blume357 said:
So, it sounds to me like a heavier bullet (124 -148gr) is going to be 'better' in a short barreled pistol...
If by "better" you mean "hits harder", I tend to look at it as more of a balancing act than a set rule. In other words...yeah, bullet weight is certainly a factor, but so is velocity.
The problem with the short-barreled Nines is that regardless of "which load" we may be talking about, we're still going to be giving up velocity right from the get-go, and due to it's rather dinky cartridge case capacity, there really ain't no way to get much of it back without flirting with an over-pressure condition. Plus, pressure concerns become even more problematic as we start stuffing-in longer/heavier bullets, simply because the longer the bullet, the less effective case capacity we have left to work with...which like I said, wasn't much to start with.
So what's the best answer to the OP's question?...heck, I dunno.
All I know for sure is that a 124-NATO load being fired out of my full size BHP's exhibit ballistics which are purty-much comparable to a 125-38Spl+P fired from my 4" S&W Model 10. Plus, they shoot through more stuff than the 115's will, and do it more accurately for me to boot...so that's what I use.
DGW