Zeneffect Wrote:Playing devils advocate here... if it were an in battery blowout, would the resulting minimal damage be attributed to the short barrel length providing a quicker drop in pressure as bullet exits muzzle in a relatively quicker time?
Conversely, I'd we extrapolate this failure to a 20 inch barrel, would we expect to see more damage due to slower pressure drop off from the barrel length?
All other things equal, I see this as entirely plausible (Edit: no comment on the damage part, though). To clarify, though, I see it as pressure drop off from the gas port distance as opposed to the barrel length. But I nitpick because it's basically the same thing.
The gas port is a point of depressurization. Prior to reaching it, there is higher pressure. Upon reaching it, pressure starts to drop more than if it would without a gas port.
So absolutely the sooner the bullet reaches the gas port, the sooner the pressure starts dropping. Shorter gas port, earlier pressure relief. (All other things equal.)