stevelinder Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) I would like some help on selecting a reasonably priced pistol. I am currently shooting a .40 STI Apeiro, Limited Major, 3 gun,/USPSA,IPSC, Steel. I would like try Open class. I am set on .38 caliber, I like the STI GM but it is $3000+ and BLUE Questions... STI claims factory ammo is inadequate for gun function, does the +P ammo function? 4.1" or 5" barrell? There are several Match Master Trubors that are for sale reasonably discounted as "Factory Sales Demos" Worth the risk? Does the Cmore mount impact the ejection of spent shell? Which Cmore is optimum, RTS2? Optimal MOA dot? I Edited January 2, 2017 by stevelinder More info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acsr Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I love my trubor in 38, no complaints, I have a evo grip on order, and am contemplating a couple popple holes, but I like the gun, good fun for the money in open. Mine was purchased used from forum member, and has only had operator issues, gun runs like a top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimo-Hombre Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 2 hours ago, stevelinder said: I would like some help on selecting a reasonably priced pistol. I am currently shooting a .40 STI Apeiro, Limited Major, 3 gun,/USPSA,IPSC, Steel. I would like try Open class. I am set on .38 caliber, I like the STI GM but it is $3000+ and BLUE Questions... STI claims factory ammo is inadequate for gun function, does the +P ammo function? 4.1" or 5" barrell? There are several Match Master Trubors that are for sale reasonably discounted as "Factory Sales Demos" Worth the risk? Does the Cmore mount impact the ejection of spent shell? Which Cmore is optimum, RTS2? Optimal MOA dot? I Steve, good questions, searching each one will get you comprehensive answers, but to start with... changing the blue grip on the GM is about $100 no big deal. Reloading is pretty much compulsory for playing in open. Factory Ammo won't work, there are a couple outfits who you can get appropriate Ammo from but the $$ is gonna suck. Not to mention, open is so much about tuning loads and bullets to get top performance. There may be a couple guys here who say you go do it without reloading, but fact is I don't know any open shooters who run with off the shelf Ammo. Barrel length is of course personal preference but the vast consensus is a 5 inch gun. As far as buying a used or demo gun, it depends, but saving a few bucks to get a gun that runs is a winner. ( you just gotta trust the seller if he says it runs) cmore mount, depends on who built the gun. A standard upright mount can work just fine if the builder set the gun up to run one. 90 degree mounts eliminate ejection clearance issues but the look is off putting to some. The standard ol c-more has the biggest window but the new smaller dots seem to be catching up. I think buying a gun that runs and leaving its sighting system as is will serve you best. dot size again is preference. I like 6-8 these are pretty brief answers, so search away amigo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user293 Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) .. Edited January 2, 2017 by user293 delete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 You can save a few bucks by buying the STI TruBor instead of the GM - You have to be reloading the .40 Major ... why don't you want to reload 9mm Major? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 36 minutes ago, Hi-Power Jack said: You have to be reloading the .40 Major ... why don't you want to reload 9mm Major? Because he wants a 38 caliber open gun. The STI TruBor is a great option, I have one in 38 super. No, it will not run with almost all factory ammo, and I tried just about every single one when I got mine. The hottest ammo that you will probably find on the shelf of any gun store will be MagTech 130 FMJ, and I think it shows on the box as 1250fps, which is 162.5 pf...minor (and it is a single shot with it)...there is some that will run, but the cost is prohibitive (CorBon, AAA, etc.). The factory Cmore on my gun has not caused any issues at all. Dot size is a personal thing, but 6-8 is probably a good bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davsco Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 the problem with 'factory' 38 super is most don't meet the power factor. atlanta arms does and works fine in my open gun - for various reasons I do not reload. but AA is around $22/box + shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 First. Be aware the different models have some quirks. The 'match master' is a short gun. Given it just has the trubor comp and short barrel they are loud and in my experience quite a lot of muzzle rise. The 5inch trubor is a better bet. Dot size is personal preferbce and there'll be guys running as small as 3moa and as large as 16moa. I would estimate 90% of open shooters use a 6 or 8 moa. If budget allows consider a ck arms open. Some nicer features over the sti's. Like titanium comp, barrel holes, lightened slide, better finish (pvd vs blued), slide racker, better magwell, better internals (all billet ignition parts), aftec extractor. Most will do some of those upgrades to their trubors which costs $$ The one thing all the trubors have is their barrel is quite heavy as the comp and barrel is one piece and all steel. The ck for instance uses a kkm barrel with a titanium comp which is lighter. Less weight out front changes the feel of the gun for the better. Look at used guns too. Some can be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eern Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 In regards to your ammo question, running factory will not only not make major, but the powder they use is not going to work your comp as it is designed. ORMtechammo.com is where I get all my competition ammo. They are remodeling they webpage and 38 is not listed on there, but they do have it. Price was $21-22 before any discounts. Use discount code 5josh17 for 5% off any order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelinder Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) Thank you gentlemen so much for the information, It helps to have the experienced shooters help me to make the right choices! I usualy buy reload ammo from Western Ammo in St George Utah, but they do not have .38 super. Is a .38 super caliber pistol able to shoot other calibers such as 9mm or .38 special? Edited January 3, 2017 by stevelinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acsr Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Some will say