I have suddenly decided that I must have a 1911 in .38 Super.
I notice that Armscor is selling a well regarded Philippeno Slag Gun for a not unreasonable price through their American arm, Rock Island Armory. $460 or so.
Jen-Yew-Whine Colt can be had for about $400 more. Not sure I need the cachet of the prancing pony.
I am fascinated with the round.
It doesn't seem to really do anything I need done that I can't already to with a gun I already own.
But...
Falling back to GURPS terms. It does 3d-1 pi damage and gets 9+1 shots against a .45 ACP gun with 2d pi+ and 7+1 shots. 3d-1 pi gives an average of 9.5 points of damage. 2d pi+ gives an average of 10.5 points of damage on something unarmored, but only gets 7 for penetration (because you multiply what damage that penetrates the armor by 1.5 for pi+ drop fractions). Hey, wasn't .38 Super developed to penetrate car doors? GURPS seems to have gotten this part right! The average 1930's car has a DR of 4. That means that 3 points of .45 makes it through the door and hits the bootlegger inside for 4 points of damage. .38 Super hits that same door and also gets 5 points into the bad guy! Both do a minimum of 2 points, so both could be defeated by the door on a bad roll. At maximum damage, the .38 will get 13 points into the bad guy and .45 will get 12. A very slight edge to .38 Super.
For additional comparison a 9x19mm will do 2d+2 pi, min 4, avg 9, max 14. Average hit gets 5 to the target and max hit gets 10. .38 Special (4" bbl Model 10) will do 2d pi, min 2, avg 7, max 12 giving 3 on average and a max of 8 to the bad guy.
You know it's going to be a toy when I am using GURPS stats for comparison.
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Get it if you want it. Otherwise I don't see much of an advantage over getting whatever gun you want in 9x19 that can handle +P loads where are always in spitting distance of .38 Super, or .357 Sig.
ReplyDeleteStill if you're going to be handloading for a common pistol in (while traditional) obscure caliber, I'd say don't be a poser and get REALLY hipster and get one in 9x21 Largo.
Same ballistics, no semi-rim (which is an abomination IMHO) AAAAND you can say "My 1911 is in 9mm Largo. *snif* You probably haven't heard of it."
Yeah bitches!
Dude, if you must go obscure you go in 9mm Browning Long (9x20mm). Then you have a double JMB goodness stamp!
ReplyDeleteThere's lots of commercially loaded ammo out there for .38 Super; no handloading required.
There's no rational reason for my desire here. I simply don't LIKE new guns when something besides blunt functionality is required. This gun is required to have zero functionality.
For 9x19mm I am looking hard at a S&W M&P.
The Lovely Harvey is a huge fan of .357 SIG so I may even consider an M&P in that caliber.
Of course, that means buying new leather for the new gun(s). I think I can stand that.
.38 Super does what everyone *thinks* 9mm will do. Largo is too low pressured to imitate Super but it'a a lot of fun in those old Astra 400's. *I* have an Astra 400 in 9mm Largo, but no one knows what it is. heh.
ReplyDeleteIf you want .38 Super but rimless is desirable - just go .38 Super Comp. Of course factory loadings might be hard to come by.
ReplyDeleteAs has been stated, the "rim" in .38 Super is more "semi-rimmed" (it is only .070") but extractors need to be changed for Super Comp, regardless.
IIRC, the .38 Super Auto was developed to better penetrate toughened auto windshields. With .38 Super Comp, I get 1400+ fps with a 125 gn lead projectile, so I'm pretty sure they'll penetrate most things quite well.
That Astra sure has a strong resemblance to a Savage. No wonder people don't know what it is.
ReplyDeleteI am not a'feared of semi-rimmed rounds. I have several .25 ACP and .32 ACP guns. Seems Browning liked the semi-rim... Who am I, a mere mortal, to doubt The Word of He Who Made Mother? Mother Deuce that is.
I do so love how we keep looking for a practical application for my toy.
screw practical. have fun.
ReplyDelete