Colt 1911 in .38 Super

[Bluey]

G'day all, just thought I would pose a question or a few in here about the Colt 1911 in .38 Super. Just recently, my dad has taken a very firm interest in buying a new .38 Super Colt 1911 and I can't persuade him out of it so, I thought, what the hell, I'll help him out. The reason why is that he has a Star Model B in 9mm and it seized up on him at a recent state championship. He has done a lot of work to make it go reliably but this latest hiccup was the last straw for him. So, once he fixes it up right with help from his mate at work, he may look to get rid of it and find a 100% reliable pistol for himself.

So, I would like to ask everyone here who had/has experience with Colt .38 Super 1911s, the pros and cons, or even has an opinion on the matter, whether it be positive or negative, I would love to hear from you. What he wants is either the one in bright stainless finish or the blued finish, their product numbers O2071ELC2 and O2991 respectively. I don't know exactly what the prices are, but the last I heard, for the blued finish, it's 2500 Australian, dunno about the bright stainless but I will find out once I hear from the dealer who specialises in Colt firearms.

[cliff731]

I can only offer an opinion (do not own a 1911-A1 in .38 Super)... but I understand this is a highly regarded variant of the 1911-A1 for those who actively shoot competitive events such as your Dad. I've read there is somewhat less recoil and the .38 Super has a very flat trajectory. What he wants seems to make good sense to me. How available is the .38 Super ammo for you? That might be a factor in .38 Super vs. .45 ACP. In the end, since it is "Father's Day", I'll suggest that you might "indulge" your Dad's wishes- maybe the smile on his face when he finally gets a Colt 1911-A1 in his hands will be worth what that pistol and ammo might cost!!!

[Hunter]

I can tell you the Colt 1911 in .38 Super is an excellent pistol. I wanted one in bright stainless but it would of been a few weeks to get that one in and my dealer's distributor has a brushed stainless in stock that was a little cheeper. I have shot it right much without any trouble and accuracy was great. The recoil is different than the .45 ACP. If feels a little sharper but not as great. Hard to explain for me but it was a noticeable difference but not in a bad way if that makes sense. I think you all would be pleased with the new Colts in .38 Super. Oh and about a month after I got mine in brushed stainless I run into one at another gun store in bright stainless and she was beautiful. I talked myself into buying it on looks alone but when I went back about a week later the Colt was long gone.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h264/Hunter1911/Gun3.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h264/Hunter1911/1e9569a1.jpg

[Hoss Fly]

I was fortunate enough to own one in nickle (90% sure nickle) about 25 yrs ago i purchased used from a freind ( gave $50 :D )
It was 100% reliable just plinking with it - never ran it hard -

About all i can add is i wish i had had the foresight to keep it!!!! :butthead:

[Hersh]

'Never had a chance to shoot a .38 Super :( . but I've heard it's "like a 9MM on steroids!"

Fwiw,

Hersh

Btw: what does a box of rounds go for? I'll bet they're as high as a bat's rear end.

[Hoss Fly]

'Never had a chance to shoot a .38 Super :( . but I've heard it's "like a 9MM on steroids!"

Fwiw,

Hersh

Btw: what does a box of rounds go for? I'll bet they're as high as a bat's rear end.


Good comparision :D
Round here (East Texas) the "cheap" stuff runs about 12-13 bucks a box i think-

[Ric4509]

'Never had a chance to shoot a .38 Super :( . but I've heard it's "like a 9MM on steroids!"

Fwiw,

Hersh

Btw: what does a box of rounds go for? I'll bet they're as high as a bat's rear end.

Fired my Colt 1991A1 last week and a box of 50 rds WWB .38Super is $17.99 + 6% tax. Pretty hefty that's why I only fired 50 rds.

[HiVelSword]

I can only offer an opinion (do not own a 1911-A1 in .38 Super)... but I understand this is a highly regarded variant of the 1911-A1 for those who actively shoot competitive events such as your Dad. I've read there is somewhat less recoil and the .38 Super has a very flat trajectory. What he wants seems to make good sense to me. How available is the .38 Super ammo for you? That might be a factor in .38 Super vs. .45 ACP. In the end, since it is "Father's Day", I'll suggest that you might "indulge" your Dad's wishes- maybe the smile on his face when he finally gets a Colt 1911-A1 in his hands will be worth what that pistol and ammo might cost!!!

I don't think the .45 is a consideration as I believe that no bore .40 or larger is allowed in Australia for the general populace.

