Does anyone carry a .38 Super? The round has always intrigued me. I know it was popular with IPSC shooters in the 90s, but I don’t know about it for defense.

Just looking at it's ballistics it well make a fine load for self-defense.

Just like the 357 sig high ammo costs ect has limited its use.

If offered a good cheap free market firearm. I would own one.

There are so many good pistols in 9mmL and 45acp that the 38super and 357 sig just kind of hangs in there.

Now with +p and +P+ 9mm and 45acp it is really hard to justify a 38 super or 357 sig.

Excellent points all around. I can’t recall seeing 38 Super ammo at the local gun shops. It is still intriguing to me, but I don’t have any need for one.

It also makes me wonder about the lack of .40 S&W chamberings in the 1911. It seems the .40 got skipped over and there are even more 9mm in the 1911 these days. I love my 10mm in the 1911.

quote:

It also makes me wonder about the lack of .40 S&W chamberings in the 1911. It seems the .40 got skipped over and there are even more 9mm in the 1911 these days. I love my 10mm in the 1911.

There are better platforms out there for the 40.



Come to think of it, for the rest of them also.

As I sit here with a SR1911 .45 a foot away.

Marcus, I was just asking about the .38 Super on another forum, and one of the responders noted he has been carrying a Colt in this chambering for 42 years, and has come to prefer the 121-grain JHP sold by Wideners for most work. It's a round I have never messed with, but once the gunmakers realized they should be headspacing the Super on the case mouth and not the rim, it shed its reputation for sketchy accuracy -- and became even more intriguing.

I have wanted one for quite some time but as I have several 1911's in .45 I keep putting it off. Colt has now reissued the 1911 in 38 super in a model 70's version;that I am intrigued by.A NEW 70 series;yes sir.

I have one of the Colt Government Model Stainless pistols in 38 Super and shoot it quite a bit. I have carried it several times but prefer my CW45 for concealed carry but don't feel a bit under gunned while carrying the Super. When I do carry it I use Silvertips. It's one of the guns in my avatar pic.
I also have an EAA Witness in 38 Super. My Spanish Destroyer Carbine can shoot 38 Super also.


Steve.......

About 5 years ago I went to buddies house for a BBQ + shooting in the back pasture.One of the guys brought an STI in 38 super that was made of some VERY light weight material,ported + mounted w/ a red dot C More sight.Now THAT was a very fun gun to shoot;It felt like shooting a 22 short + wherever that red dot was,that was poi.That was a lot of fun.

Until I read a couple of recent articles,I did not know how far ahead of it's time the cartridge was.
Performance way back that people brag on as recent accomplishments

We Brits in WWII issued them to SOE agents. I had one, a Super Match. Wish I'd not sold it...complete with its British military acceptance marks.

Boy,I'll bet.We have all regreted some sales,but that one must hurt.

I own several 38 Supers. Originally the 38 ACP, the caliber was adopted by the IPSC community because it could make Major while making the compensator more effective than on the 45 ACP. Now in order to make major it needed a supported chamber aka ramped barrel. Without that, "super face" was not unknown! The best carry gun I own is a Kimber Pro Carry HDII in 38 Super.
Standard IPSC loading was 130 grain bullet at around 1350 fps. as I recollect. At least, that is what I used!
Peter.

I have one. I really like it. I love the 1911 platform (3 safety's including manual thumb safety for locked-and-cocked carry, great trigger, very fast cycling), and the 38 super was designed for it. A fast .355 to .357 bullet as noted has been found to be great for self-defense and penetration. I've come to believe speed and penetration to CNS is "the answer" for handgun self-defense vs bullet expansion. And this is what the 38 super was designed for.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
We Brits in WWII issued them to SOE agents. I had one, a Super Match. Wish I'd not sold it...complete with its British military acceptance marks.

I had one, with the broad arrow, that had an intriguing story.
It was one of the first made, sent to England in 1940, acquired in the 70s by an American, ended in France.
Only ammo available then was nickeled brass 130 grains FMJ made by Remington, costing the price of 4 to 5 boxes of 9mm commercial ammo.
I found out that 9x19mm was reliable in it without modification and shot huge quantity of French mil ammo in it.
I had fun downing metal silhouettes at 100 m with it.

Although the bore diameter is the same the case length is not as I recall. I would have never thought of shooting 9mm from a 38 super chamber.

You are correct. Technically the 9mm is a 9x19. The closest designation to a 38 Super would be a 9x23. The brass for a 9x23 is designed for the pressures of such cartridges. I have a couple of 9x21 race guns that can also make major. Supported chambers, of course!
I might add that in my 38 supers I used .356 bullets, rather than .355.
Peter

I have read that you can shoot 38Super in a 9mmX23 Winchester hampered gun.

I will note that the Colt 9mmX23 does not use a ramp barrel relying on the strength of the brass and recoil spring.

I know guys who have taken the Colt 9mmX23 gun and had separate barrels and bushing fitted to the frame and slide for the 38 Super 9mmX19, and 9mmX17 (380 ACP).

Actually, you have it backwards.

You can shoot 9x23 in a .38 super chamber, but not the other way, as the super case is a little longer and it’s semi rimmed.

If the gun was set up with rimless .38 super (.38 TJ or .38 supercomp) the 9x23 works fine, and then they are pretty much interchangeable. If your extractor is tuned well, you can even shoot 9mm or .380 out of it, but usually they aren’t very accurate, or at least that’s been my experience with them.

Could well be lheym. I do not have any guns in 9x23, but have several in 38 Super and, as I mentioned, 9x21. All have supported chambers. I alluded to the fact that the 9x23 case was designed for the kind of pressures necessary to achieve the original "major" designation so a supported chamber would not be necessary, although, may not hurt, as one is pushing the envelope a bit. having said all that, IPSC reduced the specs for making Major power factor, so some of my discussion points above may well be moot!
Peter.

It also seems a bit foolish to throw the reality of headspacing out the window.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
It also seems a bit foolish to throw the reality of headspacing out the window.

It kind of like shooting 40 in a 10mm lots of people get away with it but it is not proper or good for the pistol.

As the 40 head spaces off the extractor and really stress's that part.

And well cause it to fail at sometime.

I agree p dog. The difference in case length between a 40 S&W and a 10mm is pretty obvious, plus I am not sure of the need. You can always load the 10mm down.
Peter.

quote:

I am not sure of the need

Every body who does it tells me 40 factory ammo is a lot cheaper.

Just like shooting 38spl in a 357 they say.

When I mention the rim they blow me off.

quote:

40 factory ammo is a lot cheaper.

True, but so are 40 cal guns! Much cheaper than 10mm's.
Peter.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
It also seems a bit foolish to throw the reality of headspacing out the window.

I think that is one of the major reasons they had individual barrels and bushing fitted to 9X23 Colts for each cartridge.

They are in the firearms production industry;I like to think that they know what they're doing.

I carried a 38 super in my LE career along with a 9mm Browing HI power..I liked them both...Most of the Mexican police, Federal and state, and the cartel, love the 38 Super..They should be the best to know, they use them more on people than anyone else I know...The 38 super is right up there with a .357 with todays ammo..