Velocity by Barrel Length of Various Calibers
This page will examine barrel length to velocity differences for various calibers. We'll mostly stick to common calibers, but others will likely be added as well. But first, the concepts will be discussed below. The data will follow.
Contents
How Does Barrel Length Affect Velocity?
It is well-established fact that the length of a firearm's barrel will affect velocity (and therefore muzzle energy and even trajectory) to varying degrees. This is because the longer the propellant has had time to burn, the more of its maximum effect on the projectile can be utilized. Otherwise, energy will be wasted and propellant will likely burn off outside the barrel.
Why Does Barrel Length Affect Velocity?
This can depend on a number of factors, such as burn rate of the propellant, bore diameter, and probably others as well. The same caliber gun with the same barrel length could even show different results. For example, two revolvers of the same caliber and barrel length could differ in their amount of cylinder gap, allowing one to waste a bit more energy than the other. Likewise, semi-automatic or fully-automatic firearms will typically have lower muzzle velocity due to some of the propellant's energy being bled off into the gas system to work the action, and this can vary by individual firearm as well. Some guns, such as Heckler & Koch's integrally suppressed MP5SD are actually designed to bleed off excessive gas pressure to make sure any rounds they fire will remain subsonic! However, that is an edge case and can mostly be ignored as it pertains to the topic at hand.
We'll note various barrel lengths and load data on various calibers, from various sources.
.22 Long Rifle
Data for .22LR shown below is sourced from Ballistics by the Inch. A number of popular loads from major manufacturers were tested.
Barrel Length | CCI 27 gr. CPHP | CCI 29 gr. CPRN | CCI Stinger: 32 gr. CPHP | Remington Yellow Jacket 33 gr. (truncated cone, CPHP) | Remington Viper 36 gr. (truncated cone CP) | Remington Golden Bullet 36 gr. CPHP | CCI Mini-Mag 40 gr. CPRN | Winchester Super X 40 gr. RN | CCI Velocitor 40 gr. CPHP | Aguila Sniper SubSonic 60 gr. LRN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18" | 1158 | 1114 | 1510 | 1407 | 1342 | 1181 | 1212 | 1250 | 1366 | 903 |
17" | 1116 | 1060 | 1502 | 1396 | 1304 | 1178 | 1206 | 1227 | 1376 | 903 |
16" | 1130 | 1094 | 1489 | 1398 | 1306 | 1185 | 1207 | 1251 | 1340 | 900 |
15" | 1133 | 1083 | 1496 | 1369 | 1305 | 1178 | 1211 | 1241 | 1336 | 879 |
14" | 1096 | 1103 | 1483 | 1334 | 1294 | 1163 | 1224 | 1222 | 1349 | 883 |
13" | 1098 | 1071 | 1496 | 1381 | 1296 | 1147 | 1183 | 1248 | 1341 | 891 |
12" | 1089 | 1074 | 1476 | 1334 | 1293 | 1167 | 1221 | 1235 | 1335 | 892 |
11" | 1092 | 1079 | 1463 | 1360 | 1280 | 1180 | 1210 | 1223 | 1338 | 881 |
10" | 1115 | 1065 | 1452 | 1304 | 1270 | 1150 | 1169 | 1193 | 1316 | 859 |
9" | 1092 | 1042 | 1430 | 1315 | 1267 | 1129 | 1169 | 1203 | 1275 | 868 |
8" | 1092 | 1048 | 1396 | 1271 | 1212 | 1101 | 1158 | 1191 | 1268 | 857 |
7" | 1060 | 1056 | 1367 | 1284 | 1229 | 1073 | 1139 | 1162 | 1244 | 820 |
6" | 1049 | 993 | 1321 | 1249 | 1165 | 1063 | 1101 | 1133 | 1093 | 824 |
