I'm thinking of buying a 38 super, but have aways wonder what's better 38 super or 45 acp. What more reliable? MOre penetration? More stoping power?

yes...
Both...
apples and Kumquats...

I would not want to be shot with a cor-bon 125 gr. super moving above the speed of sound....
Neither would it be a good idea to get shot with an 230 gr hardball or HP round

the super with the dpx corbon will penetrate...with 115 gr HP.. not so much...
the 45 with ball will penetrate... with a HP... not so much...

Modern bullets have really changed the old equation...kinda flatlined the comparison... in the old days the super with ball ammo was a good penetrator for car bodies etc... my uncle was a policeman and that is why he bought his.... my dad bought the acp as there were no hollow points and he wanted the bigger ball round... now we have very good ammo...very good in all calibers and the stuff that goes supersonic will generally open regardless...all other things being equal.... if the acp doesnt' open... it is still a 45 caliber bullet...

So the answer is really ... Yes.

The super is very flat shooting.
The acp not so much...
The super is very easy to shoot with very moderate recoil.... but the acp has moderate recoil also.. just more of it...

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Ah, the "which caliber is better" question.

The answer is that both are inadequate for self-defense (you really need a rifle, a shotgun, or a well-timed Subaru to put down a man quickly). With this caveat, a .45 is probably more effective than a .38, but only marginally so (and only if you shoot them equally well).

For competition, though, .38 seems to be better, since it has less recoil. Again, this is a marginal difference, but marginal differences matter more in competition than combat.

Try them out, and pick what works best for you. I personally shoot a .45 better than any other defensive handgun round, so it's an easy pick. Also consider that it is somewhat more difficult to find .38 ammo (though again, not that much).

Remember, renting a handgun is cheaper than buying the wrong one.

My experience in law enforcement and hunting, has led me to the conclusion that the heavier larger projectiles are more effective than the lighter faster projectiles. Consequently, my choice for self defense is 230 gr JHP .45 auto.


Rich

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"There Is No Greater High Than Defeating Armed Felons" Rich-D

Thanks for trying to help me. I see what you mean EL GATO if I am shooting with hollow point 38 super it will not penetrate much because thats what hollow points are for.

Get both, that`s what I did!!! Honestly, you can`t dispute that the bigger hole from a 45 does a lot of damage. But the 38 Super doesn`t give much up the the 45 with many of the SD choices out there. I honestly do not feel undergunned by carrying my Super, it`s my truck/daily carry gun.

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The 125gr Gold Dot at work up velocities penetrated more water bottles than the 230gr +P TAP round on the right and did so with 3/4" expansion. I've started using video with bullet performances and the .38Super hits very hard and penetrates deep.



The shallow cavity design of Gold Dots makes for excellent expansion/penetration with high velocity bullets and they don't clog up.



This 230gr Hydrashok separated doing the same test;



It took a lot of testing on my part, but I've switched over to carrying a Para in .38Super because of its advantages here in a very rural area near several wildlife areas.

I'll be starting a thread dialing in factory Remington 125gr SJHP vs handloaded .38Super in the ammo/reloading forum.

Bob

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Napoleon

Wow! you actually tested them. I always had heard that the 38 super has more penetration because it has more velocity. How's the Para 38 super? are they good guns? Is it as good as colt 38 super.

10mm spanks them both.

Get Both. I really like the 38 super, my only problem is the cost of ammo with this gun. I can find a decent deal on 45 but 38 super is way up there.