So I was wanting a .38 Super in a DA format (I already have a 1911 in .38 super. love the caliber) and was looking at the Sig p220 which in the past was chambered in .38super. The guns now go for really big money. So I just ordered a Tanfoglio Witness for a lot less $$. Should be here in a week or so. Looking forward to it. Stock photo

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

I had a witness elite match 45acp. Heavy piece but absolutely a tack driver!! Love the witness pistols

I have owned a Witness for over 15 years. I have it set up for .45 ACP, .38 Super, and 9x19. The 9x19 and .38 Super use the same slide, so the only things needed to change to 9x19 from .38.Super is a 9x19 barrel and magazine. I also fire 9x23 Winchester in the .38 Super barrel, and use a stronger recoil spring. Actually, you can also fire any 9x23 round. The Witness is about the closest thing you can get to the old Bren Ten. It is actually even better than the Bren Ten. My only complaint about the Witness (at least the steel frame version) is its substantial weight. If you wish to go the other direction, you need a .45 slide, barrel, and magazine. You can also convert the Witness to .40 S&W or 10 MM the same way, but I care little about either of those calibers. You won't be sorry you got a Witness.

I remember when Browning BDA pistols in .38 Super were being discounted because nobody wanted them.

Try to buy one now.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

You will like it

When the folks at EAA were in Opa Locka they used to shoot IPSC at my Uncle Hal's range. That was way back in the 80s and 90s.

I can't recall when I actually got these, but it was at least 25 years ago.

One is 45ACP and the other is 38SUPER

My experience with these two got me to add a several additional Tangfolios, mostly in 10MM Auto

There are others as well. Hard to go wrong with these Italian pistols

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"Acta non verba"

I have never fired a .38 Super! Have read about the cartridge but that's it. Wrestled about a 1911 in that caliber but prices are crazy and another cartridge to reload!
Have had good with the 2 Witness guns that I owned. One 9mm and 1 45 ACP.
Let us know how it works for you. Bob

Does EAA make a decocker style, like the PCR?

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Uvidíme se později, aligátore.

EAA is no longer the US Importer of Tangfolio

In 2021, IFG, the Italian Firearms Group, became the exclusive US importer of Tangfolio

The current Tangfolio Defense firearms that IFG imports does not include a decocker

It is possible that Tangfolio makes a decocker for a market other than the US, but I doubt it

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"Acta non verba"

I have a Colt 1911 in 38 Super. The slide rattles to beat heck but it is really accurate. My Colt 1911 in 45acp has a tight slide and not so accurate!

I have a Caspian Arms LTD Frame Long Slide with Clark bbl in .38 Super.
It is my favorite 1911 pistol. It shoots like a rifle in a rest, but not so good
with my ageing eyes & hands.

-don

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SWCA LM#2190 SWHF#414

I have always had a thing for the .38 Super, have owned five different pistols, still have two - a Colt 1911 and the Witness. Also, some .38 Special revolvers will chamber and fire some brands of .38 Super. There is enough dimensional tolerance overlap to make that possible. Using 9x23 Win brass and reloading, you can get into .357 territory with a semiauto.

I have reloaded for my 38 super but for any need I have Buffalo Bore
38 Super +P......

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

In a large frame pistol like the 1911 or Witness (large frame, not the small frame that is limited to 9x19 or 40 S&W length cartridges), the 38 Super makes more sense than 9x19mm. You get a longer, magazine filling cartridge with slightly better ballistics. I know a lot of people have 1911's chambered in 9x19 and they love them, I just don't see the utility of having so much empty space in the magazine.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Same applies to the 10mm over 40.

Yep. Only reason for a 40 barrel in a 1911 would be for using ammo that is less expensive and easier to find than 10mm Auto. Other than that, the 10mm Auto beats the snot out of the 40 S&W.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I have several 38 Super's - here's a couple.

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If you want 10mm performance from a M1911 just buy a .400 CorBon barrel. The downside is a lower capacity magazine, you have to form your own brass, and you have to load your own as I don't think any factory ammunition exists. But making your own is fairly easy. I shoot my M1911 very well, but I normally load it below 10mm performance. I am not sure why the .400 CB did not find much of a following. I can say little negative about it aside from ammunition supply if you do not reload.

