[Sox]

What do you guys think of the .38 Super? Basically, it seems like a 9mm +P+. Maybe a good round in the years past, but seems surpassed by other contemporary cartridges namely .357 Sig, .40 S&W, and even 9mm +P+. I am really just curious as I have been delving into calibers I haven't tried before out of boredom. So far, found that I really like 10mm. I think the ten gets alot of bad press and rumors from people who really haven't tried it. :)

[Nightcrawler]

.38 Super in modern +P loadings blows 9mm +P out of the water, from what I understand, energy-wise.

.357 Sig? Pshh...I liked it better when it was .38 Super. They're both the same idea, you know, pushing a 9mm bullet faster.

.38 Super is still a good cartridge today, if somewhat overshadowed by more recent developments. But then, .357 Sig isn't exactly the top seller, either.

[eerw]

I like the 38 super a lot..only one I like better is the 9x23..which beats it for obscurity and the lack of factory ammo..

It is a good cartridge...accurate, easy to load for, easy to shoot..the only real problem is it is pretty much restricted to the 1911 platform..you see a Sig220 every now and then and the EAA..

the .357 sig and .40 have more choices in guns to shoot from as they both use 9mm framed guns...

anyway..I think if you shoot it and happen to like 1911s..you'll be thrilled and have a lot of fun..if you don;t reload and don;t like 1911s you will be hard to convince it is a great cartridge..

oh..10mm are a lot of fun too...:D

[Sean Smith]

.38 Super is a better cartridge for the 1911 than 9x19mm. More reliable by design in that gun because the Super has about the same OAL as .45 ACP. Ammo isn't too expensive if you shop around, though it's nowhere near as cheap as 9x19. 9x23 is even better, but is also alot more obscure than 10mm Auto, which is saying a mouthful.

[Tamara]

Well, by way of reference, Georgia Arms loads a .38 Super with a 147gr Gold Dot at 1200fps, and Cor-Bon loads a 125gr JHP at 1350 and a 115gr @ 1450. A fair bit stouter than even +P+ 9mm.

(Also, should the mag ban go away, just envision a double-stack 1911-type gun with twenty-some-odd .38 Super rounds on board. There's a "high capacity magazine" for ya'. ;) )

[Gerald McDonald]

I shared the range with some guy shooting hot ( I mean really hot ) handloads in 38 super. It seemed like artilllery going off, every round made the dust in the room jump. Never seen that with 9mm.
G

[Gunhamr]

I have an EAA Witness in 38 Super that holds 20 plus 1. It is a little hard to get that 20th round in the mag. but it can be done. Rather then struggle with it I just load 19 and 1. When the gun was new I had to return for a trigger job but since then it has worked reliably and is very accurate. Also have a Springfield mil spec which I prefer over the EAA.
Seems that the single stack 1911 just fits my hand better than anything else.

[Dr.Rob]

Tams don't tell me you are thinking of buying an IPSC race gun as a carry pistol??

I think there was an IPSC 38 super version of a para-ordinance gun that held like 19-20 cartridges.

Hm, you all are making me eye that Witness full size on Gunbroker again.

I've seen that 38 super literally ring my ears. Its a whole lotta pistole.

147@1200? Thats like .357 stuff.

[Zak Smith]

9x23 (or presumably the lower-power .38S) in a 1911 is a pussycat. It seems like it cycles the gun faster and has less muzzle flip than .45.

Once you get to about 124gr@1200fps, additional velocity does not get you much more in terms of FBI-protocol gelatin test results in .355" bore size JHPs.

-z

[Nightcrawler]

Once you get to about 124gr@1200fps, additional velocity does not get you much more in terms of FBI-protocol gelatin test results in .355" bore size JHPs.

To heck with the FBI and their jell-o. MORE POWER! RAARGH! :D

[eerw]

38 super or cousin 9x23 are great handlers in the 1911 format..

the 9x23 cycles the 1911 very quickly and the front sight snaps right back down.. 124grJHP or SP both have factory loading that go about 1450 and have seen some as hot as 1520..the 38 super is really pleasant to shoot..great for teaching..

in an STI it is a great round..too..20 plus rounds of .357 magnum level ammo..

oh..and corbon has announced loading for the 9x23...coming soon...:D :D

[mattjoe]

38 super is way better than 9mm and it's +p+ variants.
Yes, there are all sorts of high cap 38 supers, the para version was mentioned, that's what i've got, 21 rounds in the normal mag, 26 in the 170 mm that sticks out the bottom. Someone has even figured out the combination of base pad/spring/follower to get 30 rounds in a 170mm. Impressive. You can get the 38 supers built by SVI (probably the nicest) sti, para, springfield, eaa, caspian, plenty of different kinds out there.
I know colt made one a while back.
PMC makes +P+ ammo for it, 115grn, i've never bothered to chrono it, but it feels lighter than my ipsc major reloads, any dealer should be able to order it for you, and Winchester made the Silvertip 9x23 a few years ago, don't know if it's available anymore.
Friend of mine used to shoot 115grns out of his open gun with the hybrid barrel and big comp at 1600 fps, felt it worked best at 185pf, It was LOUD.
I am more comfy down in the 175 old pf range.
Muzzle rise is nothing much to complain about in the uncompensated style gun, and nearly nothing at all with a comped gun.
I took 147's way up to around 1200 once to prove the 38 super could work on bowling pins. It can. You'll notice recoil.
the 38 super is accurate and reliable.
One note, I've tried the new armscorp brass for 38 super, don't load it to major levels, i was splitting cases all over the place on only their 2nd load, and a few on the 1st.
My opinion, it's better than the 357 sig, 357 sig loses it's factory ammo vs factory ammo advantage when the super is reloaded to major levels plus the 38 super cartridge is thinner, so you can hold more.
Advantage, 38 super.

One experiment i am considering, boring out the 9x21 barrel i have for the glock, and seeing if I can get some 38super/9x23s loaded that short and shoot them out of the 17.
(you can use 38 supers in 9x23 guns, but not the other way around)