I just had to respond when I saw this. Be VERY careful. There is a story behind the 38 Super. Once you have read it, make your own decision. I know a lot about this cartridge because I have shot it for over 11 years.
The 38 Super was originally developed as a semiauto cartiridge to compete with the 357 Magnum revolvers. One of its design goals was to enable police officers to shoot through a car door to disable or kill bank robbers. No kidding.
Trouble is, (1) it was not very accurate, as the cartridge headspaced on the rim and (2) a bunch of very cheap pistols were imported that were rather weak to handle the cartridge. Because of the first reason, not many people actually used it. Because of the second reason, ammunition manufacturers REALLY watered down the 38 Super cartridges they produced and sold. The round sort of languished.
Then, the IPSC competitors, always seeking an advantage, found that the cartridge was strong enough to be loaded to major (versus minor) power levels. The combination of a 115g .355" bullet (same diameter as a 357 Mag actually), at 1300 to 1400 fps, in a cartridge size small enough to load MANY into a semiauto magazine, was VERY attractive to the IPSC shooters. So, they started doing it.
This upset the ammo manufacturers a LOT, as it resulted in 38 Super ammo being "out there" that was clearly way too strong for those cheap imported semiauto pistols mentioned earlier. So, the manuafcturers never did load 38 Super for those higher energy levels.They typically load 38 Super for 115 g at 1100 fps (310 ft lb of energy), or, when feeling more adventuresome (when the corporate attorney is distracted?), they load up to 115g at 1300 fps (430 ft lb of energy).
Now I handload, so for me, using the Vihtavuori relaoding manual at SAFE levels, I can make 38 Super ammo that spits 115g .355 bullets out at 1450 fps (537 ft lb of energy). That's WAY hotter than any "38 Special" factory loads, but as others have already pointed out, still less than 357 Magnum, which easily reaches 600 ft lb of energy and higher as I recall.
So, you can reach a couple of conclusions after digesting the above:
1. CURRENT FACTORY 38 Super ammo MIGHT be safe in some revolvers, but prudence suggests they be 357 revolvers, not 38 Super revolvers.
2. HANDLOADED 38 Super ammo might not be safe in most revolvers, but I'm sure that someone will say that an "N" framed stainless revolver could handle them.
Bear in mind that if anyone gets hurt in either scenario, and that person is not YOU, you may have some very fancy explaining to do on a court witness stand as to why you knowingly loaded and fired the wrong ammo in a revolver. The term the attornies are likely to use is "reckless endangerment".
Jim G