5" | 1029 | 1014 | 1286 | 1214 | 1156 | 1009 | 1097 | 1070 | 1172 | 796 |
4" | 956 | 948 | 1191 | 1113 | 1104 | 984 | 1014 | 1043 | 1120 | 762 |
3" | 907 | 893 | 1129 | 1045 | 998 | 890 | 948 | 965 | 1026 | 726 |
2" | 861 | 860 | 974 | 945 | 875 | 846 | 856 | 862 | 882 | 663 |
.22 Magnum
The table below shows velocity and barrel length data for various .22 Magnum loadings. This data can be especially useful, since this cartridge has gained significant popularity for self-defense, especially in smaller revolvers. This information has been sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
Barrel Length | CCI Game Point 40 gr. JSP | CCI Maxi-Mag 40 gr. JHP | CCI Maxi-Mag +V 30 gr. JHP | CCI V-Max 30 gr. Polymer Tip | Federal 30 gr. Speer TNT HP | Fiocchi PSD 40 gr. JSP | Fiocchi PSD 40 gr. JHP | Hornady Critical Defense FTX 45 gr. | Hornady V-Max 30 gr. | Hornady NTX 25 gr. | Winchester 30 gr. V-Max Polymer Tip |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19" | 1827 | 1999 | 2285 | 2348 | 2355 | 1908 | 1936 | 1773 | 2296 | 2265 | 2149 |
18" | 1837 | 1985 | 2322 | 2298 | 2324 | 1920 | 1950 | 1764 | 2313 | 2235 | 2110 |
17" | 1825 | 1980 | 2280 | 2288 | 2334 | 1918 | 1938 | 1755 | 2318 | 2241 | 2160 |
16" | 1780 | 1987 | 2316 | 2276 | 2283 | 1887 | 1934 | 1702 | 2252 | 2166 | 2129 |
15" | 1799 | 1967 | 2304 | 2294 | 2275 | 1916 | 1873 | 1738 | 2240 | 2229 | 2127 |
14" | 1783 | 1963 | 2230 | 2298 | 2244 | 1885 | 1951 | 1751 | 2243 | 2250 | 2105 |
13" | 1749 | 1889 | 2181 | 2220 | 2227 | 1852 | 1886 | 1698 | 2245 | 2191 | 2071 |
12" | 1750 | 1881 | 2168 | 2204 | 2163 | 1843 | 1811 | 1699 | 2144 | 2138 | 2052 |
11" | 1709 | 1835 | 2079 | 2097 | 2135 | 1788 | 1845 | 1652 | 2093 | 2146 | 1989 |
10" | 1687 | 1817 | 2060 | 2144 | 2102 | 1791 | 1772 | 1643 | 2069 | 2065 | 1951 |
9" | 1672 | 1759 | 2000 | 2061 | 2018 | 1723 | 1772 | 1630 | 1966 | 2024 | 1924 |
8" | 1594 | 1706 | 1950 | 2012 | 1979 | 1650 | 1696 | 1536 | 1977 | 1928 | 1803 |
7" | 1529 | 1617 | 1887 | 1904 | 1879 | 1626 | 1606 | 1525 | 1821 | 1818 | 1763 |
6" | 1484 | 1575 | 1763 | 1804 | 1821 | 1526 | 1544 | 1454 | 1740 | 1824 | 1694 |
5" | 1355 | 1474 | 1672 | 1723 | 1657 | 1433 | 1477 | 1307 | 1602 | 1670 | 1575 |
4" | 1248 | 1353 | 1510 | 1504 | 1457 | 1287 | 1269 | 1239 | 1379 | 1492 | 1454 |
3" | 1089 | 1160 | 1236 | 1336 | 1228 | 1101 | 1117 | 1049 | 1153 | 1308 | 1288 |
2" | 887 | 946 | 884 | 1085 | 895 | 899 | 853 | 843 | 962 | 1114 | n/a |
.25 ACP
The velocity and barrel length data for .25 ACP found below, was sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
Barrel Length | American Eagle 50 gr. TMJ | Winchester .45 gr. Expanding Point | Winchester 50 gr. FMJ |
---|---|---|---|
18" | 1049 | 1001 | 978 |
17" | 997 | 996 | 980 |
16" | 1005 | 977 | 1026 |
15" | 999 | 991 | 1032 |
14" | 1016 | 986 | 1057 |
13" | 1003 | 996 | 1023 |
12" | 1015 | 979 | 1014 |
11" | 1023 | 999 | 1001 |
10" | 1025 | 994 | 997 |
9" | 982 | 951 | 1005 |
8" | 1000 | 951 | 982 |
7" | 1003 | 970 | 1007 |
6" | 963 | 939 | 983 |
5" | 904 | 902 | 949 |
4" | 847 | 896 | 942 |
3" | 867 | 850 | 903 |
2" | 753 | 816 | 780 |
.32 ACP
Below is a table of velocity / barrel length data for the .32 ACP cartridge. It has been sourced from the Ballistics by the Inch website.
