Colt 1911 .38 Super

[Dog Soldier]

I have a number of Colt 1911 pistols. Just bought a new Colt Govt 38 Super. It handles all the .38 Super brass. the 38 ACP.38 Super p+ and the great .38 Super Compt. My current load is the .38 Super Comp Lil Gun and the 130 Berry's RN. It turns 1,400 fps and is accurate.

 

[Mooseman]

Very cool, 38 super is a caliber I haven't had the pleasure of trying yet. Welcome to THR

 

[Dog Soldier]

Thx Mooseman. The colt now has a chamber that head spaces on the Ctg. mouth. The older Colts depended on a semi rim as many new pistols. The .38 Super Comp brass has a heavy base to accommodate the unsupported bas in the 1911. It can hit .357 ballistics with the Super Comp brass.

 

[bannockburn]

Dog Soldier

I think Colt switched over to .38 Super barrels that headspaced on the cartridge mouth quite a few years ago. Those earlier barrels that used the semi-rim of the cartridge base could be all over the place accuracy-wise due to the varying thickness of the different cartridge brass you were using. Also you can practice with less expensive 9mm. ammo in your .38 Super; all you have to add is a 9mm. barrel assembly and 9mm. magazines.

 

[Rock185]

Dog Soldier, sounds like great fun to me. I've had a bunch of Supers since the '70s, when Colt used those barrels that headspaced on the tiny semi-rim. Had personal experience with two of those, a Government Model and Combat Commander. They were every bit as bad as has sometimes been indicated on the internet. I currently have a Colt SCG, a Kimber Eclipse Target and an STI Trojan in 38 Super. The STI and Kimber with ramped barrels run flawlessly with everything. The Colt, not so much with some shorter wider hollow points. I have no doubt about a safe 1400 fps with the 130 grain and Lil' Gun. The Super comes into it's own with some of the slower powders. I use a lot of AA-9 and 124s at 1400+ is easily achieved. Been shooting a lot of 147 JHPs at about 1250 fps lately too. I quit buying 38 Super brass years ago in favor of the Starline Super Comp brass. I'm a fan of the SC brass too and my Supers function reliably with both Super and Super Comp brass.

 

[il.bill]

I have a number of Colt 1911 pistols. Just bought a new Colt Govt 38 Super. It handles all the .38 Super brass. the 38 ACP.38 Super p+ and the great .38 Super Compt. My current load is the .38 Super Comp Lil Gun and the 130 Berry's RN. It turns 1,400 fps and is accurate.

Congrats on a nice pistol - but where's the picture(s)?

 

[TRX]

> The older Colts depended on a semi rim as many new pistols.

Browning put a rim on his .25, .32, and .38 because the powders available at the time he designed them needed a hefty crimp for reliable ignition. The powder industry quickly fixed that, and the ammunition makers stopped crimping, but the rim was forever.