistol. OAL = 1.1565" with a slight taper crimp.) VihtaVuori reloading manual gives the start charge at 6.3 and the max at 6.9.
This loading consistenly develops 1220 feet per second in a 4.5" barrel and it is not over pressure. This is within the 35,000 PSI 9mm Parabellum's maximum pressure specification. Before I started using this load, I called them to confirm this was not a +P load. According to their US tech, he said none of the loads they published are +P and all are within SAAMI specs....
I have a suspicion that this loading will not develop anywhere near the 1220 FPS when fired out of a 3.46" barrel. There would likely be a huge muzzle flash in that case. So the challenge for me is to develop a load that is optimized for the shorter barrel. My theory is that a lighter bullet using a faster burning powder should be a better formula for higher velocities in a shorter barreled gun. Time to find out if it works.

I respectfully ask; did you personally measure with an accurate chronograph, used properly, a consistent 1220 fps from a 4.5" (Glock?) barrel with a 147 grain XTP and 6.6 grains of 3N38 in 9mm? I have not personally tested this load, but with the very long, high bearing surface bullet used, available case capacity, short barrel length, sub 35k max avg psi parameter, and the relatively small charge of propellant/potential energy applied to stay within the 35k psi avg max, I can see no way this can happen.

As for using a "faster" propellant (Bullseye/WW231/something similar) in the hopes to maintain/gain fps, I think you will find max allowable pressures will be reached/exceeded before your goal.

[SCBaldr]

I've put about 50 rounds through my chrono. The variance is surprisingly small. The average is a solid 1220 though. The VihtaVuori manual says you can go up to 6.9 gr. I should mention though that it was a bit of a head scracther. When I started with 6.3 gr., I got very little difference in velocity 1195 FPS to be exact. You definitely feel the snap in this round.

As for it being impossible to stay within the pressure specs and send a 147 gr. bullet downrange at 1220 FPS. Quod Erat Demonstrata. My brass shows no sign of being over pressure. Some of the brass that I have measured with has had this loading more than once and still shows no sign of overpressure. VV 3N38 seems to be the proverbial miracle shit.

The load optimization for a 3.5" barrel will definitely not see the sky high numbers that I'm getting out of the 4.5". I would like to know, however just how much I can squeeze of of it.

[West Chester]

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php...t_detail&p=118

Item 24A/20 (+p+) 115gr. Jacketed Hollow Point

Browning Hi Power MK111, 4.6 inch barrel---------1426 fps
Beretta 92F, 4.9 inch barrel-----------------------------1402 fps
Glock 19, 4.0 inch barrel--------------------------------1389 fps

Check out the below velocities that we shot with our ammo in several modern pistols. We don't believe that test barrels are a very real way of determining the true velocities of ammo out of real guns. So, as with all of our ammo, we use real firearms to determine real velocities. Note that the longest barrel did not generate the highest velocities with any load. This suggests that there are a lot more factors involved with velocities in internal ballistics than just barrel length.

[Waldershrek]

Speer makes Gold Dots for short barrels