Barrel Length | American Eagle 50 gr. TMJ | Winchester .45 gr. Expanding Point | Winchester 50 gr. FMJ | |
---|---|---|---|---|
18" | 1394 | 902 | 865 | 941 |
17" | 1358 | 982 | 941 | 1035 |
16" | 1292 | 983 | 891 | 983 |
15" | 1354 | 1037 | 990 | 985 |
14" | 1325 | 1071 | 921 | 991 |
13" | 1332 | 1009 | 976 | 1015 |
12" | 1291 | 943 | 944 | 990 |
11" | 1345 | 996 | 976 | 1023 |
10" | 1332 | 945 | 971 | 999 |
9" | 1302 | 944 | 976 | 990 |
8" | 1305 | 964 | 996 | 1009 |
7" | 1264 | 957 | 979 | 1018 |
6" | 1242 | 1019 | 959 | 980 |
5" | 1231 | 1012 | 973 | 967 |
4" | 1157 | 939 | 939 | 933 |
3" | 1074 | 893 | 871 | 874 |
2" | 944 | 805 | 782 | 787 |
.38 Special
Velocity by barrel length data for the .38 Special - Sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
barrel length | Cor Bon 110 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 125 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 110 gr. DPX | Federal 125 gr. Hydra-shok JHP | Speer 135 gr. Gold Dot HP | 18" | 1243 | 1190 | 1332 | 1247 | n/a |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17" | 1211 | 1209 | 1298 | 1233 | n/a | ||||||
16" | 1298 | 1261 | 1388 | 1252 | 1315 | ||||||
15" | 1220 | 1210 | 1301 | 1231 | 1255 | ||||||
14" | 1187 | 1180 | 1274 | 1214 | 1264 | ||||||
13" | 1151 | 1182 | 1311 | 1199 | 1247 | ||||||
12" | 1181 | 1164 | 1298 | 1192 | 1233 | ||||||
11" | 1200 | 1144 | 1232 | 1178 | 1242 | ||||||
10" | 1163 | 1135 | 1232 | 1182 | 1217 | ||||||
9" | 1162 | 1129 | 1230 | 1144 | 1209 | ||||||
8" | 1105 | 1092 | 1214 | 1119 | 1189 | ||||||
7" | 1095 | 1069 | 1171 | 1094 | 1145 | ||||||
6" | 1021 | 1014 | 1106 | 1052 | 1115 | ||||||
5" | 1009 | 1045 | 1129 | 1029 | 1101 | ||||||
4" | 1013 | 996 | 1084 | 954 | 1027 | ||||||
3" | 851 | 854 | 963 | 831 | 892 | ||||||
2" | 675 | 723 | 814 | 700 | 756 |
.357 Magnum
Velocity by barrel length data for the .357 Magnum - Information sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
barrel length | Cor Bon 110 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 125 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 140 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 125 gr. DPX | Federal 125 gr. JHP | Federal 158 gr. JHP | Federal 130 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP low recoil | Federal 158 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18" | 1718 | 2113 | 1941 | 1936 | 2072 | 1719 | 2017 | 1721 |
17" | 1686 | 2067 | 1947 | 1907 | 2026 | 1689 | 2009 | 1712 |
16" | 1790 | 2119 | 2004 | 1946 | 2051 | 1739 | 2044 | 1741 |
