38 sc vs 9mm open major

[LukeHilton]

So in the process of ordering a sti 2011 open gun from ck arms, my question is, 38sc or 9mm, I've been digging around for a while now, reading different things and can't seem to find exactly what I'm lookin for, so I guess I'm asking for some personal preferences and opinions, I know the 9mm is a little cheaper to reload then 38sc but not by much really. 

So is one better than the other? More accurate? 

 

Thanks

Luke

[mro111lland]

Its the brass 38 super is expensive 9mm brass is almost free. You can pick 38 super shooters out easily they are the ones on there hands and knees trying to find all there brass

 

[LukeHilton]

Haha yep, well I already have a ton of once fired 9mm brass, so my thought was to go 9mm, but I just want to make sure I'll be happy with that decision in the long run! Ha

[kneelingatlas]

Do you like picking up brass or shooting?

[LukeHilton]

Haha so shoot 9mm and forget picking up brass! Ha

[magpulled]

From what I see at matches the 9 major guns have way more problems than the super Comp guns.  I think once you tune the 9 it's probably good for a while but I'd rather pick up brass than screw around with a gun and never really know if it's gonna work every time I pull the trigger. Both calibers have pros and cons.  If you want to shoot open I wouldn't let the cost of brass sway your decision. If you shoot 9 you don't have to pick up brass but it takes more to get the gun and mags working. For me I chose the super Comp because the only down side was brass prices. 

[Sandbagger123]

the big advantage of 38 is the options on powders .  also many say that they are less prone to breakage than 9mm major.  9mm major guns have been so refined these past years that there really is no disadvantage over 38 when it comes to reliabilty.  i have put over 20k through my old one and have has less than  50 stoppages of any kind.  my old gun can shoot 1 1/2 inch off a bench at 50 yards easily so accuracy with the 9mm is fine 

 

i would never buy a 38 just because of the price of brass.  9mm brass is going for 1,5 to 2 cents a peice these days in bulk.  i picked it up in the past  and have buckets of it ,but when it runs out i might just buy it . 

 

you see many of the top dogs in open running 38 . i think it might be that they get ammo or components for free so they don't worry about cost.  

 

go 9 and don't look back 

[OPENB]

Get your gun built by someone experienced building 9's, you'll have no problem with reliability. Best day shooting open was the first match after rebarreling it in 9mm. 

[BeerBaron]

if cost of brass or. losing brass is going to impact your enjoyment of shooting then for sure go 9. it's not going to be the factor that stops you reaching the top.

 

I will say this. super shooters tend to understate the cost of super and 9 shooters tend to understate the hassle of 9mm.

 

The issue with 9mm is this. if you use range pickup or cheap bulk brass you have to make a choice:

 

1, accept dodgy brass in that mix that may cause malfs at best and case head separations at worst

2, spend serious time sorting brass to remove: steel case, aluminium case, certain 'known' head stamps, anything glock bulged, anything with crimped primer pockets (unless you have a 1050)

 

The thing with super comp is basically only one company makes it. starline. since basically only 2011 and 1911's shoot supercomp and these days they all have full supported barrels there's no issues with 'glock' bulge and no issues with dodgy brands of case.

 

basically as long as whatever you pickup or buy is supercomp you are good to go. just clean it and load it. no messing around with multiple head stamps, no brass sorting. no need for a brass prepping cycle through the press etc. 

 

That is a massive time saver and a lot less hassle in the loading process. 

 

in practice (which is where most ammo is shot) I easily get back 90%+ of my brass. supercomp is pretty hardy and can easily be shot 10+ times. 

 

in local matches and regional matches in my area I also get back probably 85% back. other shooters just brass for each other where I am. it's a normal thing. 

 

The only time I lose significant brass is majors and overseas matches that are lost brass. For those few matches I can deal with loading up my old worn out brass and leaving it for the RO's.

 

I think supercomp gives a lot of flexibility in OAL as well as powder choice. It does seem to work better in 2011 mags and with 2011 length actions. but no doubt 9mm can be reliable too if you go through the effort to get it there. 

 

[Hi-Power Jack]

1.  I am all thumbs and have two left hands - can't take a screw out and get it back in - I shoot 9mm Major,

     because my TruBor just keeps running and running - until it needs new springs.

 

2.  A local Master shooter is fantastic, and $$$ seem to have no impact  -  he shoots 9mm.

 

3.  Actually, the 1911/2011 guns are meant to shoot .38 super length cartridges.

 

4.  The cost of brass is exactly the same, IFF you shoot new .38 Super 4-5 x in practice,

      and retrieve it, reload it once again and use it in matches.

 

Very few advantages or disadvantages to either.

 

Your choice.     

