Just acquired my first 38 Super and all the factory ammo I have found has been +P. I would rather have a more sedate round for punching paper. The brass from Starline comes in three varieties. 38 Super, 38 Super+P and 38 Super Comp.

The gun cycles the +p factory fine, so the previous owner may have wanted to compete. I find the recoil to be close to my Kimber 10mm. While that's fun to shoot, chasing the brass 10 ft+ gets old.

Can I start at the bottom end of the +P loads with the regular Starline 38 super brass?

I can see a new(lighter) recoil spring in my future Anyone have any idea where to start with that..

I know these are both gun/reloading questions but they are interrelated..

Thanks in advance...

The SAAMI has set 38 Automatic (ACP) maximum average pressure at 26,500 psi and the .38 Super’s at 36,500 psi.

I believe all current SAAMI spec. .38 Super cartridges are labeled .38 Super +P.

Other reloaders have consistantly said the only difference between .38 ACP brass and .38 Super is the head stamp but I don't reload either.

There is no significant difference between regular and +p brass. It is just labeled that so you know what kind of load it is. However, there is differences in case thickness/integrity between manufactures. Starline is some of the best brass imo... you shouldn't have any issues using with the brass. Just work your way up and check for pressure signs... good luck.

.38 Super = .38 Super +P. SAAMI wanted the +P designation in the hope that no one would use .38 Super in their old .38 Auto.

This is my understanding too.

The previous posters have it right. The .38 Auto and various clone catridges (9mm Largo, 9mm Bergman-Bayard, 9mm Browning Long, etc) were available in blow back guns as well as locked breech guns like the 1911. Using .38 Super in blow back guns isn't a real bright idea, adding the +P is intended as a liability crutch against idiots who do.

This question was left unanswered. The quick answer is yes, and you can try .38 ACP loads. I don't know if you've started reloading yet or have been at it for decades so don't get offended if this is too simple. How low you can load is mostly a function of your slide weight and the stiffness of your recoil spring. One of the best competitors at the local range shoots spit wads out of his various .38 Super 1911s with 7 to 9 pound recoil springs. A couple of his slides were lightened. There might be some slow for the cartridge ball powders that require relatively high pressure to burn cleanly. Faster burning powders and especially flake powders burn well down loaded. I don't reload .38 Super so I'll let some one else fill in the details.

I really appreciate the quick answers! I am just learning about this cartridge and it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun to shoot. l

Have been loading the .38 Super since 1980...it is about all I shoot in semi-auto handguns.

As was said above, really .38 Super is nothing more than .38 AUTO +P. Most .38 Super +P loads are really nothing that the old standard .38 Super rounds of the 1940s when the 130 grain bullet was loaded to 1300 fps. Even today most 130 ball ammo designated +P is only running in the 1200+- fps range.

It isn't till you get into CorBon, Georgia Arms and several others does the full potential of the Super round realized. These rounds will run a 115 at 1450 fps and a 125 at 1350. CorBon 100 grain PowR'Ball runs 1500+.

If you want excellent accuracy with low recoil try one of 147 grain TC style bullets. One can run them down in the 800s and still get slide function with a standard 14# spring. The most accurate bullet is the 124 Hornady TC. I run these with 6.0 grain of Unique for 1200+- fps.

Since you are new to Super you may like the following two articles from the late great Stephen Camp.

Corbon

How Does

One can also run 9x23 Winchester out of many .38 Super barrels...just be sure to use a 24# spring and a buffer...slide velocity has to be seen to appreciated...

Bob

I use Missouri Bullet's hard cast 125 grain TCFP over 7.4 grains of Accurate #5. This gives me about 1250 fps. Recoil, even out of a short barreled gun (I have a Colt Defender w/Bar Sto barrel), is very manageable. This is my practice load, for carry I use Georgia Arm's 124 grain bonded JHP (Gold Dot) which is 1350 fps.

...a DEFENDER with a BarSto barrel!!!!!! I can see I am going to be looking for a 9mm Defender. I found one for a friend a few months ago for a good price and if I had known that BarSto would have made a Super barrel for it I would have kept it... What are you using for magazines??


Bob

I believe it starts right after "Wow!" and just before "Oh my God!"...

I always think of .38 Super recoil as being so quick that it is nearly negligible in a full-size, steel gun. For me it is nowhere near 10mm recoil. I think the 10 is an odd bird. A 200 at 1100+ should not seem all that violent in a 1911, but it does to me. I really don't enjoy shooting 10mm 1911s.

Most .38 Super 1911s I have seen will run any normal load even down to the original .38 Auto just fine with a 13-14# spring. I have always used a 15# spring because my guns get nothing but .38 Supers - in my case that being a 121-125 gr bullet at 1250-1275 FPS. The load is very accurate and not hard on the gun.

I agree that Starline .38 Super or .38 Super Comp brass is nice stuff. You can easily check capacity by simply weighing cases. Modern cases from all the manufacturers are about the same, and definitely heavier than the earlier R-P brass I used when I first started shooting .38 Super. If I recall, they weigh 7-8% more.

It is not cool to admit it but I really enjoy .38 Super 1911s. Lots of fun to shoot and they save you 100 grs of lead every time you pull the trigger, compared to the .45!

Just wait till you see the loads that require small rifle primers...

I load 3.3gr Bullseye under a 147 TC. SUPER accurate, and VERY light recoil. AND 1000FPS from a 6" barrel. Missouri Bullet company just started making 125gr LSWC that I just got to load some trial loads with. They show great promise and very well might be my GO-TO bullet for paper punching very soon.

The "long" 9mm cartridges are the most versatile auto cartridges around. And much more forgiving for the handloader. Not to mention the 1911 platform is overkill for the round.....

Run your ammo over a chrono. For decades Colt advertised a 130 at 1300 for the 38 Super. Now you are lucky to find a 130 doing 1200 from the main manufacturers. Mostly they do in the 1100 to 1200 fps range. Interesting an old 38 Auto will go around 1100 fps with a 130.

So my observation is most 38 super +P ammo today is just barely better than 38 Auto ammo of days gone by.

I for one, just take my chrono with reasonable powder (SR4756 is my current favorite) and load up a 130 to 1300 and then tweak it back and forth to find the best accuracy. My loads have "bark" to them but work great.

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