15" | 1728 | 2069 | 1942 | 1915 | 2032 | 1708 | 2012 | 1718 |
14" | 1691 | 2054 | 1933 | 1897 | 2017 | 1732 | 1993 | 1715 |
13" | 1682 | 2024 | 1916 | 1885 | 1979 | 1674 | 1984 | 1687 |
12" | 1725 | 1994 | 1851 | 1858 | 1945 | 1654 | 1934 | 1679 |
11" | 1667 | 1978 | 1814 | 1831 | 1973 | 1643 | 1922 | 1671 |
10" | 1619 | 1943 | 1802 | 1804 | 1943 | 1630 | 1922 | 1638 |
9" | 1615 | 1901 | 1745 | 1779 | 1881 | 1563 | 1812 | 1586 |
8" | 1600 | 1851 | 1717 | 1728 | 1817 | 1570 | 1593 | |
7" | 1578 | 1784 | 1671 | 1682 | 1784 | 1516 | 1765 | 1536 |
6" | 1461 | 1715 | 1580 | 1648 | 1702 | 1465 | 1662 | 1485 |
5" | 1377 | 1614 | 1493 | 1552 | 1571 | 1373 | 1586 | 1402 |
4" | 1286 | 1496 | 1394 | 1471 | 1511 | 1293 | 1453 | 1332 |
3" | 1109 | 1257 | 1172 | 1271 | 1255 | 1102 | 1194 | 1122 |
2" | 928 | 904 | 911 | 1050 | 949 | 858 | 919 | 914 |
9mm Luger
Also known as 9mm Parabellum, 9x19mm, etc. Data is from Ballistics by the Inch.
Barrel Length | Cor-Bon 90 gr JHP +P | Cor-Bon 115 gr JHP +P | Cor-Bon 125 gr JHP +P | Cor-Bon 115 gr DPX | Federal 115 gr JHP | Federal 135 gr Hydra-Shok JHP (low recoil) | Federal 105 gr Expand'g FMJ | Federal 124 gr Hydra-Shok JHP | Federal 147 gr Hydra-Shok JHP | Speer 124 gr Gold Dot Short Barrel |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18" | 1754 | 1543 | 1449 | 1458 | 1297 | 1194 | 1370 | 1231 | 1038 | 1395 |
17" | 1766 | 1550 | 1421 | 1455 | 1320 | 1207 | 1381 | 1250 | 1096 | 1400 |
16" | 1740 | 1525 | 1430 | 1476 | 1295 | 1185 | 1358 | 1243 | 1073 | 1379 |
15" | 1768 | 1536 | 1392 | 1416 | 1304 | 1194 | 1364 | 1244 | 1090 | 1375 |
14" | 1767 | 1532 | 1405 | 1440 | 1295 | 1182 | 1372 | 1241 | 1090 | 1390 |
13" | 1738 | 1517 | 1477 | 1427 | 1281 | 1183 | 1343 | 1237 | 1081 | 1378 |
12" | 1716 | 1514 | 1385 | 1380 | 1282 | 1184 | 1273 | 1225 | 1081 | 1361 |
11" | 1690 | 1496 | 1372 | 1391 | 1268 | 1166 | 1318 | 1212 | 1059 | 1360 |
10" | 1647 | 1474 | 1372 | 1379 | 1253 | 1167 | 1314 | 1211 | 1067 | 1338 |
9" | 1663 | 1476 | 1369 | 1377 | 1238 | 1161 | 1307 | 1212 | 1055 | 1345 |
8" | 1634 | 1458 | 1366 | 1366 | 1234 | 1145 | 1278 | 1180 | 1047 | 1329 |
7" | 1619 | 1446 | 1329 | 1350 | 1223 | 1136 | 1258 | 1161 | 1040 | 1316 |
6" | 1566 | 1402 | 1312 | 1332 | 1188 | 1113 | 1235 | 1131 | 1030 | 1284 |
5" | 1539 | 1372 | 1282 | 1315 | 1166 | 1085 | 1194 | 1115 | 1007 | 1259 |
4" | 1444 | 1316 | 1226 | 1265 | 1094 | 1039 | 1140 | 1061 | 951 | 1203 |
3" | 1345 | 1245 | 1170 | 1215 | 1029 | 976 | 1074 | 988 | 902 | 1108 |
2" | 1215 | 1134 | 1061 | 1132 | 948 | 909 | 985 | 900 | 837 | 1074 |
Best Barrel Length For 9mm?
