1 5/8" vs 2" 22 mag power

mushmouth33 · December-22-12 17:12

Was wondering if there is more power with 22 wmr ( stopping power-penetration) from a Black Widow 2" barrell vs a min mag with 1 5/8" barrell? If so, is it much? I have a mini 22 mag I carry everyday ( 1 5/8") and was thinking about getting a Black Widow for slightly more pop. Any suggestions??

Dinadan · December-22-12 19:12

Mushmouth33 - Here is a link to NAA's ballistics site:

http://northamericanarms.com/ballistics

Just looking at the first round listed there, you will see that using CCI Maxi mags the Black Widow gets a velocity of 988 FPS, while the 1 & 5/8" Mini Magnum gets 848 FPS with the same load. About a 16% increase.

I do not know if the increased "pop" is worth getting, but it takes very little to persuade me to get another Mini!!

mushmouth33 · December-22-12 19:12

Thanks! Actually I have a Black Widow ordered, but was just wanting to justify what I suspected about more power and speed from a slightly longer barrell.

FrRichard · December-22-12 22:12

Because the energy is proportional to the velocity squared, the difference gained from 848 fps to 988 fps is 35.7%.

Uncle_Lee · December-23-12 07:12

Quote from: mushmouth33 on December-22-12 17:12
Was wondering if there is more power with 22 wmr ( stopping power-penetration) from a Black Widow 2" barrell vs a min mag with 1 5/8" barrell? If so, is it much? I have a mini 22 mag I carry everyday ( 1 5/8") and was thinking about getting a Black Widow for slightly more pop. Any suggestions??

Hi Mushie,
Welcome to the "bunch". (I don't remember doing that to you yet)

OH YES, there is soooo much more power out of a little longer barrel.
OH YES, you need another mini.

and another, and another, and another....

tocsn40 · December-23-12 07:12

Way to go on the first mini but go now and dont loom back. You must leave tbe forum now dont look back oh to late you are now one of us you will injoy your mini and it will not be long till it has family to keep it company

grayelky · December-24-12 00:12

While the BW has a 2" barrel, and will give a little more velocity, the Sheriff has a 2 1/2" barrel, so it has more than the BW. Oops. for just one more 1/2" of barrel, you can have a 3" Earl! Now you are getting somewhere. Of course, the original Earl had a 4" barrel. Talk about more speed! Oh, wait, the Hog Leg only has...

At some point, you will have to decide what is enough barrel length for you. The best approach will be to buy one of each so you will be able to know for certain how each one carries, and how much is too much.

Uncle_Lee · December-24-12 05:12

No, No, Mushie,
Don't listen to Grayelky.
You MUST buy minis in pairs.
If you don't, you will hear them whimper at night because they are lonely.

If something bought a human and that human was you, you would want that thing to buy another to go along with you so you could talk and laugh.
You know, not be lonely.

Buy a pair.

PJ Garrison · January-17-13 18:01

The Black Widow does offer a noticable improvement in velocity/power over the 1 5/8" magums. And it does so with only a marginal drecrease in concealability (assuming you use the same grips on both guns).

But the real reason I like the Black Widow is that it has excellent sights. Most of the smaller models (except for the Pug) have no real rear sight, which makes it much more difficult to put rounds on target (crappy sights on pocket pistols is a major pet peeve of mine).

It is for this reason that I consider the Black Widow to be the smallest practical NAA revolver. While the Pug is cute, and also has good sights, I don't think the loss of velocity from the 1" barrel is worth the small increase in concealability.

My next NAAs will be a Mini Master, and then a Black Widow. I already own a 1 5/8" but I will probably end up trading it for something else, since I don't care for the lack of a rear sight. Personally, I won't buy another sub 2" model (or a mini without a rear sight) for a CCW piece.

Of course, that's just my opinion, and you're welcome to disagree with it.

bleak_window · January-17-13 18:01

I consider the FS Black Widow the perfect small concealed handgun. Just large enough to hold securely and shoot accurately.

Dinadan · January-17-13 19:01

PJ Garrison - have you actually handled a Black Widow? I find that either the front sight is too wide or else the rear sight notch is too narrow. I cannot easily center the front sight and the rear sight because the front sight fills the whole notch. It is a fine revolver, one that I would recommend to anyone, but I do not consider the sights one of its better points.

PJ Garrison · January-17-13 19:01

QuotePJ Garrison - have you actually handled a Black Widow? I find that either the front sight is too wide or else the rear sight notch is too narrow. I cannot easily center the front sight and the rear sight because the front sight fills the whole notch. It is a fine revolver, one that I would recommend to anyone, but I do not consider the sights one of its better points.

I've handled one, but not shot one.

But here's my take: It's a lot cheaper and easier to modify the existing sights than it is to put a rear sight on the sightless models. I can paint em different colors, add high visibility dots, or just take a file to the rear sight to open it up a bit. I've already got paint and files handy.

Adding metal to the topstrap without ruining the temper is a specialist job, however. It's not a cheap one, either. I'd rather just buy a BW and be done with it than try and modify my 1 5/8" mini.

Dinadan · January-17-13 19:01

I have considered grinding the front sight to make it narrower. An easy job I expect. I just wanted to point it out. I have a 1 5/8" Magnum Mini and a Black Widow. Both are really fine guns. I do not like the standard BW grips because of the added bulk, but they are very ergonomic, and they are easily changed.

Kevin55 · January-20-13 20:01

Quote from: dinadan on December-22-12 19:12
Mushmouth33 - Here is a link to NAA's ballistics site:

http://northamericanarms.com/ballistics

Just looking at the first round listed there, you will see that using CCI Maxi mags the Black Widow gets a velocity of 988 FPS, while the 1 & 5/8" Mini Magnum gets 848 FPS with the same load. About a 16% increase.

I do not know if the increased "pop" is worth getting, but it takes very little to persuade me to get another Mini!!

Has anyone put the stopping power for each revolver and ammo into a single easy to compare spreadsheet? I kept having to flip from page to page. $:-\$

black_cat · January-21-13 02:01

i think the black powder one might be the superior choice tbh. shoot something AND start it on fire at the same time.

Kevin55 · January-21-13 11:01

Quote from: black_cat on January-21-13 02:01

i think the black powder one might be the superior choice tbh. shoot something AND start it on fire at the same time.

I thought the mini in 22mag was a civilian "flash bang". After the first shot, everyone is blind and deaf.