That's too much like work, much easier for me to buy or load some 10mm Auto and use my Colt Delta Elite to scratch that itch.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Actually it is no more work to make or load .400 CB than any other handgun cartridge. One pass of a .45 ACP case through the..400 FL die followed by priming, adding powder, and seating a bullet, and you are done. Assuming that you are already a reloader and have the tools.

Underwood ammo has two different kinds of .400 corbon in stock as I type this. I think it didnt catch on because it's the odd middle child between 10mm and .40 super(also 10mm mag, but not the same beast). Most people who want a more powerful .40cal stick to 10mm, or if that's not enough, they go for .40 super. Not saying it's a bad round, as I've never shot it, but that's my theory as to why it hasn't caught on. The middle child almost never gets enough love. .41mag or .40s&w are prime examples of this.

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Please no more EZs...

For hotter loads in the .400 CB, it is better to use lighter 135 and 155 grain bullets because the longer heavier .40 bullets protrude too far into the powder space.

Well got to the range yesterday. Pistol came in excellent condition and extremely clean. Gun is accurate and has a good trigger. Have run 100 rounds through it without issue. The grips are pretty large to accommodate the 17 round magazine so if you have small hands it might not be the right choice.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

I know my Smith model 28 will chamber 38super but I’ve not tried it. If I did I’d try some mild loads first but I don’t plan on trying.

Yes you can get very close to 357mag with .38 super but you better be careful. When I was shooting USPSA in the 90’s .38 super was the thing. We were shooting 1911’s with compensators and barrels with supported chambers and pushing 125grain jacketed bullets to 1,400-1,500 fps. I would recommend NEVER shoot hot 38 super rounds out of a barrel with an unsupported chamber. Without a fully supported chamber you’re likely to rupture the case and get a face full of burning powder. In addition I’d never shoot rounds that hot through a gun with an alloy frame. I shot with Steel frame guns and used a shock buffer and still cracked a frame. With rounds this hot you’re dealing with extremely high pressures that really punish a gun.

.38 super is a versatile load. You can load it down to mild 9mm or given a steel gun with a fully supported chamber you can push it up to 357 range. I still have two, a Colt light weight Commander and a Kimber Eclipse Target. The Colt is alloy and doesn’t have a supported chamber so I only shoot loads no hotter than standard factory but the Kimber is all steel and has a fully supported chamber and can handle hot loads.

When I got out of USPSA I sold my comp gun and still had 1,000 rounds of really hot loads. I contacted Kimber to see if they felt the Eclipse would handle the pressures and they said they had several customers using them for USPSA major loads with no issues. So I put a shock buffer in mine and really heavy recoil spring and shot the 1,000 major loads I still had with no problems.

I don’t recommend shooting super hot loads and if you do work up your loads slowly and watch for danger signs. At these pressures you’ll have some case failures. I’ve had quite a number split and primers are almost totally flattened. After a few loadings the head stamp is almost gone too so you know you’re in super high pressure territory. Be very careful if you venture into this territory.

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A 1911 in .38 Super is hard to beat, and it's one of my favorite calibers. The only non 1911 Super I have is this P220-1 I got a screaming deal on several years ago.

In my Colt .38 Super, for really hot loads approaching 1500 ft/sec, I use 9x23 Win brass. I don't know if it is still available, but I have over 1000 of those. They will not blow out in an unsupported chamber. Starline once told me their .38 SuperComp cases will also hold the higher pressures in an unsupported chamber. . Also I use SR primers. The Witness has a supported chamber and will handle the hottest loads. I do not use the normal .38 Super cases for high pressure loads. No need to, as I have oodles of .38 Super Comp and 9x23 Win cases. I have die sets for both 9x23 and .38 Super, but I use only the .38 Super dies. Insofar as fit and functioning are concerned, I consider the 9x23 and the .38 Super cases as being interchangeable. At least for barrels that headspace on the case mouth.