.38 Super and 9mm Luger

9mm versus .38 Super

I have always enjoyed a good contest. Whether a battle of the wits or against our protein fed ex con criminal class a good contest is exciting. A shootout between handgun calibers is a delicate balance and we need to avoid the obvious. Comparing .32s is interesting and the .40 Smith and Wesson and .357 SIG are often compared. The 9mm Luger and the .38 Super are very interesting for comparison and contrast. Due to differences in the handguns, the test is a little difficult to perform in a uniform manner. The 9mm is offered in a wide variety of handgun with barrel lengths from three to five inches. The Super is most often offered in the 1911 format. The handling qualities of the 1911 give the .38 Super an advantage, while the compactness of the 9mm gives it an advantage in concealment. Some handguns are offered in both calibers, including the EAA Witness and the Colt 1911. The difference in the cartridges may lead to a difference in the direction we are going. The .900 inch long Super case must be chambered in full size handguns such as the SIG P 220 or the Colt 1911. The 9mm may be chambered in full size handguns or compact.

Basically, the Super is an alternate to the .45 while the 9mm is chambered in lighter handguns in most cases. Still, there is some interest in the 9mm as a competition cartridge. The 9mm is easy to use well-not my first criteria of a combat cartridge but a legitimate criteria- and increasingly important, the 9mm is affordable to fire and use. Recently I was in a unique position to compare the two cartridges. My Colt Government Model .38 Super is an ex Army Marksmanship Unit pistol with an impeccable lineage. It is fitted with a Bar Sto Precision barrel. And when I say fitted I mean fitted. The barrel was specified as a gunsmith fit and the barrel hood and upper and lower lugs were painstakingly fitted to the handgun. The results are very good. I also have a Bar Sto Precision barrel in 9mm Luger for this handgun. This was a drop in barrel that fit the locking lugs in the slide perfectly but needed work in the lower lugs for a proper fit, as is often the case even with a drop in barrel. Results have been good.

All that is needed for such a conversion is a barrel and appropriate magazines. My magazines are Metalform, the premier supplier of 9mm and .38 Super magazines for the 1911. In the case of a 9mm to .38 Super conversion the breechface must be opened from .384 to .405, a simple task. In the case of the .38 Super to 9mm, occasionally the extractor needs to be tuned. A comparison of the cartridges could not be fairer, as the handgun is the identical platform in each case for comparison. We may make the decision based solely on the ballistic properties of the cartridge. There are those who brag that the modern 9mm +P+ is the equal of the .38 Super. The 9mm certainly has seen some development but by the same token so has the .38 Super. The Super’s case is designed for high pressure and has greater powder capacity. But the 9mm may be had in a high ammunition capacity handgun such as the Glock 17 or the Beretta 92.

I think that the .38 Super will remain an alternative to the .45 rather than the 9mm but just the same the experiment is worthy of our interest. As it turns out the 9mm is probably better than its detractors think and also not quite up to what its adherents claim. It is an accurate cartridge that is suitable for practice and competition. The .38 Super remains a more powerful cartridge with many good traits. Just the same, we have to admit that with the Cor Bon 115 grain JHP available the 9mm certainly is deserving of interest. When economy and the availability of first class handgun in the caliber is combined with modern ammunition prices the 9mm is clearly a good choice.

Firing impressions-

Since the .38 Super burns more powder, the muzzle blast was often greater, even with loads more or less comparable to the 9mm. However, the heaviest .38 Super loads including the Cor Bon were by no means unpleasant to fire. You certainly know you are firing something special. It should be noted that the old Colt 1911 required a bit of ramp polish (throating) to feed both 9mm and .38 Super loads reliably. The modern Kimber .38 Super eats them all straight from the factory. RIA .38 Super pistols are variable, with the versions with a ramped barrel far more desirable for feed reliability. In fairness for ease of shooting we have to favor the 9mm. The .38 Super produces more muzzle blast even with loads of similar velocity to the 9mm because more powder is being burned in the .38 Super.

As far as accuracy goes the .38 Super has an advantage, but this may be largely due to the Bar Sto barrel in the Colt .38 Super. This is a toss up. There are accurate CZ type pistols in 9mm Luger, including the AR 24, among the most accurate 9mm handguns I have ever used. There are .45s that are not as accurate and then there are Supers that are dogs. But either caliber may be had in an accurate handgun. Overall, neither caliber has a particularly good reputation for accuracy compared to a properly set up .45. But just the same the Colt and Bar Sto combination is very accurate, certainly up to any reasonable task.

If you are considering setting up a good 1911 the 9mm is probably most viable for a competetion gun because of the current ammunition situation. For personal defense the .45 would get the nod. If you must have a small bore the .38 Super really churns up the velocity. It is all up to the user. On the one hand it is your hide and on the other your dollar.

Fired in Colt/ With Bar Sto barrel(s)

Comparison

9mm Velocity 25 yard group in inches

Winchester 115 grain USA 1190 fps 2.8

Federal 115 gr. 9B JHP 1171 fps 2.0

Black Hills 115 gr. EXP 1288 fps 1.5

Black Hills 115 gr. JHP +P 1315 fps 1.4

Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P 1209 fp 2.0

Cor Bon 115 gr. JHP 1370 fps 2.25

.38 Super

Winchester 130 gr. FMJ 1172 fps 3.0

Fiocchi 129 gr. FMJ 1220 fps 2.0

Winchester 125 gr. Silvertip 1255 fps 1.9

Cor Bon 115 gr. JHP 1456 fps 2.4

Cor Bon 125 gr. JHP 1266 fps 2.0

Cor Bon PowRBall 100 gr. 1503 fps 3.0

Cor Bon Performance Match 147 gr. 1101 fps 1.25