.38 super

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svtruth

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Just read an article about this round in Guns & Ammo.
It seems to offer .357 performance in a semi auto, like the Sig .357.
Can any one with more knowledge/experience than I have comment on this?
Thanks in advance.
 
It's probably my favorite semi-auto round, but a .357 it ain't. Bullet for bullet, the Super lags 200-300 FPS behind the .357.

Yes, you can usually get away with loading the daylights out of the Super, in a fully supported barrel, and approach .357 velocities. This has been done with reasonable success by a great many shooters. They make no bones about the fact that they are grossly exceeding SAAMI pressure levels, however, and this is very much a matter of "user assumes all risk".
 
38 Super used to be loaded hotter. It still is for IPSC shooters to ensure they make major.

Its a fine cartridge. I love it. I love the 9x23, too. Nearly identical dimensions, except without the rim, but stronger brass and hotter. This does duplicate the .357 magnum.
 
I started a thread on this round a week or so ago.

The .38 Super is great round. I had a ss Colt Combat Commander in .38 Super and loved it. I sold it years ago, but now I'm in a position to replace it and I'm going to in the next few months.

Factory loads appear to be very close to the 9mm para - maybe just a tad hotter. I don't handload, and that's apparently where the .38 Super shines.

I found the .38 Super a blast (literally) to shoot. From a Commander length barrel, it made a huge flash and a really loud crack. I bought it because I wanted something different, and it was. It was a great conversation starter, if anything.
 
Then why did the 357Sig get developed?
Click to expand...

Just because. And I think that's really the answer. Someone found a way to get a little closer to .357 mag power in a short auto cartridge. And SIG found a cartridge it could attach its name to.
 
Quote:
Then why did the 357Sig get developed?
FortyFive70 said: a way to get a little closer to .357 mag power in a short auto cartridge.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. The 38 Super requires a large magwell the size of a government model to accept it. The 357 Sig is not as long.

FortyFive70 said: Factory loads appear to be very close to the 9mm para - maybe just a tad hotter. I don't handload, and that's apparently where the .38 Super shines.
Click to expand...

Or some of the smaller companies that fit the niche market offering hot rounds.
 
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