Colt combat commander in .38 super

B

Brutus

New member
Been scouting for one of these for a couple of years now and I'm begining to think they don't exist. Never have seen an example on any of the auction sites and I can just imagine the asking price if I ever do. Anybody ever see one shoot one or own one?
 
Well, they exist...I looked it up. Looks like the prices run from 550 - 700 or so. I have never seen one in person, or shot one though. :)
 
Been scouting for one of these for a couple of years now and I'm begining to think they don't exist. Never have seen an example on any of the auction sites and I can just imagine the asking price if I ever do. Anybody ever see one shoot one or own one?
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I bought one in the seventies. It was a nightmare. The slide lugs were out of spec (battered the barrel lugs, went through two barrels before I found that out). I ended up replacing the slide and the barrel (for the second time), however the gunsmith could not find a Colt .38 Super Commander slide so I had to settle for a 9MM slide. I ended up with a "FrankenColt". Nevertheless, it is a favorite and I don't see myself ever selling it...but then, it is hardly a collectors item with all the changes I made to to. I also swapped out the sights for Novak's and installed a long trigger, Pachmayr grips, Beavertail safety, etc.

Frankencolt2.jpg

A little bit better picture:
Frankencolt.jpg
 
Mine is the 5" Government model Series 70 MK IV. Haven't seen a 38 Super commander in a long time but they do exist.

Ron
 
I just went through Colt's web site and they don't list ANY Commander-size pistols in .38 Super. Either keep haunting the auction sites, or buy a 9mm Commander and swap the barrel.
 
They do exist as I once had one with the steel frame.
Not sure what advantage it had over a regular ole' full sized 1911, though.
Either the caliber or the size.
So it eventually got traded off.
It was a good gun for many years but can't think of a reason to need another one.
But good hunting anyway.
 
One option you might consider, Brutus is to get a .45 Combat Commander then fit a .38 Super slide and barrel assembly to it. I did it 20+ years ago and it worked out fine. I did change the ejector to better impact with the smaller rim on the .38 Super case, but that was it. [BTW, the .38/9mm ejector works just fine with the .45 barrel/slide installed.]

It feeds and fires just fine, works equally well with a 9mm Colt or Barsto barrel and is truly a versatile gun. .38 Super mags work equally well with 9mm ammunition and the the 9mm barrel. Those Colt slide/barrel assemblies work just as well with my Ruger CMD. Pic shows the Colt Combat Commander and the Colt and Marvel made barrel/slide assemblies.

HTH's Rod

 
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They exist. Do remember that Colt did not headspacing the 38 Super off the mouth of the case till 1986 I think. Before that they used the small rim of the case so accuracy may not be great if you find one. Barstow started selling barrels that head spaced off the mouth of the case years before Colt started doing it.
 
Dakota, you are right ! The cartridge is semi-rimmed but poor QC produced guns that wouldn't headspace properly --poor accuracy.
 
JMB thought the semi-rim was the only way to make an auto pistol cartridge, which is why he used it in the .25, .32., .38, and 9mm Short. Then one Georg Luger demonstrated that you could headspace a pistol round on the case mouth and Browning saw the light; his subsequent rounds, .45 ACP and .380 ACP have no rims.

Jim
 
I'm pretty sure Colt was first (and last) to use the collet bushing (mostly on their Series 70 Gold Cup pistols).
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My Government Model Series 70, purchased in the early seventies had the collet bushing. I was under the impression that the Gold Cups of the same era had a solid bushing, but I could be wrong.
 
I can say that all of the Colt MK IV Series 70 guns used the collet bushing, including the Gold Cup NM and the standard government models. I want to believe those collets ran till 1983 but am not sure. The New Series 70 guns use a standard collet. So I guess the last of the guns using the split four finger collets were with the end of the original series 70 guns. Not real sure but pretty sure. :)

Ron
 
My series 70 Gold Cup has the collet bushing, I've had it for forty years without a problem, still one of the most accurate 45's I've owned.
 
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