[quote="Keith LJust wondering where you got this data from? [/quote]
Sam Fadalas Blackpowder Handbook is the source. Ill clarify a bit so we understand each other a better.
The common myth is that BP "Explodes." We know this is not true, that it pressure spikes just like smokeless powder does, only the pressure spike happens quicker. Now, Mr. Fadala used data from Lyman to show an example. I cant remember the exact bbl lengths involved, but I believe they were quoted at 22 inch and 32 inch. Using 100 grains of 2f BP and a patched ball the 22 inch bbl produced about 140 fps less velocity. This is pretty considerable, but Ill explaine my above comments in a second. Continuing on, he says that granulation also plays a big factor. Using the same 2 test guns and loads, but switching to a different granulation produced only a 60 fps deviation. And 60 fps, considering a 10" longer bbl, really is not the big a deviation.
Now, the reasons I say you should not really see too much of a performance drop is this. The standard Encore ML bbl is 24". Im not sure what the Katahdin is, but I can only assume somwhere between 18 and 20 inches. I am assuming that someone purchasing one of these bbls intends to use it in terrain that limits use from short to moderate ranges, since a longer tube would be of no kind of hinderance in open terrain (thus my "at the distances you could probably shoot" comment.) Thus at ranges from 0-200 yards, using a magnum powder charge of 150 gr, there should be only a moderate drop in bullet impact, and negligable difference in bullet terminal performance (since the bullet is most likely to go in and out anyways.)
Of course, most of yhis is simply an opinion.
Brian
P.S. Sorry for getting all Mr. Wizzard here
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