[Bud White]

Don't have a Actual colt version of 38super but i do have a 1911 38super they are a fine pistol fun to shoot

[CWG]

The first 1911 I ever wanted was a 38 super.
Still do, who knows, some day

[Hersh]

Fired my Colt 1991A1 last week and a box of 50 rds WWB .38Super is $17.99 + 6% tax. Pretty hefty that's why I only fired 50 rds.

Yeah I'd always heard they were pretty stout. That must be why the guys at the range that reload .38 Super will hunt as long as necessary to find every case ;)

[okcorral1881]

So, I would like to ask everyone here who had/has experience with Colt .38 Super 1911s, the pros and cons, or even has an opinion on the matter, whether it be positive or negative, I would love to hear from

Hi Bluey,

Has all the other gentlemen told you, they are more expensive and also they are not very easy to find depending where you live. Unless you reload you might not have a great selection. Personally I am in search of a Combat special Gov't in hard Chrome but these too are rare overhere. (Did you check Colt's website?) :)

[John]

If the .38 Super ammo is that expensive in your area too, maybe you would do your dad's a favor to convince him to go with a 1911 in 9mm Para. The sweetest 9mm pistol I've ever tried.

[okcorral1881]

If the .38 Super ammo is that expensive in your area too, maybe you would do your dad's a favor to convince him to go with a 1911 in 9mm Para. The sweetest 9mm pistol I've ever tried.
__________________

As soon as I can find one I'll buy it but they are very very rare overhere!

[Mark Hitchcock]

Just for comparison purposes, I've had my eye on a 1951 model. Haven't inspected it very close, but it looks good on the outside. The guy wants $1,000 US for it. Is that too much and what should I look for on a close inspection, other than the barrel bore? Thanks

[dakota1911]

Over the years I have only shot a few and owned one in the 80's. The one I owned was used and came with a set of reloading dies and about 500 rounds of empty brass, which had all been reloaded many times. I liked the pistol but ammunition was an issue. After a year I sold it at a profit... with the reloading dies and about 400 rounds of empty more fired brass. This is in America though were .45 ACPs are legal and you can buy buckets of once fired .45 ACP brass cheap, or at least you could when I had the .38 Super.

As far as $1K goes. I am not sure about the collector value of a 1951. Where I am you can get Colt Gov. models new in .38 super for about $1K, maybe less as I always see them in SS so the blued ones might be less, and the polished stainless more. I often heard the .38 super could be loaded "hot". I always followed loading data from the manuals, but others were trying to turn the round into a ".38 Super magnum". I would refresh my knowledge of buying a used 1911. This site has a great article, and I look at it before every gun show I go to.

[middle age fat man]

Nice thing about buying a .38 super is you can easily convert it to 9mm for low cost practice ammo.

[Hoss Fly]

Nice thing about buying a .38 super is you can easily convert it to 9mm for low cost practice ammo.

Good thought, i'm thinking of that myself since my quest of a 9mm isn't going well :butthead:

[Bluey]

Finally, I received a response today from the specialist dealer regarding the prices on the bright stainless version and the blued version of the Colt .38 Super 1911. They're $2500 and $2000 respectively, in Australian, of course. I'm aware that they're quite pricey, but I've heard what you fellows have always said, what you pay for is what you get.

To answer the questions regarding price and availability of .38 Super ammo, it's reasonably priced from $30 per 50 up to $45 per 50 for factory loads and they're not very difficult to obtain. However, my dad already has his own reloading gear, so, all he need is .38 Super dies, some brass and projectiles. Hmmm, more ideas for Fathers' Day in September here. :D

HiVelSword, the .45 is still considered because we are allowed to own pistols/revolvers greater than .38 but no bigger than .45 for special competions, such as Western Action and Metallic Silhouette only, provided we prove that we use the pistols/revolvers for the approved competition only.

Then again, my dad just has a normal handgun licence, which means .38 Super Colt 1911 really is the only choice, wheras for me, I have the special licence conditions that allows me to have a .45 for Metallic Silhouette and I've already ordered a Springfield Mil-Spec .45 (I know, I know, I had to say it although this is a Colt forum).

John, well, I gave my dad a go with my Springfield Loaded 9mm (Sorry to the fellows in the Colt forum again) many times and he tells me he loves shooting it *but* he wants something unique, something different, so, hence the mystique of the Colt .38 Super 1911. Not only just that but in the Military/Service Pistol competion we're involved in, it is a definite Class 2 pistol.

