[JrsyJack]

Correct...same principle as how barrel length affects muzzle velocity. With no confined space, i.e. barrel, to compress and direct the blast a bullet is just a firecracker.

[sockmonkey]

With no confined space, i.e. barrel, to compress and direct the blast a bullet is just a firecracker.

When I was a teen we would throw .22 cartridges into the huge fireplace at my friend's parent's summercamp in the big lodge room. Not that we thought it was a genius idea, but it just made loud popping noises, and nobody died.