it's okay to shoot 9 major out of your 38 super, with a possible risk of breech face erosion, or other damage, some say it does not hurt anything. Commit to getting into reloading if you are set on playing in open, it's part of the fun as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acsr Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Also a no on the 38 special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Get a 9MAJOR gun. Drop a 7# recoil spring in it and probably run any decent off the shelf ammo in it. Performance won't be optimal unless really running 9MAJOR but you could at least shoot it. And it won't cost you $50+ to put 100 rounds down range. With either, I also would go CK over factory STI . RTS2 6-8 moa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelinder Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 On 1/3/2017 at 10:36 AM, Sarge said: Get a 9MAJOR gun. Drop a 7# recoil spring in it and probably run any decent off the shelf ammo in it. Performance won't be optimal unless really running 9MAJOR but you could at least shoot it. And it won't cost you $50+ to put 100 rounds down range. With either, I also would go CK over factory STI . RTS2 6-8 moa Will a 9 major gun run .38sc? Anyone have a nice used back up gun ? There are 3 Trubors for sale on Gunbroker that are advertised as "Salesman Samples" $2k... worth a look? Are they functional/reliable stock or do they require a bunch of tuning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 19 minutes ago, stevelinder said: Will a 9 major gun run .38sc? Anyone have a nice used back up gun ? There are 3 Trubors for sale on Gunbroker that are advertised as "Salesman Samples" $2k... worth a look? Are they functional/reliable stock or do they require a bunch of tuning? You cannot fire .38 SC in a 9 Major gun, but might be able to reverse that i.e. fire 9mm Major in a .38 SC gun. Both my TruBors were tuned by Brazos, EGW and Dave Pruitt, over the past ten years. Run like a top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 38 super is basically a 9x23, with 9 major being 9x19. So the super (or super comp) is too long to chamber in a 9mm. As for 9mm major in a 38 super or super comp gun, it has been done, but the case is being held in place by the extractor, so it's not optimal. Also, 9mm is a tapered case, smaller at the mouth than at the headstamp, while 38 super and super comp are straight walled cases. 38 super seems to have more options for powder for hand loading than 9mm mj, and 9mm brass may be cheaper than 38 s (c) brass...really, it's a wash between the two. Super guys pick up their brass and shoot it over and over, dropping the cost of it, 9 major guys just let it drop. The only good answer to either caliber as far as ammo goes is, invest in a progressive press and reload your own, so it will be completely tailored to your likes and gun. This website will answer any remaining questions about 38 super or super comp...http://38super.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 51 minutes ago, GrumpyOne said: and 9mm brass may be cheaper than 38 s (c) brass...really, it's a wash between the two. Super guys pick up their brass and shoot it over and over, dropping the cost of it, 9 major guys just let it drop. Pretty sure I have some 9 M cases I have loaded a dozen times? OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. It's more like 10 or 11 I'm sure. 9mm brass is free if you work some matches or scrounge around for 20 minutes after some local matches. I have never bought 9mm brass and I can't say I ever plan to. But, yes the super guys pick up their brass. Depending on the match they might get as little as 25% of it back? Generally probably 75%, but that's still throwing money in the fire pit to me. I shoot open and have a couple of really nice guns so I can't say I'm a cheap bastard. But, man how I hate to throw money away. Even if I were a rich man, I would go crazy buying brass that cost me 13 cents each($130 per k) and losing a significant portion of it over the course of a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 1 hour ago, stevelinder said: Will a 9 major gun run .38sc? Anyone have a nice used back up gun ? There are 3 Trubors for sale on Gunbroker that are advertised as "Salesman Samples" $2k... worth a look? Are they functional/reliable stock or do they require a bunch of tuning? No, you can't run 38 in a 9. Used guns pop up on here regularly. I would buy here waaaay before I would gunbroker. If they are true STI salesman samples a call to STI should clarify if they are legit and maybe even a guess at round count. If they are samples from anyone else I would pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelinder Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) Thank You Gentlemen. Still learning, so please forgive dumb questions. How about a DVC Open in .38 for 2700.00 with 3 mags. 5 rounds through it? Edited January 6, 2017 by stevelinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acsr Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Lighter then the trubor, may or may not run out of the box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 2 hours ago, stevelinder said: Thank You Gentlemen. Still learning, so please forgive dumb questions. How about a DVC Open in .38 for 2700.00 with 3 mags. 5 rounds through it? I would do some research on here about issues with the DVC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 8 hours ago, stevelinder said: Thank You Gentlemen. Still learning, so please forgive dumb questions. Dumb questions? Wanting advice before dropping 3-4,000 bucks is smart if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEH Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Well I can't say anything about the DVC,but last year I bought a 9mm Trubor off gunbroker from a certified dealer that I know of for a good price. I had a little trouble with brass hitting the mount and having a jam. After that was fixed,that thing just runs and runs. I would buy another one,but just don't need it yet. for brass I use range brass inspect it load it with 8.3 gr.of hs 6 and shoot,and walk away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckA11416 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 jjr ammo is another ammo company that you can buy major .38 supercomp, if you're not looking to reload for open 9mm major is a cheaper option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelinder Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 I am set on .38 super comp...thanks for the tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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