What I mean by Class 2 is that we have two classes of pistols used in the whole of the Military/Service competition, which is Class 1 and 2. Class 1 is for military pistols/revolvers that has served in previos conflicts or is in service by the world's military forces while Class 2 is for pistols/revolvers that has been or is being in use by the world's law enforcement agencies or para-military organisations.

The reason why the Colt .38 Super 1911 is a Class 2 is because it was used by the FBI back in the 1930s and how I found this out was in a magazine called 'the Complete Book of the 1911' by Guns & Ammo.

[okcorral1881]

Nice thing about buying a .38 super is you can easily convert it to 9mm for low cost practice ammo


How easy? The same as a 22 conversion kit, changing the slide? :)

[John]

More or less yes.

[clughog]

More or less yes.
John, from some of the posts in other parts of the forum, I thought it sounded like all that would need replacing would be the barrel and that the .38 Super slide could be used. Even the Super mags could be used for 9mm (but not vice versa). It sure sounds like an option for me if it's not really very difficult--I'm just beginning to do some work on my 1911s myself. Should I start another thread for this??

[okcorral1881]

John, from some of the posts in other parts of the forum, I thought it sounded like all that would need replacing would be the barrel and that the .38 Super slide could be used. Even the Super mags could be used for 9mm (but not vice versa). It sure sounds like an option for me if it's not really very difficult--I'm just beginning to do some work on my 1911s myself. Should I start another thread for this??


I sure would be interested to find out more! :)

[John]

Yes, a barrel is all you need to convert from one caliber to the other. As for the mags, the .38 Super ones can be used for 9mm, but I would get some dedicated ones.

[Ric4509]

John, from some of the posts in other parts of the forum, I thought it sounded like all that would need replacing would be the barrel and that the .38 Super slide could be used. Even the Super mags could be used for 9mm (but not vice versa). It sure sounds like an option for me if it's not really very difficult--I'm just beginning to do some work on my 1911s myself. Should I start another thread for this??

I have a Colt 1991A1 9mm. I have a .38S Colt barrel that I use every now and then. One thing to keep in mind is the 9mm ejector is different from a .38S ejector. Tuner - correct me if I'm wrong. My concern is if a 9mm empty shell will reliably eject from a .38S frame/ejector.

[Hoss Fly]

Thanks Ric4509, I was going to ask about the ejector-
As for mags i've bought mags for my Para P-18 that were marked 9mm/38super- Never tryed the ones for Colt :confused:
Don't see why the two would'nt interchange but i agree with John ;)

[RickB]

I bought a stainless "new roll mark" M1991A1 Super, right after they came out in the Spring of '04, and it has been a great gun. Out of the box, it was a decent shooter, but after having a match bushing fitted, and doing some of my own "tuning" of the trigger and swapping out some parts that I didn't like (extra-long trigger, flat mainspring housing, rubber grips), it became one of my favorite guns. I shot it throughout the '04 IDPA season, the gun was plenty accurate, and after a couple of feed failures in the first 200 rounds, it was perfectly reliable. I loaded mostly 130- and 135-grain bullets at 1000fps, and it is a real pussycat to shoot, with little recoil or muzzle flip. I put a full-length guide rod in it, so it balances just like a .45 without; Colt uses a smaller-diameter barrel on the .38s, so it's not as nose-heavy as a .45.

[mike mccauley]

G'day all, just thought I would pose a question or a few in here about the Colt 1911 in .38 Super. Just recently, my dad has taken a very firm interest in buying a new .38 Super Colt 1911 and I can't persuade him out of it so, I thought, what the ****, I'll help him out. The reason why is that he has a Star Model B in 9mm and it seized up on him at a recent state championship. He has done a lot of work to make it go reliably but this latest hiccup was the last straw for him. So, once he fixes it up right with help from his mate at work, he may look to get rid of it and find a 100% reliable pistol for himself.

So, I would like to ask everyone here who had/has experience with Colt .38 Super 1911s, the pros and cons, or even has an opinion on the matter, whether it be positive or negative, I would love to hear from you. What he wants is either the one in bright stainless finish or the blued finish, their product numbers O2071ELC2 and O2991 respectively. I don't know exactly what the prices are, but the last I heard, for the blued finish, it's 2500 Australian, dunno about the bright stainless but I will find out once I hear from the dealer who specialises in Colt firearms.
the one i bought is bright stainless and it was 1250 us dollars.the start of the serial is elcenxxxx and it was supposed to be a limited run.for him id check the top of the line springfields,they are bullet proof and reliable .the colt is to pretty to use like he is gonna use it.unless he doesnt care for scratches.they can be polished out with flits and a dremel tool with a cotton wheel.just a thought,mike