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38 Super

HollywoodHollywood Member Posts: 686 ✭✭✭✭
edited January 2010 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Is this cartridge known by any other name, (i.e. 9X21)?
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Comments

  • Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,438 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Those are slightly different rounds. The 38 Super is semi-rimmed and the 9x21 is rimless. Not sure if the Super is 21mm long, either.

    The older 38 Auto is the same physical size as the 38 Super, but the Super is loaded to much higher pressures (which has indeed led to some older 38 Auto guns being damaged when fired with 38 Super ammo!)

    The whole gamut of 38/9mm rounds can be extremely confusing, and VERY few are safely interchangeable.
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
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  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,381 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Europeans would call it 9x23SR. SR for Semi Rimmed.
    More a snooty fake sophisticated term to show you know the metric designations, not regularly used.

    Several Spanish pistols are marked "9mm/.38" meaning that they will handle both 9mm Largo and .38 Auto. So they knew the real name. Really meant for the older .38 Auto. A lot of them got shot with .38 Super but that is running on their safety margin.

    NOT 9x21; that is an Italian caliber meant for commercial sales in a country where civilian ownership of "military calibers" like 9mm P was not allowed.
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  • MR 8x57jsMR 8x57js Member Posts: 8 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The proper name is the Colt 38 Super Auto. The +p got put on in 1974 so if you 38 Super+p it's the same round. 130 Gr FMJ around 1300 FPS from a 5 inch Colt Gov Model was the specs back in 1935. And the FBI did use it on the gansters of that time!
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  • CapnMidnightCapnMidnight Member Posts: 8,038 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Probably the most famous person to carry a 38 Super was John Dillinger. The 38 Super was noted for reliably shooting throught heavy car doors and bodies of the day, the 45 ACP loads of time wouldn't always do this. I beleive Col. Oren Hatcher also carried a Super.
    W.D.
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  • gunnut505gunnut505 Member Posts: 10,290 ✭
    edited November -1
    I'll bite; who was Col. Oren Hatcher?
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