9mm or .38 super

[bme27]

Hey guys, I am sure that this has been discussed on here before but out of the 9mm and the .38 super which one would you rather have as your CCW? I will be getting my CC in 2 weeks and i am trying to decide on these two calibers. Ammo price and availability is not an issue as my LGS can get both at reasonable prices. I just want to know any pros and cons that you may know of to give one of these an edge over the other.

 

[stiab]

I'm a big fan of the Super, have two guns and over 1K factory rounds, and some reloads. But your options in a gun will be significantly limited if you choose the Super. 1911's, a few rare Sigs, EAA, Taurus, etc. will be about you can find in semiautos. You can shoot the Super in certain modern Colt and S&W .357 magnum revolvers, but I'm not recommending that to anybody else. I've done it with Python and Highway Patrolman, but it won't work in all revolvers. Guess I'm recommending the 9mm, good luck!!.

 

[tark]

I would go for the 9 because it is cheaper to buy ammo and the Super no longer enjoys the power advantage it used to over the 9mm. Supers these days are loaded down to 9mm pressures, around 35-36,000 PSI. The 9mm+P is actually loaded to a higher pressure than the supers. A super used to be a 130gr bullet at 1300 FPS. Nowdays, it is a 124 gr at 1240 or the 130 at 1200. Might as well call it the .38 eunuch.

 

[MAKster]

9mm is the most popular and least expensive center fire handgun ammo. The 38 super hasn't been popular in decades and even then it was really only used in 1911s. Who is even manufacturing 38 super pistols today? If you already owned half a dozen handguns and were just looking for something interesting then 38 super would be ok, but as your primary concealed carry? No way. If you feel the need for more energy just use 9mm +P.

 

[Warp]

Hey guys, I am sure that this has been discussed on here before but out of the 9mm and the .38 super which one would you rather have as your CCW? I will be getting my CC in 2 weeks and i am trying to decide on these two calibers. Ammo price and availability is not an issue as my LGS can get both at reasonable prices. I just want to know any pros and cons that you may know of to give one of these an edge over the other.

I wouldn't even consider 38 super in passing. Not even a candidate.

9mm is far more common and always will be. The guns, the magazines, the ammo, the premium defensive ammo such as what law enforcement uses...all favor 9mm BIG.

 

[highlander 5]

Depending on the pistol selected get the 9 mm and get an aftermarket barrel for 9x 23 win. I have a S&W 1911 Pro series in 9 mm being fitted for a 9x23 barrel. The 9x23 is very close to or match 357 mag ballistics. Clark is doing the conversion,I going to call Monday if the time line is right it should be or near ready.

 

[Plan2Live]

For a primary carry gun I vote 9mm. All of the reasons why have already been stated but I will add, your local gun store might stock .38 Super but that is not the norm across the Country. Let the lights go out and see how easy it is to find .38 Super.

 

[CCMarine]

9mm MOST definitely---although my EDC is a 1911 in .45ACP.

 

[zb338]

I really like the .38 Super even though I don't have one.
Forget factory loads, the Super can be loaded a lot hotter
than 9 MMs. That's why they are used in IPSIC because
you can make major with them.

Zeke

 

[bigarm]

Well, my carry gun is a Colt Lightweight Commander in 38 Super, so I guess that says which camp I am in.

 

[Walkalong]

For a range gun 9MM is far cheaper if you consider brass cost. That said, the components once you have the brass are very nearly identical in cost. You'll just use a tad more powder in .38 Super.

For carry I would not knock anyone's choice regardless of which the choose. It's not like you are carrying an empty gun hoping to be somewhere they have .38 Super ammo when you all of a sudden need it. You'll have stocked up on your favorite carry load already. Sure, 9MM is everywhere, and .38 Super is not, but it isn't much of an obstacle for a carry gun.

 

[yaonttwo]

Hickok45 just received a Colt in 38 super and has a youtube video on it. Might give you something to think about.

