I guess the Super Vel .38's were somewhat like modern .38/44's.
What I most remember about .38 Super Vels was once when we were shooting at around dusk and my girlfriend at the time shot a round of .38 Super Vel out of her father's 2-inch Detective Special.
A HUGE ball of fire came out with HUGE roar. The funny thing was that she somehow jumped straight back about 2 ft without changing her stance. She just "moved" --->. It was very odd and funny and you probably had to be there, but I still smile when I think about it.