Any 1911 users in 38 Super?

A

acp Mikey

New member
I have had 1911's for years, but all in 45 acp. (Must say 1911 is my favorite gun!) I bought a mil spec Colt in 38 Super on Saturday (will pick up this afternoon!). How do you like the round? How is it to reload? Differences between 38 Super and 38 TJ and 38 Super Comp? Also, are there any magazines better than others. I use only Wilson in the 45's.

[Edited by acp Mikey on 12-18-2000 at 10:48 AM]
 
I have the Gumt Model Super 38 Colt

Colt Mags work well. The Super 38 is a hot rodded 38 ACP identical in dimensions to the 1900 era round.

38 Super is better on paper (and louder with a pronounced fireball in daylight) than the 9mm Parabellum, however I don't think there is a lot of difference between the various 38/9mms. The 38 Super for many years boasted the appellation "most powerful auto pistol cartridge" with 475 ft. lbs. to the 45 ACP's 369 in factory loadings. 38 Super Comp is a rimless 38 Super.

38 Super is easy to reload, like 9mmP or 38 Special.

Enjoy your new piece! ;)
 
Government Models in .38 Super are very well-behaved. The blast sounds different from the standard .45 ACP, but the recoil is quite mild. Some of the older models whose barrels headspaced on the semi-rim of the case were not known for accuracy; however, this has been reversed with barrels with modern manufacture.

I've tried most of the current 10rd magazines. The MagPak failed immediately with the follower and spring collapsing in the bottom of the magazine upon the magazine's insertion into the pistol. The Wilson 10rd was difficult to load and consistantly produced failures to feed on the second round. It was also inconsistent with locking back the slide when the pistol was fired to exhaustion. The Metalform 10rd round are merely their 9rd bodies with a different follower. These are the easiest to load, and feed flawlessly. However, these magazines occasionally fail to lock the slide back. The most consistent performers were the Shooting Star 10rd magazines. Be aware that the Shooting Star magazines seem dependent on the use of a .38 Super-specific slide stop for proper slide lock.

With all of the 10rd magazines, you need to be careful to seat each cartridge to the rear of the magazine. With the semi-rimmed case there is the danger of interlocking the rims and causing failures to feed. This has lead to the creation of rimless .38 Super brass like the discontinued .38 MCM and the stronger .38 TJ. The .38 TJ and .38 Super Comp have reinforced case webs for use by IPSC shooters who load their competition ammunition to higher velocities and pressures than factory specifications. (The higher pressures are advantageous with the use of expansion chamber compensators/muzzle brakes.)
 
I use a Colt Commander in .38 Super. I have Mecgar and Colt magazines but in the nine round type. Both work well. For factory ammo, I have shot American Eagle (Federal), Winchester (white box) and PMC ammo, all in the 130 grain hardball. I have also shot the Winchester 125 Silvertip round. The pistol has never jammed. As a lark, I once ran a box of .38 ACP ammo (from the Western Scounger) through it. It worked fine. The pistol remains box stock. I would like though better sights and a new trigger some day. As is, the trigger breaks at about six pounds with no creep.

This pistol is in the 1991-A1 series although it says merely "Commander" on the slide. I am told Colt produced several a few years ago. It was made to clear out some parts or the pistol is an overrun from a foreigh order. Anyway, it is put together well. There are no tool marks under the slide or anywhere use. The black phosphate finish is thick and evenly applied.

Eventually, I plan to do some re-loading for this round. I would like to try a 147 grain bullet at around 1150 fps for plinking and hunting. For self-defense, the factory silvertip remains the first choice. Any bullet in the 9mm class works in this round. A 95 grain bullet at 1300 fps would be interesting too, although I am told such a load won't make the steel plates fall in competition. Finally, the pistol usually does produced a little fire puff from the muzzle when using factory ammo, except for the .38 ACP, of course.

The .38 Super is the most under-rated and under-appreciated cartridge now. It deserves much more attention.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Keep them coming! Won't get to shoot this puppy until Wed. Can't wait. By the way, what size bullet does it use? .357 or .355?
 
Hello. Yes, I had an old Colt Gov't Model in .38 Super that had been fitted with adj sights and a BarSto bbl. The piece was reliable and quite accurate. It was very potent with handload ammo, about all that was available back then unless you wanted FMJ. Recoil was not bad at all and it was quite effective on small game. Best.
 
While I don't own a 1911 in .38 Super, I do own a Witness in .38 S/9x23W.

I have found both rounds to be very accurate.

My Witness (for 290 bux it was a steal) is very easy to shoot with either caliber. I have a 22lb recoil spring in the pistol to accomodate the 9x23 Winchester round and recoil is minimal. The 125gr STHP in 9x23W is moving @1430fps from my Witness if my memory serves me correctly.

As for the .38 S, as accurate as the 9x23, just at a lower velocity. With 18 rounds in the mag, the Witness in .38 S/9x23W is a fun pistol to have at the range! :D

Derek
 
To me, 1911 + .38 Super = pure shooting pleasure. In this caliber I have a Colt's 1991A1 GM, a Series 80 GM from the mid-80s, and a Combat Commander from about 20 years ago. I take one of them to the range when I just want to have fun.

But I do have one regret associated with this cartridge. I put off getting a SIG P220 in .38 Super for way too long, and now this pistol has been discontinued.
 
acp Mikey,

I bought a Colt Custom 1911 in 38 Super, but I had Dane Burns convert it to 9x23 Win.

The 38 Super is a great round. It has mild recoil, with a slightly louder sound and a different type of sound. It also throws a fireball out. I haven't been able to understand that, as the 9x23 is almost the same round and it dosen't show nearly as much flame out while pushing the same 125 gr slug faster. There dosen't seem to be that much difference physically.

I just like the fact that the 9x23 Win is able to push the 125 gr to .357 Mag velocity.

Back to the topic, the 38 Super is a really great round in a 1911. It is accurate, has little recoil and is easy to reload. The availability of ammo seems to be pretty good, although it's bound to not be as available as say 9mm or 45 ACP.

Casey
 
to the owner of the EAA, how does the recoil compare to that of a 1911? muzzle flip too? it's rather hard to find a 1911 without investing big money in it.

how hard is it to find high caps for an EAA?

thanks for all info.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top