 

[JDR]

Today I was shooting my 9mm STI Trojan 1911, and there aren't too many nicer shooting guns out there, these 9mm 1911s really are a pleasure to take to the range!

 

[Mainsail]

The 9mm is really popular again, and will likely remain so until there's another high profile failure.

.38Super is actually on the shelf at Sportsman's here in town; I don't see it moving though.

Consider the .357Sig. It has a touch more power than the .38Super, and the bottleneck cartridge goes a long way towards ensuring feeding reliability. It hits a lot harder than the hottest 9mm and since the guns are designed for it, you don't need to worry about damaging the gun shooting it.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I'd rather have 9mm.

Far more variety in defense loads and ammo in general, and with 9mm +P+, you basically have .38 Super power. The Super only has maybe 10% more energy with the same weight bullet, if that. So little difference that the target won't know the difference either. Also, factory 9mm is almost half the cost if you're one of the many that doesn't reload.

 

[stiab]

A super used to be a 130gr bullet at 1300 FPS. Nowdays, it is a 124 gr at 1240 or the 130 at 1200. Might as well call it the .38 eunuch.

Not really, that's an old wives tale that keeps getting repeated on the internet. For one thing, the Super never truly clocked at 1300 fps in the old days. A few years ago I did an actual chrono test and posted the results on the Sig and S&W forums, comparing 130 grain Super ammo from 60, 50, and 40 years ago with that of today. There was no significant difference in the velocities. If I can find it I'll repost here when I return home next week.

Edited to add: Here a pic of the gun and ammo used in my testing. The beige colored box on left dates to the 1930's/40's, that ammo was used by the FBI and also issued to OSS during WWII.

 

[MachIVshooter]

9mm.

The .38 Super requires a larger frame, and the ballistic advantage is really only academic.

In truth, I don't feel anything is really a step up from 9mm for defensive use until you make the jump into full house .357 mag or 10mm.

 

[justin22885]

if its in something like a steel frame 1911 you can cut 38 super brass from 223 brass and load it as hot as you want ;-)

 

[kozak6]

There's very few pistols chambered in .38 super, and most of them are full sized. There might be a few compact EAA's, but no subcompacts.

Which pistols did you have in mind>

 

[justin22885]

38 super can launch 147 grain bullets at the same speeds 9x19 launches 124s, also you have the option of using .357" bullets so you could load it up with some 158 grain XTP bullets

just get what you want, dont let others to convince you to follow some status quo to be like everyone else just because they did

 

[springer99]

I shoot both 9mm and 38Super and can only offer this suggestion.

If you reload, then definitely get the 38Super. Factory rounds are a bit anemic, but when reloaded, the 38Super will run rings around the 9mm, especially with heavier bullets. The 38Super is what every 9mm wants to be when it grows up. In a 1911 platform, it can even surpass the 45ACP in velocity and energy, with less perceived recoil.

If you don't reload, then stick with the 9mm. You'll give up some punch but 9mm ammo is much more easily found and less expensive.

 

[bannockburn]

bme27

Why not have both? A 1911 in .38 Super has an ejector that will work with both the .38 Super and 9mm. cartridges. All you need to add would be a 9mm. barrel assembly and 9mm. magazines. I have been doing this for years with my .38 Supers and it works great. I bought a Storm Lake 9mm. barrel assembly for my Colt Commander and it gives me the ability to use less expensive 9mm. practice ammo when I'm at the range.

 

[FL-NC]

9mm. 38 super is a specialty round, not as many choices in ammo type, more for $ with 9mm. Plus no Glock in 38 super.

 

[Jim Watson]

If you are going to buy a 1911 type and you can buy or load .38 Super ammo, then that is the way to go.

There are few other guns made in the caliber and I would prefer a good 9mm to any of them.

 

[eldon519]

As far as I know, no one is loading the best HPs in .38 Super such as HST, Ranger T, or even Gold Dot ammo. Most seem to use old school designs though there are a few makers loading the Barnes HPs.