38 Super better then 9 mm

[Valmet]

Sure, it's prob a bit better ballistically- but when you try to find bulk ammo at a decent price it certainly isn't better. But when it comes to 1911s, I won't own one in 9mm.

 

[stansdds]

Sure, it's prob a bit better ballistically- but when you try to find bulk ammo at a decent price it certainly isn't better. But when it comes to 1911s, I won't own one in 9mm.

I know people who have 1911's in 9x19mm and they love them. I have always viewed the 1911 as too big of a firearm for the short 9mm cartridge. But, it is true that 9x19mm ammo is cheaper than 38 Super ammo and that is not a new phenomenon, but is how it has always been.

 

[Old Corp]

Sure, it's prob a bit better ballistically- but when you try to find bulk ammo at a decent price it certainly isn't better. But when it comes to 1911s, I won't own one in 9mm.

Certainly a not-uncommon viewpoint, and half agree.
I just really enjoy 1911's, and have, or have had them in .22, 9mm, .38 Super, 10mm, and .45's in all the common barrel lengths of 3", 4.25" and 5".

For a 'carry' piece in full size 9mm, agree it doesn't make a lot of sense - but I suppose one could do worse. Can be a great range piece and of course much cheaper to shoot, possibly serving as an understudy for a similar gun in .45.

Personally, if I did not handload, I'd not own one in .38 Super or 10mm.
There's just not enough variety of ammo available and now it's terribly expensive. My supply of 10mm brass is great, since that was my agency's duty round from ~1989 to 1999/2000. I have a LOT of 10mm brass!

 

[Cdog]

I held out as long as I can.
Interesting read.

I'll simply post "Better?"

 

[URIT]

What's the rush? For most, it's a fun, exciting paper punch.

The ammunition manufacturers spend millions to convince us that faster is somehow better.

 

[Hair Trigger]

But when it comes to 1911s, I won't own one in 9mm.

I know people who have 1911's in 9x19mm and they love them. I have always viewed the 1911 as too big of a firearm for the short 9mm cartridge.

I'm not a huge fan of 9mm in general, and I agree the 1911 is a bit oversized for the caliber. Springfield Armory's EMP's changed the game, IMO, when the entire gun's dimensions were "downsized" to better suit the 9mm cartridge. I have an EMP4 and absolutely love the gun. It's more than just a Commander-sized 1911 (or should I say 'less'?). It feels perfect in the hand and is the ideal size for 9mm.

 

[AJ]

Certainly a not-uncommon viewpoint, and half agree.
I just really enjoy 1911's, and have, or have had them in .22, 9mm, .38 Super, 10mm, and .45's in all the common barrel lengths of 3", 4.25" and 5".

For a 'carry' piece in full size 9mm, agree it doesn't make a lot of sense - but I suppose one could do worse. Can be a great range piece and of course much cheaper to shoot, possibly serving as an understudy for a similar gun in .45.

Personally, if I did not handload, I'd not own one in .38 Super or 10mm.
There's just not enough variety of ammo available and now it's terribly expensive. My supply of 10mm brass is great, since that was my agency's duty round from ~1989 to 1999/2000. I have a LOT of 10mm brass!

I too, have had M1911 platforms in .22, .38 Special, .38 Super and .45 ACP. After carrying a M1911 for 24 years in the Corps, there is only one caliber that I will carry for defense if I have anything to say about it and theat is .45 ACP.

 

[Jimmy4570]

.38 Colt vs. Super

The .38 Super cartridge has a fairly convoluted history regarding its power level vs. the .38 ACP. It's a little too long to get into here, but you can search for it. Part of the problem has been that the earliest Colt autopistols chambered the .38 ACP and its lookalike the .38 Super. However, higher pressure loads can irreparably damage those pistols.

My first 1911 was actually an early 80's production Llama- I know, please don't snicker. I was only 12.- in 9mm Largo. I only shot factory .38 Super in it and never had any issues over several hundred rounds before I sold it to buy a .45. Bottom line, though, is that I got to appreciate the Super pretty early on. Later I acquired a Kimber Stainless HDII in .38 Super that was just great but sold because I just don't care a whit for firing pin safeties. It shot wonderfully and ran very reliably and smoothly.

 

[SuperMan]

SuperMan...Man of Many Supers...not even sure how many at this point...