Based on the data above, it appears that almost all loads tested got their greatest percentage increase in velocity up until about a 7" barrel length. Velocity did of course increase further with longer barrels, but to a much smaller degree. For example, going from a 4" barrel to 7" (a 3 inch difference), every load got well over a 100 fps increase in velocity. However, going a full 10 inches longer up to a 17" barrel gained most of the tested loads under 100 feet per second in velocity. In fact, going from a 17 inch barrel up to 18 inches, actually LOST velocity in all but two of the loads, although the decrease was negligible.
It appears that overall, the optimal barrel length for 9mm (for something like an AR-15 pistol build, SBR, or similar setup), is about 7 to 8 inches for maximum efficiency and handling. If you still wanted to maintain an ultra-short setup with a suppressor, you could go even shorter with barrel length, as the additional length of the suppressor will increase velocity. Even at 7-8" barrel, the additional length of a suppressor would still allow the pistol or SBR to remain more compact than a 16" barrel. A 7" barrel with a 7" suppressor would still give an overall length of 14 inches. If you were looking for a rifle setup, there appears to be no major reason to go above the federal 16" barrel requirement, unless local laws differ, or whatever the case may be.
.40 S&W
Velocity by barrel length data for .40 Smith & Wesson - Sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
barrel length | Cor Bon 135 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 150 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 165 gr. JHP | Cor Bon 140 gr. DPX | Federal 135 gr. expand'g FMJ | Federal 180 gr. JHP | Federal 135 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP low recoil | Federal 180 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP | Federal 165 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP | Federal 155 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP | Speer 180 gr. Gold Dot Short Barrel |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18" | 1662 | 1457 | 1378 | 1442 | 1411 | 1165 | 1425 | 1189 | 1117 | 1355 | 1105 |
17" | 1650 | 1498 | 1387 | 1460 | 1403 | 1196 | 1414 | 1207 | 1133 | 1346 | 1133 |
16" | 1636 | 1464 | 1351 | 1433 | 1398 | 1142 | 1398 | 1175 | 1084 | 1317 | 1143 |
15" | 1672 | 1478 | 1392 | 1438 | 1421 | 1165 | 1398 | 1181 | 1114 | 1341 | 1149 |
14" | 1649 | 1460 | 1377 | 1448 | 1382 | 1156 | 1401 | 1170 | 1128 | 1337 | 1134 |
13" | 1630 | 1429 | 1379 | 1393 | 1385 | 1148 | 1392 | 1160 | 1132 | 1327 | 1137 |
12" | 1618 | 1438 | 1341 | 1414 | 1373 | 1120 | 1371 | 1163 | 1123 | 1313 | 1143 |
11" | 1591 | 1408 | 1350 | 1403 | 1359 | 1124 | 1355 | 1132 | 1103 | 1300 | 1124 |
