38 Super !

[Al W.]

Hi Folks,
I just got the bright idea to buy a handgun chambered for 38 Super.
Seems like a good idea to me.
So my question to you far more experienced folks then I is:
Looks like the 9mm shell plate of my Dillon 550 is also marked 38 Super.
So I know the shell plate works , but the dies for 9mm are tapered and the 38 Super case is straight wall.
So do I want to buy a whole set of dies and tool head for 38 super or can I just buy a 38 Super sizing / depriming die to put on my 9mm tool head ? Seems like the powder die and the seating die and crimp die should work fine. Might take a few minutes to set up though. I don't shoot much 9mm. More into my revolvers and model 52 just now.
Just trying to save a few cents. A penny saved is a penny earned!

 

[Harrison]

The powder die should work. When I was shooting both 9mm and 38 sup. I had a separate toolhead for my Dillon 550, for the super with separate die setup. There is enough difference between the 9mm and the super that you will be better off using all super dies. It is not like 38 spec. - 357 mag.

 

[Wee Hooker]

No experience with a Dillon progressive. However, when I started loading 38 super several years back, I had read ( some of it here as I recall) that some folks just use the sizing die and then readjust the height on the rest of a 9mm set ( Powder , seating and crimping). That said, I haven't proven that since I didn't want to be messing with the settings on my preset 9mm Turret every time I want to run a batch of 38 Super for test. For my Lee Classic turret. The difference was about $20 for an entire die set and a $11 for the Turret. I can change the Turret in less than 3 minutes as well so it was a no brainier for my purposes.

 

[Al W.]

Yeah, I recon I could use just the sizing die but reseting is a hassle . On the other hand buying a new tool head , powder measure and dies for the 38 Super will set me back a few bucks. Its the price of glory I guess ?

 

[dannyabear]

Doesn't the Super us .357 dia. bullets, not .355 like 9mm?

 

[Wee Hooker]

Doesn't the Super us .357 dia. bullets, not .355 like 9mm?

They vary from .357 to .356".

FWIW, I reload 125 and 130 gr .356 " (lead and plated )for my two 38 super caliber 1911's. They shoot good but rarely see the outside of the safe unless I'm going to an indoor range. On outdoor ranges, sorting the brass from all that left behind 9mm/40 is a challenge.

 

[Spokes]

Do yourself a big favor and get a whole new set for the super. I tried the Rube Golberg way to go to try and save a few bucks. What a royal pain in the butt having to switch and adjust all the dies every time I switched..

 

[Al W.]

Doesn't the Super us .357 dia. bullets, not .355 like 9mm?

Some folks use any 9mm projectile load heavy and push them hard . some folks claim .356 is the right diameter . Others say slug the barrel first and then decide . But seems like you can use .38 cal bullets . I always look for a target load. Think I'll be shooting 148 gr. RN . And 125 gr RN. the 125 is a nice soft shooting bullet . Fun to shoot.

 

[Al W.]

Do yourself a big favor and get a whole new set for the super. I tried the Rube Golberg way to go to try and save a few bucks. What a royal pain in the butt having to switch and adjust all the dies every time I switched..

Yeah , your right .
The whole new tool head , dies and power measure can be had for under 200 bucks . Not worth the hassle .
Gets me thinking about 38 Super though.
Sort of my instead of 45 ACP option.
I'm thinking it out.

 

[4barrel]

I have both in the Dillon. In the long run it will save a lot of time and adjustments. .355 on jacket on both. You can buy bulk .355 jacketed for .9 cents on sale and you cant slow the lead down to be safe in a 9 or 38 super. Jacketed will group better anyway in a 9 and 38 super. Most people dont pick the brass up in 9mm but 38 super they do.

 

[WR Moore]

The case taper of the 9 mm is much greater than that of the .38 Super. I'd expect changing the neck expansion die and seating die adjustments between loading sessions-even if it would work-would be a significant pain in the butt. Maybe if shims could be made and you used standard lock rings you could make it less painful, but you'd still be better off with a different dies set & tool head.

Those loading 9mm with other press systems would be well advised to set up your dies using a .38 Super shell holder. The 9mm seems to have some wide variances in rim diameter and a close tolerance shell holder can cause grief. Before anyone asks, the shell holders don't seem to be interchangeable.

