What is your favorite 38 super?

[Boogershooter]

The 38 super seems to be fading more and more as I get older. I think mostly due to price of factory ammo and less and less options from major manufacturers. Anyway between my wife and I we have several. We love them and several of our friends that have shot ours like them also. I've been in touch with RIA asking if they would build me a tac ultra in 38 super. I already have their loaded nickel 38 but I hate cleaning it. I have a colt and a para also but just not excited to dig them out anymore. I don't think I've found my favorite yet so any recommendations for some of your favorites will help me out. Thanks in advance.

 

[bamaranger]

Super

The Super .38 is one of those ctgs with which I have always been intrigued. You don't see them much any more, , and it does indeed seem as their popularity is rapidly fading. There have been a few articles in "the American Rifleman) in the past decade or so, but that has been the only press I have seen.

I've come close to buying a Super (both Colt's) twice, but could not justify the expense of a new cartridge as well as pistol. The RIA pistols seem affordable, their base model in .38 Super, might get me "in" cheaply.

Do they even make the std model in .38?

 

[Boogershooter]

They do or atleast they did make it in their cheapest model and they make it in nickel but they don't make it in a truely desirable package. I bought my nickel because the ol lady wanted it. Bought it in July a couple years ago. After shooting a couple hundred rounds thru it the first weekend we didn't get around to cleaning til Tuesday. Big mistake. I bought the tac ultra in 10mm last year just to play around with. Now it's her favorite. She's very accurate with it, much more so than her sti, or any other pistol she shoots. I don't shoot it any better than most of mine but truely I feel it's hers now. My delta elite don't get shot much. It feels to me like the action is just too slow and get a double recoil like the desert eagles. But back to the 38 super it has always been the perfect balance of muzzle blast, power, and recoil to make me want to shoot it more.

 

[44 AMP]

The .38 Super is fading away, I think mostly because of the jacked up 9mm Luger we use today. That, and double stack mags for the 9mm.

The low price of 9mm Luger ammo, double stack mags, and the fact that the 9mm (NATO) has been jacked up to the point where it essentially IS a .38 Super (with lighter bullets) AND the smaller frame size the 9mm uses means very few people are buying .38 Supers these days.

.38 Super was super, back in the day when 9mm Luger was a 115gr @ 1150fps, the Super was a 130gr at 1275fps. Of course, in those days the only factory ammo was all FMJ.

The .38 Super was a very popular round "south of the border" where many latin American and south American nations had laws prohibiting ownership of "military calibers" so 9mms were prohibited.

My Dad had a Colt Government model in .38 Super, which I got to play with a bit. I'd pick that one as my favorite, for nostalgia reasons. That, or a Sig P220.

 

[springer99]

I'll always have a soft spot for the 38Super. To be honest though, if you don't reload, then pass on it as the factory offerings for the most part are anemic. I picked up an RIA base GI model a few years back in 38Super and found it to be a joy to shoot. With reloads, it approaches .357Mag. levels and can handle bullet sizes from 90-160gr.

Just for fun, I had mine accurized with a tighter barrel bushing, trigger improvement, and added a slide-mounted reddot scope. Worked up some light DEWC deep-seated reloads and used it for a time as my back-up bullseye gun. Amazingly, it fed those wadcutter loads like goose-s### without a hiccup. Called it my poor-man's S&W 52.

38Super is what every 9mm wants to be when it grows up.

 

[testuser79]

I had a Colt 1911 and a couple of Witness models in .38 Super. The first was a Witness Match that had some frustrating issues, the second one was better. Out of the .40 S&W, 10mm and.38 super the Witness seemed best suited to .38 Super, I think those models held at least 17 rounds.

Anyway, 147 grain bullets from the super run over 1100 fps, that's impressive even by today's standard.

My opinion, accurate, flat shooting and easy to reload. Liked it. I think it slots between the 9mm and .40 S&W with increased ballistics over a 9mm with the same mag capacity albeit on a larger frame. It still remains a good alternative to the .357 sig, but doesn't replace the .357 magnum.

I've gravitated more towards the 10mm on large frames and away from the .38 super and even the .45 auto. Seems more versatile to me than either of those two on same sized platforms, ballistically it also replaces the .357 mag for some applications.

 

[WIL TERRY]

MY favorite SUPER 38 hey....it is a SA custom 9x23...thank you very much.

And so it goes...

 

[g.willikers]

When the USPSA Major power factor was reduced, lots of other calibers became as useful as the .38 Super, along with more choices with higher capacity.
The semi-partial case rim of the Super didn't help sustain its popularity, either.

 

[pbcaster45]

Didn't have to think about it much... My STI Trubor! It's fun to shoot but LOUD!

Bullet: Montana Gold 124 gr. JHP
Powder: Hodgdon HS-6 X.XX
Primer: Winchester Small Rifle
Case: Starline 38 Super +P
LOAL: 1.240 (.976 with Stoney Point)
Avg. Vel.: 1409.57 fps
ES: 25.92
SD: 7.41
PF: 174

 

[mavracer]

Don't do favorites love them both equally

 

[WC145]

Plenty of 1911 manufacturers are offering Supers these days and adding new models - Baer, Wilson, Brown, Nighthawk, Colt, Dan Wesson, and more - all you have to do is check around.


This custom Colt ORM 1991A1 Super is my favorite, it also has 9mm and 9x23 barrels.

 

[DavidAGO]

I only have one .38 super, a Colt Government model, I do love the chambering. One day when I grow up I want to have a custom built on a government model with interchangeable .38 super, 9x23, and 9mm Largo barrels. If you can love the .38 super, which is a round that is a bit of a orphan, then you can love the Largo, and the 9x23(which in my opinion is what the 10mm wishes it could be).

David

 

[Morgo]

I think it depends where you are.

The .38 SUper is quite popular here and very popular in IPSC etc.

One of my fav cals for a 1911.

 

[Brutus]

mavracer I'm green with envy over the commander, been scouting for that exact pistol for some time now, wish Colt would bring them back.
Has been on my bucket list for a long time and as I get older the super seems more and more attractive.

 

[rock185]

I don't think the Super 38 will ever die off as long as our political masters allow us to own semi-auto handguns. I do believe the 9X19mm in 1911 type pistols is on the rise. I have owned, shot and reloaded for the Super since about 1970. Had multiple Colts, a Kimber and an STI. Currently own and operate only two,a Colt and an STI. Had both out yesterday. Both 100% reliable with a variety of ammunition. These are a couple of my favorites in the caliber. BTW, my much maligned Kimber, a Target II model, was also a great gun. Totally reliable with any and all factory and reloaded ammo used from day one. Even used and chronographed some factory 9X23 Winchester ammo in it. Just as boringly reliable with the 9X23 as with the 38S ammo. Wish I'd hung on to that one. Anyway, fading or not, I think I'll always have a Super or two around.