Got my anniversary gift last night

[wileyCoyote]

Whiley, if you take two pistols one long barrel one short. Take all other factors out (load, wind, human, ect.) Lock them down the short barrel would have better grouping than a long barrel? Just want to make sure I understand you right.

..i don't think there's any rule of thumb, generically speaking, that would apply to this scenario, ...the circumstances would be needed, would be my guess... it would depend on the particular physics as consquence of the barrels used (construction, crown, etc), powder/loads used, etc.. distance would certainly be a factor, since the forces acting on projectiles over a given distance will vary w/ the initial (muzzle) velocity... another thing to consider, ...since we anticipate differences in muzzle velocity between the two barrels, is the "settling time" for the projectile after leaving the barrel... if you watch a high speed camera of a gun being fired, ...an "oscillation" of the bullet is noticeable after leaving the muzzle, ...i'd bet this affects "accuracy", especially at short ranges, assuming it settles out downrange...

...too many variables , ...but it can be somewhat of a misconception to say that a longer barrel is always "more accurate" than a shorter one...

[5.0THIS]

the barrel lengths are probably more a factor of muzzle velocity, not so much as increasing "accuracy"... "accuracy" probably becomes more a factor when "matching" barrels to "loads", ...a longer barrel tends to "whip" (vibrate) under the pressure impulse from the propellant... the avid long range guys (long range accuracy) will go so far as to "match" their barrel to the loads they are using, w/ barrels engineered to counterbalance the impulse harmonics...

I understand all that, and the caveats that come with a shorter barrel. But when we're talking concealed carry, compact means easier to hide. We're also talking about a gun that would be used under 99.9% of circumstances at ranges less than 15 yards. And with my concealed carry piece, I don't give a shit what the sight radius is. I'll train with it until I can shoot with it the way I want to. Under emergency situations, that can often mean shooting from muscle memory, or from the hip in some situations, neither of which involve picking up the sights really

[wileyCoyote]

I understand all that, and the caveats that come with a shorter barrel. But when we're talking concealed carry, compact means easier to hide. We're also talking about a gun that would be used under 99.9% of circumstances at ranges less than 15 yards. And with my concealed carry piece, I don't give a shit what the sight radius is. I'll train with it until I can shoot with it the way I want to. Under emergency situations, that can often mean shooting from muscle memory, or from the hip in some situations, neither of which involve picking up the sights really

yes, ...although, in the training i've taken, we've always trained to employ the sights (or at least mainly the front sight) at ranges in to about close quarters contact...