Well, as previously stated, most modern, factory loaded .38 Super rounds are essentially 9mm strength, maybe 9mm +P. You may be able to find some "hot" stuff out there, but it's few and far between, and not loaded by the major companies ("hot" stuff being what .38 Super is supposed to be and what it was back in the roaring 20's and such when it was used quite sucessfully)
Now, there certainly is a boatload of people out there (myself included) who feel that 9mm is an adequate SD/PD round. Thus downloaded, or modern, .38 Super should also be adequate. However then a few other issues come up.
First, platforms. Most 9mm lovers also love the high cap Glock, SIG, HK, etc, etc, etc. With the exception of the Witness, most .38 Supers are 1911's. Of course there are those who love a 1911 too, and having one that uses 9mm or equivalent is just fine.
Second, availability. Finding .45 is easy as pie. Every Wal Mart and Mom and Pop store which handles any ammo will most likely have some .45. Not nearly so for .38.
Third, and potentially most important (it is to me at least), bullet selection. There is a large group of experts who feel that most modern handgun loads have similar effectiveness in SD/PD situations due to the most modern bullet designs such as Gold Dots, Rangers, Golden Sabre's, and the like. It's easy to get .45, 9mm, .40, and such in those loadings, and they are readily found even at smaller stores. None of the big companies load such bullets into a .38 Super. The most modern commercial load is the Winchester Silvertip, which is at least two or more generations old. You may find some smaller companies which load modern SD bullets into the .38, but then you're dealing with smaller companies and potentially poorer quality.
Also would you rather go somewhere closer to you? I don't mind the drive, and its only fair.
). Use the 9x23 for SD/HD/etc.
