silerlock Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Going to buy my first open gun. Decided to go with a Bedell, since he is only a couple hours away and have shot a couple of his guns. The only decision now is caliber! 38 super comp or 9. Half of the people say .38 and the other half say 9. Oh what to do, when it seems split down the middle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchiepinoy Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 9mm major Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Tough choice! I have converted everything over to 9mm, it makes reloading easier, cuts down on brass to buy, and easier and cheaper brass. With .38 super, you have more powder choices and a little more allowance with making Major. I hear that the flatness is better with 38 Super but unless you are at the M or GM level, you probably won't notice that. I never did but I'm not at that level. Go with what you will be happy with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Lots of threads on this............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Going the 9mm route on my first one mainly due to brass cost. I can get 9mm brass for dirt cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 <br />Going to buy my first open gun. Decided to go with a Bedell, since he is only a couple hours away and have shot a couple of his guns. The only decision now is caliber! 38 super comp or 9. Half of the people say .38 and the other half say 9. Oh what to do, when it seems split down the middle?<br /> I'm about to switch from 38SC to 9mm. My KKM 9mm barrel is on backorder. The only reason I'm switching is because it's cheaper and more convenient to shoot 9mm. I don't reload and I shoot more 3-gun matches than USPSA. So I'll mostly shoot factory minor 9 for 3-gun. I'll probably buy some major 9 ammo from DCAMMO just to try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric_Vmax Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 <br />Going to buy my first open gun. Decided to go with a Bedell, since he is only a couple hours away and have shot a couple of his guns. The only decision now is caliber! 38 super comp or 9. Half of the people say .38 and the other half say 9. Oh what to do, when it seems split down the middle?<br /> I'm about to switch from 38SC to 9mm. My KKM 9mm barrel is on backorder. The only reason I'm switching is because it's cheaper and more convenient to shoot 9mm. I don't reload and I shoot more 3-gun matches than USPSA. So I'll mostly shoot factory minor 9 for 3-gun. I'll probably buy some major 9 ammo from DCAMMO just to try it out. If I had to do it from scratch, I would go 9mm Major. Since I have so much .38 super brass, I never converted to .38 SuperComp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silerlock Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) This is really tough and I know this has been covered before. You talk to a lot of shooters and they say 9mm. You talk to the gun smiths they steer you to .38 super comp. That is straight from several smiths from the Florida Open, and from Dan. At this time in my life, I don't mind pickin up my brass. I just want to make the right decision if i'm going to be spending all that money. chris Edited March 28, 2012 by silerlock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcs Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Going to buy my first open gun. Decided to go with a Bedell, since he is only a couple hours away and have shot a couple of his guns. The only decision now is caliber! 38 super comp or 9. Half of the people say .38 and the other half say 9. Oh what to do, when it seems split down the middle? 38S/38SC new brass is now $135.00 a thousand. You will rarely see used 38 brass for sale. Shoot one Area match and 400 pieces of brass are gone. IMO, 9 Major is a lot cheaper now. You can buy or find "once fired" 9 brass pretty easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 In three years of shooting I have picked up around 35k pieces of 9mm brass. I hang around after matches, shoot steel matches, work a few major matches, etc. When you want 38 Super brass you have to buy it and it's not cheap to buy new brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 As a 9 major shooter, I recommend the 38SC. Why, 1. It is chaper to shoot. 2. It is easier to work up loads that work with your rig. 3. It is easier to make run and keep running. How could it be cheaper. Well to start with 38SC brass can be loaded 20 times or till it splits. 9 Major the safe choice is to use once fired, one time at about 2.5 cents each when you buy lots. The break even point for SC vs 9 major is 5 reloads on the brass. I have an accounting degree and worked as a Cost Accountant for years but you don't need that to do this simple math 12.5 / 2.5. Go Figure. I shot 38SC for a couple years, I started by buying 2,000 pieces of new brass. I still have 1500 new brass, and about 5,000 used. How could this happen. I not only shot 8 major matches the first year dropping brass but I also was an RO so I picked up lots on my stages, and traded other brass with other RO's for the 38 Super, traded all the plain 38S for 38SC or TJ. I also picked up at the end of the match, yep, you left it behind now it is mine. Dykem helps you find the brass. Why do I shoot 9 major, cause I'd rather spend my time enjoying the match than picking up brass. It is worth the extra cost to me, and I don't mind the slight handicap of 9 major. I've developed good loads that work well in my gun. But all I have to do to get the itch for a 38SC gun is shoot one of the new AKAI guns in 38SC. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriojas Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 CocoBolo my new Akai gun will be in around april 17th. You have shot the other one so you will get a chance to shoot this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3gunpinoy Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 As a 9 major shooter, I recommend the 38SC. Why, 1. It is chaper to shoot. 2. It is easier to work up loads that work with your rig. 3. It is easier to make run and keep running. How could it be cheaper. Well to start with 38SC brass can be loaded 20 times or till it splits. 