.38 Super Parts Differences vs. .45 Auto

[ricbor]

Hello everyone,

I am fairly new on this board and have a question that I have never been able to find the detail answers to my questions. I have a Colt Series 70 .38 Super that I have owned for 30+ years and have made parts modifications for accuracy over the years. I put a SS Bar-Sto barrel in it and a BoMar target rib on the slide many years back. It is a wonderfully accurate gun and a pleasure to shoot, but that leaves me with many good original parts that I would like to put back into a new frame to yield a basic plinker/fun gun that I can not have to be so protective of. I have available the take off barrel/bushing/link/recoil spring/plug/grips/magazines/mainspring housing/slide stop/trigger/rear sight from the original gun.
To use these parts that have been collecting dust, I need a new .38 Super Slide obviously, and I also already have a stripped standard 1911 frame that I was thinking of building into a .45 ACP. So, my questions:

1. I know the ejector is different and wonder if you just need a new .38 Super ejector that would fit the holes in the .45 frame, or does the location of these holes change? (i.e. is the ejector itself a drop in part or is the frame machined different for the .38? If different, is there a readily available print showing this anywhere?

2. Also, same question regarding the extractor.

3. I assume the firing pin would not change but if so, let me know.

4. Does the magazine well change in any way?

Anyone that has the info, I would appreciate the answers. I'm really just trying to put together a functional gun on the cheap. I don't really want to get rid of any of the original parts. Thanks.

 

[Hanshi]

Interesting project. I don't really know for sure but all I can think of right now would be a new slide and magazine and possibly barrel bushing. Maybe the others will be of help on this.

 

[Jim Watson]

1. I know the ejector is different and wonder if you just need a new .38 Super ejector that would fit the holes in the .45 frame, or does the location of these holes change? (i.e. is the ejector itself a drop in part or is the frame machined different for the .38? If different, is there a readily available print showing this anywhere?

The ejector retaining holes are the same for both calibers.

2. Also, same question regarding the extractor.

You get a .38 slide, you need a .38 extractor.

3. I assume the firing pin would not change but if so, let me know.

You get a .38 slide, you need a .38 firing pin.

4. Does the magazine well change in any way?

Not as related to magazine insertion.


The one POSSIBLE problem would be the frame feed ramp configuration. The .45 ramp is wider and deeper than the .38. Sometimes not enough to hurt, sometimes incompatible.

Put the .38 barrel on the .45 frame, swing it back and forth on the link and see how the barrel ramp lines up with the frame ramp. If it is even or ahead, great. If it overhangs a LITTLE, it can be fitted. If it overhangs a lot, you would have to have the frame ramp built up by welding or an insert.

 

[Onmilo]

You need a new .38 Super ejector, Slide, Barrel, Extractor and firing pin.
Everything else is interchangeable. HTH

 

[Jim K]

The firing pin is different as is the hole in the breech face, both smaller because of the higher pressure of the .38 Super.

Jim

 

[ricbor]

Thanks guys. Biggest concern was frame differences. I could have stripped the one down to measure, but I figured I could save some work and time by asking here. Looks like I got my answers. Thanks.

 

[bannockburn]

ricbor

The other nice thing about the .38 Super 1911 is that it's easily converted to 9mm. with a barrel assembly and magazines.

 

[brickeyee]

'Switch top' 1911s will end up costing you as much as just purchasing one of each.
I have made them a couple times.
There are a few ejectors around that might fit, but the only thing you can do is try.
I have gone as far as enlarging the ejector slot in the slide a hundredth or so.

Tha one I still own uses ramped barrels and swaps the entire upper.
By using the dreaded FLGR you capture the recoil spring and everything stays together.
Slide out slide stop, slide off upper, hang stop on link.
Slide on other upper with its slide stop.

Go from boom to supersonic bang in less than one minute.
Often freaks out others on the range.

 

[bannockburn]

My Colt Commander in .38 Super. I added a Storm Lake 9mm. barrel assembly and a couple of Colt magazines. Works great in both calibers and lets me use cheaper 9mm. ammo for practice.

 

[ricbor]

Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought about going 9mm. I have always had a place in my heart for the Super and like the fact that it is a bit out of the ordinary. I just hate to see good parts sitting around not being used. I was just trying to decide whether to build it up as a .45 but I don't have dies or components for that, so I thought I would stick with the .38 and save some money.

And wouldn't you know it, my son comes over the other day to show off a Glock 21 he just picked up second hand.

 

[bannockburn]

ricbor

I was the same way with an Essex frame that I had lying around. I already had quite a few 1911s in .45 ACP but no .38 Supers. So I built one using the frame I already had, some spare parts from other builds, and some new Colt parts for the internals. Located a complete Colt Mk. IV/Series 70 slide assembly and was good to go. Some years later I gave the slide assembly to a friend of mine as he was a big fan of the .38 Super and he was also the one who first got me interested in .38 Supers). A couple of years ago I finally got around to doing something with the Essex frame when I put a TacSol .22 conversion assembly on it. Might get a .38 Super slide some day and build another one but for now I'm putting the frame to good use.