38 super 1911 questions

[tommy tornado]

Anybody shoot one?  How is the recoil?  Is it one of those cartridge/gun combos that you can shoot all day (as long as you have the ammo)?  The cartridge intrigues me because it is hotter than a 9mm but not as sharp as a .357 sig.  I am looking at two opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of buys.  It is down between a low end Taurus pt-1911 or High Standard 1911 and a high end Kimber Stainless Target II.  I wish Springfield listed one but I couldn't find it on their website.  The purchase will just depend on how long I want to wait.  Thanks for any info or tips.

[tombogan03884]

Rock Island makes one that will be better than the High Standard for around $450,

[ellis4538]

I have a "full race" single stack .38 super that I shoot in IDPA.  It started life as a SS (pre Hi Cap)comp gun for USPSA w/red dot sight.  I had it converted back to a regular SS.  If I had known about ammo and component prices I would have had it rebuilt as a 9mm!  I have only fired 130 gr.+P factory ammo and handloads.  No SD loads.  No big shakes...  I am the other way around in that the .357 Sig intreagues me but not enough to buy one.


FWIW

Richard   

[2HOW]

Great thing is they are a super cartridge, second you can buy a 762x25 conversion and shoot cheap powerful ammo.

[twyacht]

If ammo weren't so (insert expletive), expensive, I might get the .357 Sig barrel for my full size .40 M+P. The mags will shoot both rounds.

Power

The 38 Super ranks as one of the more powerful “common” semi-automatic pistol cartridges.  (See Table 1. Data is from the manufacturer’s published ballistics and is based on generic ammo typical of that cartridge. Published velocities for a given cartridge vary between manufacturers). With a muzzle energy (ME) of 426 foot pounds, the Super’s sheer power is exceeded only by the 357 Sig, 9X23 Winchester and 10mm. The 38 Super surpasses its larger caliber allies, the 40 S&W and 45 ACP, in raw energy.

38 Super vs 9mm

Inevitably there is a comparison between the 38 Super and the 9mm Luger. The Super has a clear advantage, though it is not a huge advantage. The Super propels a 130 grain bullet about 25 fps faster than the 9mm propels a 115 grain bullet. That translates into a roughly 60 ft. lbs. M.E. advantage (about 15%) for the 38 Super. Whether that difference is meaningful or not is a matter of opinion, with 38 Super lovers voting Yes, and 9mm lovers voting No. Like many things in life, we view things in a light that favors our preference. Still, the math places the 38 Super ahead of the 9mm.

9mm +P loads do approach the Super’s power level.  But the 9mm +P is loaded to higher pressures than the 38 Super.  The SAAMI maximum average pressure for the standard 9mm Luger is 35,000 psi. The 9mm Luger +P maximum is 38,500 psi.  The 38 Super SAAMI maximum average pressure is 36,500.  Some of you readers are protesting because today’s 38 Super has the designation of 38 Super +P.  That’s right. But remember that the +P name designation was added in 1974 solely to distinguish it from the old 38 Automatic, not because the Super was suddenly loaded to higher pressures in 1974. It was a “bureaucratic” name change only, not an actual change in pressure.  So, in fact, the 38 Super +P is still the standard pressure 38 Super just as it was when created back in 1929.  If the 38 Super was loaded to an increased (real) +P pressure designation it would be much higher than the 9mm +P. For example, the +P designation added 3,500 psi onto the standard 9mm SAAMI maximum.  Doing the same to the 38 Super would result in a SAAMI maximum average pressure of 40,000 psi.   That would boost velocity and power significantly, well beyond the 9mm +P, and even beyond the 9mm +P+.

The ballistics of 9mm +P+ ammunition are in line with, and slightly exceed, the ballistics of the standard factory 38 Super (Table 3).  Winchester’s 127 grain Ranger +P+ produces 441 ft. lbs. M.E.  Remington’s 115 JHP +P+ produces 438 ft. lbs. M.E.  Remember that the 38 Super’s standard 130 grain FMJ produces 426 ft. lbs. M.E.  Higher pressure loads (real +P or +P+ pressures) in the Super would easily surpass 500 ft. lbs. M.E. and would be close to the 9X23 Winchester. By the way, the 9X23 can be loaded to at least 46,000 psi (Winchester’s 15th Edition Reloader’s Manual) which explains why it has such impressive performance and makes it one of the highest pressure handgun cartridges around.

http://38super.net/Pages/comparisons.html

LOTS more info at link. great charts also.

Great round, alas, like the .41 Magnum, and/or 10mm.....It comes down to AMMO availability, or reloading.

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

Colt still makes a couple .38 Super's as well.

Combat Special Government I think....who know how much $$$$.

[Joni Lynn]

I had one of them in a Colt Special Combat Gov't but sold it to buy a Les Baer.
The cartridge is a lot of fun and quite pleasant to fire.

[tommy tornado]

Went ahead and bought a Stainless Steel Taurus 38 super from CDNN.  Can't wait to go shoot it.

[tombogan03884]

We will want a range report and gun porn  !
But you knew that 

[mortdooley]

 I think you will be very pleased with your Taurus, I just bought the stainless one this week and have already taken it to the range. While I am far from a master marksman I shoot just as well (or poorly) with either hand and the ambidextrous safety is a plus. Now I just need to decide whether to buy a threaded 9mm barrel for it or just leave it as is.