Here’s a question (veering back OT!) for you, or anyone else:
Is it possible that .22 shotshells would produce a tighter pattern out of a handgun with, say, a 4” barrel, than a rifle?
I know that seems counter-intuitive, but I’m thinking that the rifle barrel would impart more spin to each pellet, therefor the pellets from the rifle would (mostly) curve more, producing a wider, more scattered pattern. For any given pellet, sort of the difference in flight path between a ball thrown by me and, say, Bert Blyleven. :-)
“Is it possible that .22 shotshells would produce a tighter pattern out of a handgun with, say, a 4” barrel, than a rifle?”
Well, I’m only speaking as a laymen with “some” knowledge and experience, not as an expert on the topic. With shotguns (smooth barrel) all other things being equal such as choke, the shorter the barrel the wider the shot spread at a given distance. I believe that this would hold true with rifled barrels as well. However, it is my opinion that with rifled barrels the great length of a long gun barrel would for lack of a better term, chew up the snake shot while passing along the greater distance of lans and grooves in a rifled long gun barrel. But on the other hand, a longer barrel, all other things being equal of course generates more projectile velocity - but snake shot isn’t a projectile, so that’s a mitigating factor. Concerning the revolver, along with the shorter barrel, the loss of gas between the cylinder and barrel throat is a factor. So, after typing all this, I’ve decided I don’t have a clue :)