Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Super 38 Auto 1911 advice

This post is not intended to cause controversy, just to get some expert opinions based on experience to help me decide how to start out with the Super 38 Auto for SD EDC.

I've decided to add a Super 38 Auto pistol. Already have the 45 ACP cartridge well covered in both 1911s and polymer frames, so this request for opinions is specifically about the Super 38 cartridge in a 1911. Purpose is filling a rotation slot for EDC not competition, so reliability is a primary consideration.

I'm not really interested in considering a Kimber and I want to stay with a Govt. model 1911, not Commander or Officer models, as I'd like to benefit from the full MV the Super 38 brings to the table in a 5" barrel.

Options are very different but they are what I've actually considered so far:
1) Buy a Springfield standard GI model in Super 38 (barrell installed by Springfield custom shop) available @ LGS, asking price ~$700 on consignment. Then I'd fit beavertail safety, new Wilson sear & hammer, add tritium sights. I'll do this work myself and need to buy few new parts - about $250 total, including a new rearsight + my own (free) labor. What would be a good price for a standard Springfield Armory pistol like this? Is this Springfield model reliable and durable enough to allow several thousand rounds of practice ammo a year and EDC?
2) Buy a Super 38 Kart easy fit barrel & bushing from Brownell's & fit it to my spare Colt S-80 1991-A1 slide.
3) Expand the budget and have a Super 38 Auto barrel installed by SA on a TRP model. Big price difference. For those who have one, is the TRP performance worth the many extra bucks this option requires?
4) What are other options I should think about before laying down some hard earned greenbacks in getting a Super 38 Auto 1911 into my EDC rotation?

The most recent run(s) of Colt GM Supers are very good pistols out of the box. They are accurate, reliable and have good triggers. If you can do your own fitting of parts there's no reason you can't set one up with a beavertail safety, skeleton hammer, etc.. If you're patient you can get a NIB for somewhere around $825 - 850. They seem to be doing a good job on their barrels and bushings and it's reflected in the accuracy. If you're really motivated to mess around with tweaks then fit a match bushing. But shoot it first. It probably doesn't 't need it - at all. The Colt mags have functioned flawlessly in both of mine. As for sights, the standard 3 dots are quite serviceable. The sight setup on my TALO Super commander - black rear, Trijicon front - is excellent. Bottom line, I'd stay with the Colt platform and dress it up to suit my taste and budget. It'll give you the mist gun for the money. And a damned good gun.

Thanks for all the info sounds encouraging. Are talking about the pistols Colt calls the 1991 series?

Yup. Model 02991. I shoot it better than the lightweight Commander and the Commander is a fine pistol.

Thanks. GS going on this weekend in town so I might get out there tomorrow and look around to see what might show up.

Can't say much about the full sized one but I carried a 1952 LW Commander .38 Super as a duty weapon for many years. Never a lick of trouble, reliable as all get out with Speer Gold dots, ball and Winchester Silvertips. Always went bang and put them where I wanted them, still ticking after many thousands of rounds.

I have a Springfield 1911A1 .45ACP fitted with a complete . 38 Super assembly; Colt barrel, slide, bushing, and a custom muzzle break. I'm happy with it, easy to swap back and fourth, but I'm a casual handgun shooter at best.

If you are looking for a full size Government Model that you won't have to do anything other than shoot, take a look at the Kimber Stainless Target II. They have a BoMar style rear sight. I believe at one time there was also a Combat model with a Novak rear.

Already has:
Great sights
Ramped barrel
Beavertail safety
Beveled mag well
And extremely accurate..

I bought mine in 2003 cleaned the course of fire of two combat matches and then a friend talked me out of the gun. Bought the gun back from him in 2013 as he shot it once...

Price new for the Target II is $1000 but I have seen mint used ones for as low as $750.

If you want to go SA, if you can't find the .38 Super platform you want see if there is what you want in 9mm. Drop in a .38 Super barrel and you are done.

I have Super barrels from Colt, BarSto, Kart, Nowlin and ROTO 4M and they are all excellent...a ROTO 4M barrel will set you back $50 at SARCO....

