Advice on first race gun

[stevenorlando]

Hello All,

After shooting production, single stack and lim-10 for about a year, I am interesting in getting a race gun.

Any good choices for my first one?

Also, is 38 super the same as 9mm major?

Steve

[Pezco]

For the most part I think it will depend on your budget and no 38 super and 9 major are not the same. From a true performance standpoint 38 super comp is likely the best. 9 major is becoming popular, because people were once able to get cheap brass, I'm not sure if that is correct anymore.

My Bedell shorty in 38 SC runs flawlessly and I have SV building another 38 SC Open gun for me. Brazos makes some fine guns and there are many other good smiths out there.

Good luck in your choice, just get a gun from a reputable smith that will stand behind his product.

[Bigpops]

Dont just dip your toe....just dive in! Brazos's Pro SX in 38 super

[revomodel10]

I think you are better off with a custom built pistol from a known name ( Brazo, Bedell, Gans, Hill etc..)

The fit, reliability & trigger will come to be appreciated as time goes on.

That said, there are often very good deals on used "name" pistols on this Forum.

Good luck!

[Wild Gene]

What have you been shooting?

Derek @ Millennium Custom does a great job.

[03k64]

Go to your local matches and see if you can try out a few different ones. I'm sure many would be happy to help you out. Once you figure it out, as stated before, get something from one of the well known smiths, either new or used. 38super, 38supercomp and 9 major are all viable calibers for Open but I went with 9major initially because of the cost since I have a source of brass but the big advantage is not having to pick up my brass after I shoot. The constant bending down and getting up were taking a toll on me during the match especially in the warmer months and was affecting my performance. The brass is always scooped up by someone else anyway.

Edited April 29, 2010 by 03k64

[shooterbenedetto]

When I started with open gun, I went to a 9major in 2001

even before 9major became popular, everyone said to me

that its not soft as 38super, few years later, everyone

started shooting it and found a way of makin it work.

I switched over to 38 super but after about 3 local

matches, I went back to 9mm coz of PIA of picking

up brass. At the time, my shooting skils couldnt tell

the difference from both anyways. Now, that my skills are

highly developed(master class) I still shoot 9major.

I buy 9mm brass for 15k for about 500.oo compare to

5000 pcs of 38 super and recycling the brass every 6months and buying

more to keep my brass at 5000pcs for $500.00

really big difference in amount of brass.

[CAB33]

I would recommend a Dawson or Brazo tuned Trubor in 9.

[calishootr]

since you are new to the 'dark side' of open class, go tothe matches and ask nicely if you can fondle as many open guns as you can, to get a 'feel' for what you are getting into, different makers do differentthings to their guns to make then perform, others like me, have grown to like certain parts on their guns, so show up with a box o' parts for the smithy to have at. sights??? comps??? grips??? caliber??? that is all subject tothe individual, sort of like starting the 9mm vs. 45 debate at an IDPA match...you will get 100 different answers, go feel as many as you can and hopefully shoot a few as well.

a friend of mine is selling his open gun for 1700 w 2 mags....

[Hi-Power Jack]

I would recommend a Dawson or Brazo tuned Trubor in 9.

I bought a Dawson tuned TruBor, and a year later bought

a Brazos tuned TruBor in 9mm major. They're both great.

And, they're relatively inexpensive, and fast - you don't

have to wait a year for it to arrive - it's there in a

week which is nice. You can always get a custom made

Open Gun a year later (you'll need a spare anyway), but

you'll be able to shoot This Season in OPEN. It's worth

it.

You'll need good mags or the gun won't work - unless you're

real handy, get them tuned by Freedom Gunworks, and load

your ammo longer than usual to feed properly in the .38 super

mags - I use MG 115 JHP's at 1.175 OAL. And, lots of lube

on the gun when you shoot it.

Good luck

[G-ManBart]

since you are new to the 'dark side' of open class,

Everybody else would be new too since there's no such thing It's a Division

Since this happens all the time, I'm trying to come up with a memory key for folks.

Guns are Divided into Divisions. Shooters get a Classification by shooting Classifiers, which puts them into a specific Class.

[G-ManBart]

Hello All,

After shooting production, single stack and lim-10 for about a year, I am interesting in getting a race gun.

Any good choices for my first one?

Also, is 38 super the same as 9mm major?

Steve

Depending on the people you talk to, some of them consider any gun tweaked for what we do to be a "racegun". Racegun and Open gun aren't really synonymous.

Regardless, if you mean you want an Open gun, get involved with your local club(s) and let people know you're thinking about an Open gun. No question, you'll have people nearly falling over to let you shoot their gun. I routinely let folks at work shoot my Open guns just to show them there's more out there than the gun they're issued. Most of us load in such bulk that letting someone shoot a mag or two is really nothing at all, and we've all had folks do the same for us, so it's nice to return the favor. R,

[GrumpyOne]

Hello All,

After shooting production, single stack and lim-10 for about a year, I am interesting in getting a race gun.

Any good choices for my first one?

Also, is 38 super the same as 9mm major?

Steve

Depending on the people you talk to, some of them consider any gun tweaked for what we do to be a "racegun". Racegun and Open gun aren't really synonymous.

Regardless, if you mean you want an Open gun, get involved with your local club(s) and let people know you're thinking about an Open gun. No question, you'll have people nearly falling over to let you shoot their gun. I routinely let folks at work shoot my Open guns just to show them there's more out there than the gun they're issued. Most of us load in such bulk that letting someone shoot a mag or two is really nothing at all, and we've all had folks do the same for us, so it's nice to return the favor. R,

Yeah, it's guy like you Bart, that have cost me thousands of dollars (and I thank every single one of you for it!)! But, it's the funnest thing you can do with your pants on!

I would say start with a factory gun, like a base Trubor, have it tuned, and shoot it till the wheels fall off. Then decide from there what exactly you want. As far as 9mm vs 38 super, it's personal preference. In all reality, there is not enough difference in the cost of brass to base the purchase of a gun based on soley that aspect. Shoot, pickup, and reload 38 super, and it becomes no more expensive than 9mm, and it may be easier to get a gun to run in 38 super, and I think it is a bit more forgiving with powder choices and bullet weights.

[stevenorlando]

Hello All,

After shooting production, single stack and lim-10 for about a year, I am interesting in getting a race gun.

Any good choices for my first one?

Also, is 38 super the same as 9mm major?

Steve

Depending on the people you talk to, some of them consider any gun tweaked for what we do to be a "racegun". Racegun and Open gun aren't really synonymous.

Regardless, if you mean you want an Open gun, get involved with your local club(s) and let people know you're thinking about an Open gun. No question, you'll have people nearly falling over to let you shoot their gun. I routinely let folks at work shoot my Open guns just to show them there's more out there than the gun they're issued. Most of us load in such bulk that letting someone shoot a mag or two is really nothing at all, and we've all had folks do the same for us, so it's nice to return the favor. R,

Yeah, it's guy like you Bart, that have cost me thousands of dollars (and I thank every single one of you for it!)! But, it's the funnest thing you can do with your pants on!

I would say start with a factory gun, like a base Trubor, have it tuned, and shoot it till the wheels fall off. Then decide from there what exactly you want. As far as 9mm vs 38 super, it's personal preference. In all reality, there is not enough difference in the cost of brass to base the purchase of a gun based on soley that aspect. Shoot, pickup, and reload 38 super, and it becomes no more expensive than 9mm, and it may be easier to get a gun to run in 38 super, and I think it is a bit more forgiving with powder choices and bullet weights.

Thanks All!

I am leaning toward a trubor from Dawson in 38 super.

Steve