Why not 38 Super?

[ttuttle]

I'm curious as to in what way do you find the 38 Super like the 45acp?

I like it because it has almost the punch of a .45, holds more rounds, and has been proven in competition to be a superior round for that purpose. I actually carry a 45 but would prefer a 38 super.

 

[ttuttle]

There seems to be a lot of opinion on this subject but the question still remains, outside of opinion, why no 3" or 3.5" barrel is available for experimentation of nothing else.

 

[Darqhelmet]

From brief reading it’s a velocity dependent round. Cutting the barrel cuts velocity defeating the entire purpose of the round. Also no one makes pistols or rounds in any quantity so no one is going to make a one off short barrel pistol for a weirdo round.

 

[AlteisenMkII]

I remember that Sig used to make a P220 in .38 Super.

 

[zackmars]

I like it because it has almost the punch of a .45, holds more rounds, and has been proven in competition to be a superior round for that purpose. I actually carry a 45 but would prefer a 38 super.

It's still a handgun round, it's only ever going to do handgun things. Going roughly 200 fps faster than 9mm doesn't suddenly make it 5.56 or .308

 

[Axxe55]

it's a nostalgic cartridge that had a specific purpose long ago!

 

[TrailerparkTrash]

I have three 1911 Colt .38 Supers and love them! I used to carry one when hunting mulies in the desert. Never shit a deer with it, but I hunted Javelina with it on two separate occasions. I’ll tell you this much, the Cor Bon 125gr JHP drops Javelina like a bug getting smashed by a fly-swatter.

 

[glenbo]

"Never shit a deer with it,"

That could hurt.

 

[TheDan]

.357 SIG stole even more from both.

That's another round that is great for making others at the range ask what the hell are you shooting.

 

[Gordo]

There seems to be a lot of opinion on this subject but the question still remains, outside of opinion, why no 3" or 3.5" barrel is available for experimentation of nothing else.

Like I said earlier, AMT did, with their DAO Backup, but when the cartridge makes a fire halo, like it does, in a 5" barrel, just think what it's going to be out of a 3".

They do pop-up on GunBroker once in a while, if you really want one.

 

[Scout728]

The Dan Wesson Guardian, 1911 is available in 38 Super, with a barrel length of 4": https://danwessonfirearms.com/product/guardian/
I shot it and like it, but local ammo availability was/is a concern. Online Brand availability does not help

 

[HCS]

Why is it more popular in Mexico? Because the good alternatives are restricted to use by the officials. Not hateful; fact.

it is popular south of the border because they could not own firearms in any cartridge used by any military in the world, which eliminates .38 special, 9mm, 45 acp, 380 acp, etc...
.38 super has never been used by any military so they could own firearms chambered for it

FYI
John Dillinger used a .38 super, so did a few other gangsters and at least one had a Thompson Machine gun chambered in .38 super, it was also used by several Texas Rangers back in the day

 

[Gabe1519]

I saw a lot of this ammo for sale at academy the other day. I had never seen one so I opened the box and it was a tiny little round. To me it didn’t seem worth it when you could buy twice as many rounds in other calibers especially 9mm. I’m sure it outperforms similar size cartridges but it’s not a round you would plink with all day.

 

[ttuttle]

I like it because it has almost the punch of a .45, holds more rounds, and has been proven in competition to be a superior round for that purpose. I actually carry a 45 but would prefer a 38 super.

And don't forget, it was the first handgun round that could penetrate a car door. The hoods loved it!

 

[TheMailMan]

I saw a lot of this ammo for sale at academy the other day. I had never seen one so I opened the box and it was a tiny little round. To me it didn’t seem worth it when you could buy twice as many rounds in other calibers especially 9mm. I’m sure it outperforms similar size cartridges but it’s not a round you would plink with all day.

I think you opened .380 ACP.

.38 Super is the same bullet size as 9mm but a longer case.

 

[TexMex247]

I own one, a colt commander talo edition. It's a bad ass lil gun. First time I shot it out at the farm you could see the tall grass swaying back with every shot. I've almost bit on a tanfoglio chambered in it to get the full punch out of the round. I'd buy another if the price was right. Of course I do reload for it and bought 1k starline brass a couple years ago so I'm sitting pretty ammo wise.

 

[TexMex247]

@TheMailMan , you can use .355 bullets in the super but you get better performance out of .356 bullets. I tiny difference but it is what it was designed for.

 

[Axxe55]

I have three 1911 Colt .38 Supers and love them! I used to carry one when hunting mulies in the desert. Never shit a deer with it, but I hunted Javelina with it on two separate occasions. I’ll tell you this much, the Cor Bon 125gr JHP drops Javelina like a bug getting smashed by a fly-swatter.

welcome to tgt!

 

[TheMailMan]

@TheMailMan , you can use .355 bullets in the super but you get better performance out of .356 bullets. I tiny difference but it is what it was designed for.

I load .357 bullets for 9mm.

 

[TexMex247]

I've thought about that myself. I don't love my 125s I have for the magnum and since they're plated I bet they do great in the 9mm. Personally I load HAP .356" for my nines but never have tried .357. I should slug a few barrels to see if I can squeeze a little more accuracy out of a few nines with the mag bullets.