.38 super ...? - The Firearms Forum

21bravo · 08-27-2009, 05:14 PM

ok.. im sure this has been asked before, but..... what is everyones take on a 1911 chambered in .38 super? i know there were some originals chambered in that cartridge and a few fomous people liked and used them(John Dillinger, for one, supposedly had 2 .38 super colt 1911's). so what do y'all think? do you consider a .38 super 1911 a "real" 1911? i know in this day and age 1911's are chambered in anything from .45acp to .22lr.... would just like to hear some opinions

Hammerslagger · 08-27-2009, 05:43 PM

The .38 Super was and is a hot factory loading of the original .38 ACP. It sent a 130 grain bullet out the barell of a 1911 at 1300 fps for about 488 ft.lbs. of ballistic energy 60 years ago. Today allowable breech pressures have been reduced It is only about 1200 fps with a 130 gn. bullet or 85% of what it once was in power. It is roughly the equivalent of the .357 Sig today if you optimize ammo selection.

The basic fact (demonstrated over and over again, over the last 130 years of gunfight records) is simply that 40 to 45 bore size pistols tend to be better "man stoppers" than the so called .357,.36, .38, or 9mm bore sizes. Ballistic energy numbers on paper have not shown themselves to be as important in the "real world" as big diameter, heavy bullets moving at moderate to high velocities.

ARB · 08-27-2009, 06:35 PM

Growing up, I had a Colt 1911 in .38 super. I loved that thing. It was a nice start before getting into .45's. I still wish I had it, as it would probably be worth a lot and it was just so darn fun to shoot.

08-27-2009, 05:14 PM	#1
21bravo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wilkes county, nc Posts: 790	.38 super ...? ok.. im sure this has been asked before, but..... what is everyones take on a 1911 chambered in .38 super? i know there were some originals chambered in that cartridge and a few fomous people liked and used them(John Dillinger, for one, supposedly had 2 .38 super colt 1911's). so what do y'all think? do you consider a .38 super 1911 a "real" 1911? i know in this day and age 1911's are chambered in anything from .45acp to .22lr.... would just like to hear some opinions __________________ "BIG MOMMA BRAVO" If everything seems to be going well, you obviously do not know what the hell is going on --"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime." - Thomas Jefferson -->

08-27-2009, 05:43 PM	#2
Hammerslagger Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,099	Re: .38 super ...? The .38 Super was and is a hot factory loading of the original .38 ACP. It sent a 130 grain bullet out the barell of a 1911 at 1300 fps for about 488 ft.lbs. of ballistic energy 60 years ago. Today allowable breech pressures have been reduced It is only about 1200 fps with a 130 gn. bullet or 85% of what it once was in power. It is roughly the equivalent of the .357 Sig today if you optimize ammo selection. The basic fact (demonstrated over and over again, over the last 130 years of gunfight records) is simply that 40 to 45 bore size pistols tend to be better "man stoppers" than the so called .357,.36, .38, or 9mm bore sizes. Ballistic energy numbers on paper have not shown themselves to be as important in the "real world" as big diameter, heavy bullets moving at moderate to high velocities.

08-27-2009, 06:35 PM	#3
ARB Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Mid Missouri Posts: 1,184	Re: .38 super ...? Growing up, I had a Colt 1911 in .38 super. I loved that thing. It was a nice start before getting into .45's. I still wish I had it, as it would probably be worth a lot and it was just so darn fun to shoot.