Can't really add anything to the excellent posts above... Have been shooting and carrying the Super daily since 1980s...in a Commander size gun at 31 oz. loaded with ten rounds of 1560 fps ammo...what could be better...

Some links:

https://web.archive.org/web/20170624164255/http://38super.net/

Corbon

Head to Head: .38 Super vs. 9 mm | An Official Journal Of The NRA

38 Super Loads: We Like Buffalo Bores Jacketed HPs - Gun Tests

How Does

https://www.handloadermagazine.com/38-super-automatic-p

https://reloadammo.com/reloading-380-super-auto/

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/super-powders-for-the-38-super/99160

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/super-accurate-38-super-loads/326242


Makes a GREAT revolver round also... Have had both the Ruger LCR and S&W 940 and with +P ammo ejection can be VERY sticky. Have not had that problem with the 649 in .38 Super....

Great round...Bob

 

[DWalt]

(.38 Super) Makes a GREAT revolver round also... Have had both the Ruger LCR and S&W 940 and with +P ammo ejection can be VERY sticky. Have not had that problem with the 649 in .38 Super....

Just to close the loop, some .38 Special/.357 revolvers can chamber some brands of .38 Super ammunition due to chamber and cartridge case dimensional tolerance overlaps. And can be used in such revolvers if the .38 Super cartridge case fits due to the presence of a semi-rim. Not a recommended practice to do that, but .38 Super factory loads seem to be fairly mild when fired in a revolver. It's much like firing .32 ACP ammo in a revolver chambered for .32 S&W Long. Also not recommended, but it can be done if you ever need to do it.

 

[Borderboss]

I haven't loaded Super for self defense yet, but had planned to do so. This thread got me off my duff. I just ordered 1000 of the 125gr Sierra V-Crown bullets (used in the Sig loads). I'm not going to go crazy on velocity. As long as I can get 1,300 in my 5-inch Nowlin barrel, I'll be more than happy.

 

[.38SuperMan]

Several years ago after selling my (cracked and welded frame) Caspian 38s race gun I wound up with 1000 rounds of major loaded 38s and nothing to safely shoot it in. I didn't feel comfortable shooting these in an alloy frame gun so I researched to see who made 1911's with a fully supported chamber and a steel frame. I found that Kimber made an all steel frame and slide with fully supported chamber. Not to take any chances I contacted Kimber support and the assured me the gun would be fine with major loads. The person I talked to said they have several customers shooting major without any issues. So I bought a new Kimber Eclipse Target 5" and proceeded to shoot 1000 rounds of major 38s. I went up in spring weight 2 pounds and added a shock buffer. The Eclipse digested my loads with no issues. I'll say though, a 124 grain FMJ pushed to just over 1,400 FPS has pretty heavy recoil, lots of flash and a serious bark. At 1,400 FPS you're in the 357 range and it feels like it.

 

[DWalt]

My first 1911 was actually an early 80's production Llama- I know, please don't snicker. I was only 12.- in 9mm Largo. I only shot factory .38 Super in it and never had any issues over several hundred rounds before I sold it to buy a .45. Bottom line, though, is that I got to appreciate the Super pretty early on.

My very first .38 Super was also a Llama, the "Extra" military model. It wasn't really in .38 Super, but 9mm Largo (aka 9mm Bergman-Bayard), but it handled .38 Super with no problems. I bought it sometime in the later 1960s, and they were very common at gun shows back then, selling for around $25-$30. There were many of them imported, most of which had been somewhat crudely arsenal re-blued. There wasn't much mechanical difference between the Llama Extra and the Colt 1911 except the caliber. The only problem I ever had with it was when the tip of the extractor broke off, effectively making it a single shot. At the time I could not find a replacement extractor (Colt extractors did not fit), so I just applied a dab of steel on the tip with my arc welder and shaped it into a claw with a Dremel tool. It worked fine. Back then, surplus 9mm Largo and 9mm Steyr ammo was available cheaply, and I used them in it, along with .38 Super. That was when I first started handloading .38 Super. I sold that Llama sometime in the early 1990s, but I can't remember why I did that, as I always liked that Llama, and shot it a lot. I haven't seen one of them in a long time. Wish I still owned it.

 

[Borderboss]

I went up in spring weight 2 pounds and added a shock buffer.

Just to double check, does that mean you used a 16 pound spring? The standard Colt spring weight in the Super is 14 pounds. I just wanted to make sure as I currently have a 14 pound spring in my Para since I'm just shooting factory rounds right now.