.38 Super
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The .38 Super is a pistol cartridge that fires a .356 inch diameter bullet. The Super was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP. The old .38 ACP propelled a 130 grain bullet at 1050 feet per second (fps). The improved .38 Super Auto pushed the same 130 grain bullet at 1280 fps.[1] The .38 Super has gained distinction as the caliber of choice for many top pistol match competitors. In overall sales, it lags far behind most other pistol cartridges today.
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[edit] .38 ACP
Photo by Adam Guns
The .38 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) was introduced at the turn of century for the Browning designed Colt M1900. It had first been used in his Model 1897 prototype, which Colt did not produce. The metric designation for the round is 9 x 23 mm SR (SR - Semi Rimmed) (not to be confused with the modern 9 x 23 Winchester).
One of the least successful of Browning's pistol cartridges, it was too powerful for a blowback pistol and not powerful enough to be considered for the United States Military. However, it did see small but steady sales up until the introduction of the more powerful .38 Super. Europe would eventually favor the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge developed from the 7.65 mm Parabellum. The Luger was the ballistically similar to the .38 ACP but utilized a smaller case and higher pressures. Browning himself was not done with 9 mm cartridges and would soon introduce the 9 mm Browning Long in 1903 and the .380 ACP in 1908. Today, the .38 ACP is obsolete.
[edit] .38 ACP pistols
- Colt M1900
- Colt M1902
- Colt M1903 Pocket Hammer
- Star Model AS
[edit] .38 Super
[edit] Design
The .38 Super is dimensionally identical to the older .38 ACP but is loaded to higher pressures. It was intended that the cartridge would headspace on the semi-rim, however all new .38 Super pistols headspace on the case mouth as with other cartridges in this class. Because the semi-rimmed case can cause some feeding trouble in magazines, especially double stack magazines, rimless variants of .38 Super like .38 Supercomp, .38 Super Lapua and 38TJ (38 Todd Jarrett) have been developed.
In 1974 the industry added the +P headstamp to the 38 Super to further distinguish it from the lower pressure 38 Auto. Most current ammunition manufacturers label ammunition for the Super as 38 Super +P.
The cartridge was designed for use in the 1911 pistol and was capable of penetrating the bulletproof vests and automobile bodies of the time.[2]
[edit] Performance
The .38 Super offers higher bullet velocities than the 9 mm Luger in factory cartridges. Greater case capacity allows for more powder and higher velocities at lower pressures. Also, becasuse most .38 Super firearms were designed for the larger 45 ACP, .38 Super guns tend to be strong enough for heavier loads.
The .38 Super has made a huge comeback in IPSC and USPSA sports shooting, particularly when equipped with a compensator, because it meets the minimum power factor to be considered as a Major charge, while having more manageable recoil than .45 ACP.
[edit] Muzzle velocity
- 7.5 g (115 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 425 m/s : 1395 ft/s
- 8.0 g (124 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 410 m/s : 1346 ft/s
[edit] Synonyms
- .38 Super Auto
- .38 Super ACP
- .38 Super +P
- Super 38
[edit] Notes
Due to Mexican laws governing civilian use or possession of ammunition classified as "military caliber," such as 9 mm, this is a popular round in Mexico.
Even though .38 ACP and .38 Super are the same size, it can be potentially dangerous to use .38 Super ammunition in a firearm intended for .38 ACP. There are over a dozen autoloading pistol cartridges, both semi-rimmed and rimless, in this caliber. Often, foreign or ambiguous headstamps make identification impossible. When in doubt, it is best not to fire suspicious cartridges in any firearm.
[edit] References
- ^ Speer Reloading Manual #13, 1998, 1999.
- ^ Ayoob, Massad. ".38 Super", Guns Magazine, 2001-03. Retrieved on 2006-04-01.
| .38 Calibre |
|---|
| Cartridges |
| .38 Long Colt (1875) | .38 S&W (1877) | .38 ACP (1900) | .38 Special (1902) | .380 ACP (1908) | .38/200 (1922) | .38 Super (1927) |
| Revolvers |
| M1899 Revolver | Smith & Wesson M&P/Victory | Enfield No. 2 Mk I | Colt Detective's Special |
| Pistols |
| Colt M1900 | Colt M1902 | Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer | Colt M1908 Pocket Hammerless | Browning M1910 | Walther PPK |
| Lists |
| List of handgun cartridges | List of rifle cartridges | List of firearms |