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Shoot 9mm. If you are a top GM you usually get your brass for free. Another thing to consider is resale. How many 38SC or 38 super guns do you see for sale? Look on Gunbroker and see how many open 9mm guns are for sale. I reload my 9mm brass 3 times now for practice and the forth it stays on the ground at a match. So 0.025 a piece and loaded 4 times. Thanks, Eric

[Mikeski]

I was in your shoes about a year ago when I was looking at getting into Open. Do you run 9 major or 38 Super. Everyone has made some great points here and I'll just throw my own experience in here. 

 

I shot both before I made a purchase and I felt, for me, that 38 Super was a bit softer shooting than 9 major. That could have been the guns I was shooting, but remember feel is a huge part of this game.  I was not reloading at the time and since I only really shooting one match a month, so I was planning on buying from Atlanta Arms. Since they never seem to have it in stock I wound up getting a 650 to load and love it. I can really tune the load to the gun. I'll be working up a new load soon as my Atlas Chaos should be finished any day. I also like the fact that I really don't have to worry about headstamps, stepped brass or even swaged primers. I just pick up my loads after practice and leave them after a match. So I get my brass down to about 5 or 7 cents a round. 

 

So in my case 38 Super Comp was the right one for me. So for you I would say shoot them both first if you can. Hope this helps

[LukeHilton]

OK these have all been great opinions and ideas! 

So I see that I could go both ways, I guess now I'm wondering which one is the most reliable? And I know it's all about the gun and the load etc, etc.

[Steelix]

I have a two month old CK 38sc the gun runs. 2000 rounds though the gun only one time it did not go boom. 38sc stack good in magazines, I can get 29 in my big stick without any problems. I get all my practice brass back and 85% of my match brass. Also 38sc don't spill powder when reloading. They both work good, but for me 38sc is my choice. 

Edited June 28, 2017 by Steelix

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Do a search and read on here and then make your decision. There must be at least 50 threads just like yours. Same old song and dance as they say. Thanks, Eric

[Foxbat]

I switched from 38SC to 9mm years ago, so happy I did.  First year I shot 9mm in my 38SC gun, then had a true 9mm built, sold all the 38SC brass and never looked back. 

 

Did not see any difference, and life is so much easier with 9. 

[theWacoKid]

Neither of the two are more reliable. Reliability has to do with ammo, gun, and mags and nothing to do with caliber.  It's short-sighted to think otherwise. 

 

I load range 9mm brass until it splits, won't hold a primer, or is left at a match.  It is quickly and properly inspected using 40 loading trays before hitting the case feeder. The same as I do with anything I load. 

 

If I want to go overboard I just load up new Starline 9mm. Even it is cheaper. 

[Rolex]

DVC open 9mm here- second one actually- had another 8 years ago,

I buy 9mm once fired and cleaned for 30,00/1k- and people at matches

pick up brass with those nut pickers- looking for their 38s- then leave all

the 9mm, 40 and 45 on the tables! So I also get some of that-

 

 

[BeerBaron]

6 hours ago, theWacoKid said:

Neither of the two are more reliable. Reliability has to do with ammo, gun, and mags and nothing to do with caliber.  It's short-sighted to think otherwise. 

 

I load range 9mm brass until it splits, won't hold a primer, or is left at a match.  It is quickly and properly inspected using 40 loading trays before hitting the case feeder. The same as I do with anything I load. 

 

If I want to go overboard I just load up new Starline 9mm. Even it is cheaper. 

 

I agree 9mm can be tuned to run at basically 100% but there are a couple of small inherent reliability factors on the side of super comp. 

 

1, the length. The 1911/2011 action is designed around a cartridge around 1.250 long. The do seem to feed 'nicer' that shorter 9mm. 

 

2, the mags are also designed around that length. It's an issue in sti mags where most require spacers to get the bullet nose ahead of the front rib in the mag. It's not such an issue these days with new sti mags or svi and mbx. 

 

3, supercomp is not tapered and is rimless. They do stack better in mags which again gives a small gain in feeding reliability. 

 

4, brass. There's no such thing as mixed supercomp so no issues with case head separations etc. however to be fair one could buy new starline 9mm which would negate this one point but if buying new starline it might as well be sc. 

 

ill put it this way. 

 

Many people say supercomp is more reliable than 9mm. 

 

Many say 9mm and supercomp are equally reliable. 

 

But ive never heard anyone suggest 9mm is more reliable than sc. 

 

its the the opposite with cost. 

 

Many say 9mm is cheaper. 

 

Many say sc costs the same as 9mm if you recover practice brass. 

 

But no one says sc is cheaper than 9mm. 

 

On balance i think sc has a few smalll benefits as well as a small cost penalty. 