 

[STCM(SW)]

I had my 38 Super fitted with a 9 mm barrel.
9mm is so cheap that I haven't put the Super barrel in it for several years now.
And finding fired 38 Super brass is a pain.
Don't worry about picking up 9mm brass but do reload for both.

 

[Al W.]

I have both in the Dillon. In the long run it will save a lot of time and adjustments. .355 on jacket on both. You can buy bulk .355 jacketed for .9 cents on sale and you cant slow the lead down to be safe in a 9 or 38 super. Jacketed will group better anyway in a 9 and 38 super. Most people dont pick the brass up in 9mm but 38 super they do.

Count on me picking up my brass !

 

[Al W.]

Before anyone asks, the shell holders don't seem to be interchangeable.

And yet the Dillon shell plate case is marked 9mm 38 Super
so perhaps they are interchangeable for the 550.

 

[WR Moore]

And yet the Dillon shell plate case is marked 9mm 38 Super
so perhaps they are interchangeable for the 550.

They're interchangeable in the Dillon because the top plate of the ram (not the shell plate) establishes the position of the case with respect to the dies. In single stage, the machined surface of the shell holder establishes the position of the case. I'm not real sure why there seems to be a difference-at least on some brands. Lyman solves the problem by using the same shell holder for for both 9 mm/.38 Super (cut for .38 Super, as I expect the Dillon shell plate is ). BTW, while different brands of shell holders will work on any press & dies set, they aren't necessarily interchangeable once your dies are set.

 

[Krogen]

Also, you might want to noodle about shooting 38 Super Comp brass vs. standard brass. The difference in rim diameter may affect your shellholder choice. And your gun may not function with Comp brass unless you tweak the extractor. Comp is intended for better functioning, but making use of it isn't always a clean slam-dunk.

 

[DWalt]

The Starline 9mm SuperComp case has the same head/rim diameter as the 9x19mm. It is not of the semi-rim style of the .38 Super case, but it is otherwise identical and will work fine in any .38 Super pistol having a chamber cut to headspace on the case mouth. I once talked to a Starline engineer and he said that the SuperComp case is very strong and will withstand high pressures of very hot .38 Super loads. I have used them to handload 125 FMJ bullet loads having an MV upwards of 1400 ft/sec. I would recommend you use the Starline 9mm SuperComp case instead of .38 Super. I've had no problems in using them in either of my two .38 Super pistols (Colt GM and EAA Witness). They also work for use in 9mm Steyr or 9mm Largo pistols.

 

[robertrwalsh]

In my experience, which is considerable but is all with single stage presses, you will get MUCH BETTER results using .38 super holders, etc rather than 9mm. Virtually all newer .38 super use a 9mm (.355) bore rather than a .38 super (.356) bore.

 

[El Biblioitecario]

The Starline 9mm SuperComp case has the same head/rim diameter as the 9x19mm. It is not of the semi-rim style of the .38 Super case, but it is otherwise identical and will work fine in any .38 Super pistol having a chamber cut to headspace on the case mouth. I once talked to a Starline engineer and he said that the SuperComp case is very strong and will withstand high pressures of very hot .38 Super loads. I have used them to handload 125 FMJ bullet loads having an MV upwards of 1400 ft/sec. I would recommend you use the Starline 9mm SuperComp case instead of .38 Super. I've had no problems in using them in either of my two .38 Super pistols (Colt GM and EAA Witness). They also work for use in 9mm Steyr or 9mm Largo pistols.

Good to know. I have a 9x23 Colt Government model with an additional Super 38 barrel, but I never tried using the former round with the latter barrel.
In the remote case this next might be of use, I have found Colt Super 38 and 9x23 magazines to be virtually interchangeable.

 

[Rule3]

Hi Folks,
I just got the bright idea to buy a handgun chambered for 38 Super.
Seems like a good idea to me.
So my question to you far more experienced folks then I is:
Looks like the 9mm shell plate of my Dillon 550 is also marked 38 Super.
So I know the shell plate works , but the dies for 9mm are tapered and the 38 Super case is straight wall.
So do I want to buy a whole set of dies and tool head for 38 super or can I just buy a 38 Super sizing / depriming die to put on my 9mm tool head ? Seems like the powder die and the seating die and crimp die should work fine. Might take a few minutes to set up though. I don't shoot much 9mm. More into my revolvers and model 52 just now.
Just trying to save a few cents. A penny saved is a penny earned!

All this and the Berreta 380 thread and you won't buy another reloading manual??