My old electronic people scale just said 3.5 pounds. It rounds to the nearest 1/2 pound.
Around 40 ounces for an all steel 1911 with a comp, plus the aluminum mount, and the old big dot Aimpoint.
Your 38 Super Experience
- Thread starter cowboy77845
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Around 40 ounces for an all steel 1911 with a comp, plus the aluminum mount, and the old big dot Aimpoint.
Gordon
Member
what about the extractor ?
tark
Member
Never had to touch it. As you can see in the pic, Star's extractor is superior to the 1911s, and totally different. What I DID have to do was open up the breech face a bit to accommodate the .405 rim on the Super round. (9X19 is .395.)
As to pressures, the Star is a full sized gun and capable of handling any 9X19 load, including +P, which is loaded to Super pressures. Shooting factory supers, the empties dribble out the side and land about three feet away. I stay away from the I.P.S.C. crazy hot loaded stuff. I also stay away ( FAR AWAY ) from 9X23 factory loads. The Star is a good gun, but it isn't designed for that much pressure.
As to pressures, the Star is a full sized gun and capable of handling any 9X19 load, including +P, which is loaded to Super pressures. Shooting factory supers, the empties dribble out the side and land about three feet away. I stay away from the I.P.S.C. crazy hot loaded stuff. I also stay away ( FAR AWAY ) from 9X23 factory loads. The Star is a good gun, but it isn't designed for that much pressure.
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HisSoldier
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As to whether external extractors are generally superior or not I don't know, the internal extractor works well in all my 1911's. I have a Springfield .38 Super and I like the heck out of it. It's a soft recoiling weapon which I parkerized, it looks brand new though it's many years old. One thing I really like about it is the fully ramped barrel, and I understand the RIA also uses that.
TRX
Member
Note that the .38 Super (.38 Colt at the time) was designed by Browning in conjunction with his new pistol, which was available only in .38.
That pistol evolved into the 1911, primarily shooting the .45 ACP, but the magazine / ramp / barrel geometry was designed for the .38. Colt's engineers did a pretty good job twiddling the details to make the .45 work, but the 1911's infamous intolerance of magazine or feed ramp variance comes down to the fat .45 cartridge having to do the hokey-pokey as it moves from the magazine to the chamber. The smaller .38 rides higher in the magazine and slides right in.
BTW, the "semi-rim" on the Browning-designed cartridges wasn't there on his original designs; the original .38 Browning looked pretty much like a 9mm Luger. But the powders available at the time (remember, this was the early days of smokeless powder) would only work properly when the cases were heavily crimped - so much that they would no longer reliably headspace. So Browning added the rim to allow headspacing with the crimp.
That was in 1900; by 1903 powders had improved, and the 9mm Borchardt (progenitor of the 9x19) came out. It was very similar to the .38, but it didn't need the crimp.
So, when you're shooting .38 Super, you're shooting John Moses' Browning's preferred cartridge, that the gun was made for.
That pistol evolved into the 1911, primarily shooting the .45 ACP, but the magazine / ramp / barrel geometry was designed for the .38. Colt's engineers did a pretty good job twiddling the details to make the .45 work, but the 1911's infamous intolerance of magazine or feed ramp variance comes down to the fat .45 cartridge having to do the hokey-pokey as it moves from the magazine to the chamber. The smaller .38 rides higher in the magazine and slides right in.
BTW, the "semi-rim" on the Browning-designed cartridges wasn't there on his original designs; the original .38 Browning looked pretty much like a 9mm Luger. But the powders available at the time (remember, this was the early days of smokeless powder) would only work properly when the cases were heavily crimped - so much that they would no longer reliably headspace. So Browning added the rim to allow headspacing with the crimp.
That was in 1900; by 1903 powders had improved, and the 9mm Borchardt (progenitor of the 9x19) came out. It was very similar to the .38, but it didn't need the crimp.
So, when you're shooting .38 Super, you're shooting John Moses' Browning's preferred cartridge, that the gun was made for.
tark
Member
I'm not quite sure I would say the 1902 or the 1905 ( which was chambered for the 45ACP ) evolved into the 1911. The 1905 and the 1911 have nothing in common except they are both recoil operated and share the same cartridge. Slightly different bullet weights and velocities, but the same dimensions. The 1902 did, I believe, evolve into the 1905 but the 1911 was originally intended for and designed around the .45 ACP. It was not chambered for the Super until 1929.
expat_alaska
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Model_1909
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Model_1910
And, after the 1911, there was the 1911A1.
Other than the same dimensions, the Colt .38 ACP was never chambered in the 1911. It will shoot in .38 Super guns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Model_1910
And, after the 1911, there was the 1911A1.
Other than the same dimensions, the Colt .38 ACP was never chambered in the 1911. It will shoot in .38 Super guns
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fxvr5
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When Colt introduced the Super 38 (1911) pistol in 1929, it was chambered for the 38 Automatic. For years, Colt's ads all showed the 38 Automatic as the proper ammo for the gun. This is well documented in Douglas Sheldon's book, Colt's Super .38, The Production History From 1929 Through 1971.
The 38 Super Automatic cartridge, as distinct from the 38 Automatic, showed up around 1932-1933 with a faster load from Remington, a 130 grain bullet around 1300 fps.
tipoc
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The above is correct. The gun was called the Colt Super 38 and it was chambered in 38 Automatic (AKA 38 ACP).
Browning first introduced that semi rimmed round in 1900 in the Colt Military and Sporting models. These were the "parallel ruler" barrel guns which had two links on the barrels. The 38 acp was originally loaded in smokeless powder at over 1200 fps with a 1130 gr. pill. But the guns could not handle that velocity. So the 38 ACP was downloded to about 1140 fps. When Colt placed that round in the 1911 in 1928-29 it allowed for the uploading of the 38 acp to about 1300 fps.
As others have said after a bit manufacturers began using the name "38 Super" for the uploaded rounds as well.
Rich Goldsmith
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Since I was a kid I heard what a great round especially if you hand load, always wanted one............maybe next project.
351 WINCHESTER
Member
I had a 1970's Colt in .38 super. The only ammo I could find was w/w silvetips. It was a total jam o matic & accuracy was very poor. I know the newer guns already have the "custom work" already done, but back in the day it was necessary to give your Colt to a 1911 smith in order for the guns to be reliable.
RainDodger
Member
Every handgun has its own character. My 1970 Colt Commander in .38 Super couldn't get through a magazine without jamming. I spent a couple years trying to get it to work. It also had the originally designed chamber that head-spaced on the cartridge rim, which was not conducive to sterling accuracy. That pistol went away and magically changed into a Kimber Pro Carry, which has not ever malfunctioned in the 10 years I've had it.
RainDodger
Member
Tipoc, the 1970 Commander was traded to me, almost new in the box with receipt (it was $125 new!) and papers, in about 2002. I tried to get it to work, but finally sold it in about 2005 or 2006. I bought the Kimber in 2007 - it's a Pro Carry HD II, and it was a lot more than $125! 
edit: in fact, here it is...
edit: in fact, here it is...
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