[SWprotected]

1 hour ago, BeerBaron said:

 

I agree 9mm can be tuned to run at basically 100% but there are a couple of small inherent reliability factors on the side of super comp. 

 

1, the length. The 1911/2011 action is designed around a cartridge around 1.250 long. The do seem to feed 'nicer' that shorter 9mm. 

 

2, the mags are also designed around that length. It's an issue in sti mags where most require spacers to get the bullet nose ahead of the front rib in the mag. It's not such an issue these days with new sti mags or svi and mbx. 

 

3, supercomp is not tapered and is rimless. They do stack better in mags which again gives a small gain in feeding reliability. 

 

4, brass. There's no such thing as mixed supercomp so no issues with case head separations etc. however to be fair one could buy new starline 9mm which would negate this one point but if buying new starline it might as well be sc. 

 

ill put it this way. 

 

Many people say supercomp is more reliable than 9mm. 

 

Many say 9mm and supercomp are equally reliable. 

 

But ive never heard anyone suggest 9mm is more reliable than sc. 

 

its the the opposite with cost. 

 

Many say 9mm is cheaper. 

 

Many say sc costs the same as 9mm if you recover practice brass. 

 

But no one says sc is cheaper than 9mm. 

 

On balance i think sc has a few smalll benefits as well as a small cost penalty. 

I would say this is pretty accurate, I chose 9mm for a couple of reasons. First I already had everything I needed to load 9mm. Second brass is cheap and if I load it a couple of times its about a penny per round. I dont sort it I load what I have and seperate any cases that might be suspect as I box ammo and check primer seating. Third I dont want to worry about brass at a match, I want to focus on shooting.

SC has some advantages but the cost outweighed them to me. 

If I found a great deal on an open gun I dont think I would let the caliber stop me from buying it, both work well.

[Majja]

I have never shot 9mm major, however I use to shoot 9x21 and now shoot 38sc.  My 38 has ran extremely well and I have been happy with it.  Playing in open is like owning adn racing a car nothing about it is cheap.  There are pros and cons to both.  the nice thing with 38sc is not having to worry about spacers for mags, how ever I think that is slowly becoming a non issue as well, but still something to think about.

[Chillywig]

Just my two cents

 

Since your looking at CK you'll need mags. Go MBX and they work perfect in either caliber

 

38 is more expensive in the brass acquisition but easier choices to load without spilling powder

 

I went 9 and have no regrets - I use Silhouette to make major and don't have the case so full it spills everywhere loading. My CK has ran everything I have fed it. Major loads, factory 115 gr loads, even wolf steel cased ammo. Shooting my 147 grain PCC loads feels like cheating - guess it would be as they are no where near major.

 

You'll be happy with either caliber and likely have no regrets either

[Bruce]

Every person I know who shoots 9mm open does so because of brass cost (availability of fired brass)...or because they got a good deal on a used open pistol chambered in 9mm.  

 

I have shot 9mm open pistols and enjoyed them.  I own an open pistol in .38 Super Comp., because I like it better than the 9mm pistols I have shot.  Purely subjective...and because the .38SC that Matt McLearn built me is 100% reliable, accurate, and fits like I sent my hands to him and he built the pistol in them. 

 

New Brass costs: 

Starline  .38SC = $149.00 per 1,000

Starline  9mm+P=$134.50 per 1.000

Starline  9mm =   $130.50 per 1,000

 

If you start out with 10,000 pieces of new starline brass, initial additional cost of .38SC will be $150.00+/-.   

 

Good luck with whatever you choose---remember to have fun:)

[mikeAZ]

I, like others changed to 9mm major over 38 Super Comp as soon as 9mm major was "legal". NO regrets.... ONE thing I don't see is that if you go 9mm, you can always have the chamber reamed to 38 Super at a later date if 9mm isn't your game BUT you can't go the other way!. I shoot so much of my reloaded 9mm in other venues that 9mm made an EZ pick.... (Ever see a 38 Super PPC rifle?, probably the same for Carry optics & Production guns). Plenty of good powders available, CFE, Auto Comp, VV's, etc.  I don't use STI magazines. I can't remember ever buying any 9mm brass.......

[Foxbat]

2 hours ago, Bruce said:

New Brass costs: 

Starline  .38SC = $149.00 per 1,000

Starline  9mm+P=$134.50 per 1.000

Starline  9mm =   $130.50 per 1,000

 

 

 

This is an extreme case - I doubt many people shoot nothing but new Starline 9mm.

 

If you are talking about just cost, then it would be more correct to compare the used brass costs.  Used 38SC easily goes for 12 cents a piece - I know, I sold tons of it, when I moved to 9mm.

 

Once fired very high quality 9mm is less than 1 cent.  I pay $8 per 1000 at the local range. 

 

That is a more fair comparison.