I purchased a 1968 built COLT 1911 SUPER 38 as COLT called em. At that time COLT was headspacing em on the semi rim. I found that ever company that made ammo , made the rim a different thickness.
Accuracy was kaput!! In 1985, while stationed in Kodiak, AK, I sent the frame out to be hard chromed, the slide was bead blasted and blued, ( when I purchased the gun was rusty, bad, frame and slide both), had a BAR STO match barrel and bushing put in, at that time BAR STO was the only company headspacing that round on the case mouth, like a 45, high profile fixed sights, BOMAR I THINK, and a beavertail grip safety, as I am prone to hammer bite. I still have that pistol, and shoots like a dream. I do handload, and found out long ago, same powder, bullets, and primers as a 9 mm, which I also load for
I have always enjoyed shooting that gun. Oh yeah, the mags are the same as a 9 mm, minus a short follower, and extender in the back of the magazine to take up the difference in length
When I purchased my gun in 1976, was told it was about as powerful as a medium loaded 357
I have heard RIA, SPRINGFIELD, COLT, SDS (TISAS) AUTO ORDNANCE, ALL MAKE 38 SUPER GUNS
ALSO , when I purchased my gun in 1976, I had never heard of or seen a 38 super. Now they are pretty common, and when a lot of competitors used 38 super to make major, I was hoping ammo cost would come down, and that never happened!!