My carry guns are all Commanders, as in aluminum frame. In combat matches I shoot them with the same speed and accuracy as a GM and it is faster for the first shot from the holster..

Bob

I would get this one if I was going to buy a .38 Super. I have no connection or knowledge or affiliation with this gun or owner


http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=478803141

The one thing that would make it perfect would be to have it sent off to be bobtailed.

Thanks Bob. My experience is like yours with respect to the Commanders and OMs being faster for the 1st shot out of the holster. In 45ACP the slightly lower MV in the 4-4.25" bbls doesn't concern me much.

Thinking that a greater part of the 38 Super's efficacy is due to high MV, I've been reluctant to consider other than the GM's 5" bbl. What has been your experience with the MV difference between your GM & Commander 38s?

For the 3/4" of barrel...less than 50 fps in most cases...

One actually has more concerns over a .45 with a short barrel because most .45 loads are already under 950 fps. Loose much more and the hollowpoints won't open at all.

With a CorBon .38 Super going from 1450 fps to 1425 fps is within the area of standard deviation from 5" barrel...so one won't even notice the difference.

...and to me Commanders just point and balance better than a GM....

Bob

Pulled out my .38 Super journal and looked at the factory and reloads I have chronographed:

Remington 130 FMJ:
GM: 1180
Comm: 1148

Winchester 125 JHP (old soft point style):
GM: 1225
Comm: 1150

CorBon 115 JHP:
GM: 1500
Comm: 1460

CorBon 124 JHP:
GM: 1380
Comm: 1340

CorBon Powr'Ball
GM: 1550
Comm: 1520

SuperVel 107 SP:
GM: 1385
Comm: 1325

Reloads:

124 gr Hornady FP/6.5 Unique
GM: 1225
Comm: 1150

115 Sierra JHC/9.3 SR4756
GM: 1450
Comm: 1445

A few thoughts....

I have one done by CheckMate...they did nice work.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=478678915

This is one of the TALO Commanders...perfect out of the box.. Not many left on the market and this is the cheapest NIB one around..

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=478253851

Dan Wesson has a nice one also...I am not a fan of checkered front straps however...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=478332588

Great info, see your point about insignificant MV loss with the Commander barrel. I've been looking at the Colt & DW Commander Supers on-line too.

I'd like to see the DW and handle it to see if the price premium over the Colt makes sense. Headed for the GS this morning to see what's locally available and probably decide then what to do.

Just got back from the GS. Found 2 Super 38s, despite it being a fairly good sized show. One was a RIA and the other a collector Colt pre-Series 70 Colt GM. The Colt's asking price was $2400, which didn't make sense for what I want.

I was able to handle a DW Guardian in 45 ACP and was duly impressed. Looks like I need to look in GB for a TALO Commander or DW Guardian - right now this would be my first choice if the price is right.

Thanks to all who helped. This experience is much more like the old 24HCF community than some of the recent shennanigans.

Pre-Series 70 Colts now start at $2K for a mint one...even shooter grade guns bring $1700....and yes, it is NUTZ...

Bob

I haven't handled the DW but what RJM noted about the TALO Commander is certainly true. He turned me on to them and I'm glad he did. I was looking at the fit on mine today and it really is excellent.

This is my TALO...switched out the thin grips to standard thickness ebony, arched mainspring housing, Dawson adjustable rear sight and extra barrels in 9x23 Winchester and 9mm....







Stock....







[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/1911/DSCF6166-1.jpg[/img]



Bob

You mentioned converting guns to .38 Super, just some words on that. The .45 and .38/9mm frames are different in the feed ramp. It’s much easier to convert a .38/9mm to .45 than it is the other way around. Most .38 Super barrels will slightly overhang the feed ramp of a .45 ACP gun unless you modify the whole thing for a ramped barrel. So you’re probably better off going for an all new gun. Either that, or use that slide you have as the starting point to build a new gun starting with a new Caspian .38 Super frame.

That's as close to "convertible perfection" as one can get in a 1911 carry gun. Some thug, or pair of thugs should be honored to meet their maker while looking at the business end of Bob's super commander.