Merry CHRISTmas, folks. After my checkbook gets through the end of year slaughter, I'm thinking about getting a 4 inch GP-100 for home defense and as a trail gun. For the latter purpose, two legged predators are the main worry, but I'd also want to have the most power for feral dogs, hogs, sabertooth tigers, whatever. Which means I'd want a hunting oriented load, either 158 or 180 grain.
But hunting-type loads appear tricky for a 4 inch barrel. Most published reloading data is given for 8 or 10 inch barrels. I believe the normal rule of thumb for shorter barrels is to use faster powders, but somewhere recently I think I saw mention of slower powders even for snubbies. So many unknowns: Will JSPs and JHPs mushroom properly at 4" velocities? Can a 180 grain hardcast or JHP get enough speed out of a short barrel? What powders work best in that length barrel?
If anybody has experience with heavy bullet loads in 4 inch barrels, let me know, especially if you've done chrono work.