10" | 1587 | 1405 | 1329 | 1392 | 1345 | 1123 | 1338 | 1148 | 1124 | 1294 | 1125 |
9" | 1555 | 1406 | 1297 | 1382 | 1349 | 1113 | 1342 | 1133 | 1096 | 1297 | 1136 |
8" | 1537 | 1382 | 1293 | 1384 | 1314 | 1104 | 1318 | 1115 | 1096 | 1257 | 1099 |
7" | 1514 | 1354 | 1272 | 1368 | 1305 | 1084 | 1288 | 1092 | 1064 | 1241 | 1101 |
6" | 1476 | 1340 | 1251 | 1328 | 1281 | 1067 | 1267 | 1081 | 1052 | 1209 | 1068 |
5" | 1453 | 1303 | 1225 | 1308 | 1233 | 1047 | 1225 | 1051 | 1038 | 1190 | 1053 |
4" | 1350 | 1240 | 1164 | 1236 | 1201 | 1016 | 1155 | 1022 | 985 | 1126 | 1011 |
3" | 1212 | 1169 | 1085 | 1190 | 1152 | 962 | 1080 | 964 | 924 | 1065 | 979 |
2" | 1117 | 1071 | 998 | 1093 | 1032 | 905 | 964 | 892 | 869 | 972 | 930 |
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP velocity and barrel length data below is sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
Barrel Length | Buffalo Bore 185 gr. FMJ Flat Nose (Std. P) | Buffalo Bore 230 gr. FMJ RN (Std. P) | Buffalo Bore 185 gr. JHP (+P) | Buffalo Bore 230 gr. JHP (+P) | Double Tap 160 gr. Barnes "TAC-XP" (+P) | Federal 230 gr. "HST" JHP (Std. P) | G2 Research 162 gr. "RIP" JHP (Std. P | Hornady 185 gr. FTX Critical Defense (Std. P) | Hornady 220 gr. Flexlock Critical Duty (+P) | Liberty Civil Defense 78 gr. JHP (+P) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18" | 1031 | 985 | 1398 | 1161 | 1457 | 926 | 1074 | 1210 | 1057 | 2230 |
16" | 1024 | 1016 | 1438 | 1163 | 1442 | n/a | n/a | 1214 | 1077 | n/a |
14" | 1008 | 996 | 1399 | 1148 | 1451 | n/a | n/a | 1196 | 1066 | n/a |
12" | 976 | 996 | 1357 | 1129 | 1410 | 924 | 1057 | 1183 | 1063 | 2153 |
10" | 909 | 955 | 1326 | 1110 | 1334 | n/a | n/a | 1151 | 1059 | n/a |
9" | 916 | 952 | 1308 | 1097 | 1270 | n/a | n/a | 1135 | 1040 | n/a |
8" | 921 | 944 | 1286 | 1094 | 1280 | n/a | n/a | 1123 | 1035 | n/a |
7" | 891 | 923 | 1257 | 1075 | 1224 | n/a | n/a | 1100 | 1026 | n/a |
6" | 867 | 923 | 1236 | 1062 | 1245 | n/a | n/a | 1089 | 1017 | n/a |
5" | 854 | 880 | 1196 | 1016 | 1208 | 896 | 990 | 1041 | 985 | 1865 |
4" | 820 | 845 | 1135 | 981 | 1143 | 838 | 953 | 994 | 951 | 1823 |
3" | 722 | 800 | 1063 | 907 | 1049 | 789 | 914 | 906 | 907 | 1672 |
.460 Rowland
The .460 Rowland is essentially a magnum cartridge of the .45 ACP, meant to create and handle much higher pressures for a significant increase in performance. It is meant to replicate .44 Magnum performance in a .45 ACP semi-automatic handgun.
The data below is sourced from Ballistics by the Inch.
Barrel Length | Cor-Bon Hunter 230 gr. JHP |
---|---|
18" | 1356 |
17" | 1366 |
16" | 1354 |
15" | 1352 |
14" | 1342 |
13" | 1344 |
12" | 1314 |
11" | 1293 |
10" | 1335 |
9" | 1303 |
8" | 1299 |
7" | 1273 |
6" | 1261 |
5" | 1208 |
4" | 1124 |
3" | 1082 |
2" | 974 |