To answer a few questions, the .38 Super really starts to shine when loaded with 147 bullets. I can get 1150-1250, depending on brass, powder, etc, and this blows away anything that load with a 147gr in the 9mm. It approaches the .357 Mag, and the Super would seem to still be "powerworthy" to the IDPA guys with the 147 or 150 gr. loads. Can you load a 9mm "out" a bit in a longer mag gun like the 1911, with the right throat? Maybe, but you may not have enough "grab" on the bullet at the neck to secure it from being pushed in during chambering, or jerking out during recoil. Then there is the 9x23. That brass is thicker, and can be loaded to higher pressures in the 1911, and can run with the full house .357 with 125 gr bullets. Any .38 Super 1911 could be rebarreled to 9x23, with maybe a little stronger spring. For my wife and I, the super adds a nice alternative to the .45, and she likes the handling of the 1911 pattern guns. Any Super can have a 9mm barrel installed to use available 9mm ammo (or cheaper brass, if that becomes a serious problem). And, a few minutes later, you can switch back to the .38 Super. I also believe, with slight chamber moadification, that a good smith can convert a .38 Super to 10mm, keeping it as a combo gun, as the 10mm uses the .38 Super extractor in many guns. Makes the Colt Super a very versatile and worthy packing gun.