9 Major the safe choice is to use once fired, one time at about 2.5 cents each when you buy lots. The break even point for SC vs 9 major is 5 reloads on the brass. I have an accounting degree and worked as a Cost Accountant for years but you don't need that to do this simple math 12.5 / 2.5. Go Figure. I shot 38SC for a couple years, I started by buying 2,000 pieces of new brass. I still have 1500 new brass, and about 5,000 used. How could this happen. I not only shot 8 major matches the first year dropping brass but I also was an RO so I picked up lots on my stages, and traded other brass with other RO's for the 38 Super, traded all the plain 38S for 38SC or TJ. I also picked up at the end of the match, yep, you left it behind now it is mine. Dykem helps you find the brass. Why do I shoot 9 major, cause I'd rather spend my time enjoying the match than picking up brass. It is worth the extra cost to me, and I don't mind the slight handicap of 9 major. I've developed good loads that work well in my gun. But all I have to do to get the itch for a 38SC gun is shoot one of the new AKAI guns in 38SC. Ron +1, +1 to the OP, i have both 38sc and 9mm major and attained a suitable for both. we shoot at least 4x a month, anywhere from 200 to 33 hours a week. it gets tiring after a while picking up brass. The 38 super runs flat, more manageable and the brass really last. even at full 175pf. for my 9mm, i stick to 2x reloads and dont pickit up and i get my from a reputable source (1x fired). you will enjoy shooting the super but will eventually get tired picking up brass or feeling broke after your spent thousand of dollars in brass after a couple of years then at that point, you wish you had a 9mm...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Going to buy my first open gun. 38 super comp or 9. Half of the people say .38 and the other half say 9. Didn't I see a thread a few weeks ago that you can shoot 9mm major in a .38 SC chamber? Might be able to do both ) Shoot .38 SC when you're "going for the Gold" and 9mm major when it's just a local match, or a lost brass match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Going to buy my first open gun. 38 super comp or 9. Half of the people say .38 and the other half say 9. Didn't I see a thread a few weeks ago that you can shoot 9mm major in a .38 SC chamber? Might be able to do both ) Shoot .38 SC when you're "going for the Gold" and 9mm major when it's just a local match, or a lost brass match. After reading that thread, I tried it out on my STI 38 SC. With local range reloads, I got frequent stove-pipe jams. With the 9mm Winchester value pack ammo from Walmart, my 38SC was actual fairly reliable; I could run a 19 rd mag without any jams. However, with both types of 9mm ammo, my 38SC had horrible accuracy: 12" groups at 25 yards. At least the recoil was super soft. I was able to do some of my fastest 7 yard Bill drills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambo Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I came up with the same numbers CocoBolo did... Hence why I shoot 38SC... Several of the best shooters in my area use 9 major...both are very viable. Honestly...the other commenters are right it comes down to...do you want to bend over and pick up all your brass? I said yes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silerlock Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 Thanks for the all the info. I have to just sit down and think over the pros and cons. Sounds like the .38 is a better round, but 9mm has the Convenience of cheap brass. Now I just have to decide!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I shot super for a while, but decided to have Matt Cheely build me a 9major, I'm tired of picking up brass during matches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan R. Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I have a Bedell built 38 Super...Runs all day long, all day strong. If you're shooting everyday then maybe it makes a difference, but really, are we in this sport to save money? Enjoy your new gun! Dan is a great guy and super to deal with! Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipplehead Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) After reading that thread, I tried it out on my STI 38 SC. With local range reloads, I got frequent stove-pipe jams. With the 9mm Winchester value pack ammo from Walmart, my 38SC was actual fairly reliable; I could run a 19 rd mag without any jams. However, with both types of 9mm ammo, my 38SC had horrible accuracy: 12" groups at 25 yards. At least the recoil was super soft. I was able to do some of my fastest 7 yard Bill drills. Fairly reliable is not gonna get it. Also SC is more reliable then 9mm.Something wrong with your setup or loads! The only reason you shot soft and fast billdrills is your shooting minor. WW white box is not gonna push a comp gun to a major power factor. If you want to buy ammo at walmart then your in the wrong division. Open is a hand load division..no way around that. Edited March 30, 2012 by nipplehead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I have a Bedell built 38 Super...Runs all day long, all day strong. And I have a Cheely 9MAJOR that, you guessed it, runs all day long and all day strong. If you get a good builder you can run 9MAJOR with complete confidence. Both will serve you well so just get one or the other. FWIW I reload 9MAJOR brass over and over. It is NOT necessary to load it once and let it lay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH45 Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 When I talked to Dan, in 2004, to get a 9 major built, he talked me in to .38 Supercomp. All of the big gunsmiths will build a 9mm major, but, will also tell you that you're right on the edge. I also have an open gun in 9. If I'm shooting somewhere that I think I'll lose brass, I'll shoot the 9, but, if I shoot another major, USPSA match, in open, I'll probably use the .38 Supercomp. Get one of each! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Fairly reliable is not gonna get it. Also SC is more reliable then 9mm.Something wrong with your setup or loads! The only reason you shot soft and fast billdrills is your shooting minor. WW white box is not gonna push a comp gun to a major power factor. If you want to buy ammo at walmart then your in the wrong division. Open is a hand load division..no way around that. I think you misunderstood the post. I was talking about shooting factory minor 9mm in a barrel that is chambered for 38 Super for shits and grins. I would use factory minor 9mm in an Open gun specifically built for 9mm for 3-gun competitions where there is no distinction between major and minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxbat Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Didn't I see a thread a few weeks ago that you can shoot 9mm major in a .38 SC chamber? Might be able to do both ) Yes, you can do both, and I think you are talking about my thread. I shoot 9mm ALL THE TIME in my three .38SC guns, and they all run 100% reliably. I shoot it in matches, not just practice, with no stops, jams or other issues. I also shoot it in my 9mm gun, and I really can't tell the difference. Sometimes I shoot .38SC in practice, where I can pick up the brass, but 90% of the time I just stay with 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Hello: Get the 9mm and have fun. I reload my once fired 9mm brass 5 times and then use it for minor Production loads. I have loaded up some to 10 times but that is when they start to split or the primers don't stay in. If the 9mm open pistol is built right then it is just as reliable as the 38sc or 38super. There are some safe and good powders to use with 9mm major as well. You can buy 9mm once fired that is tumbled for $25/1000. You use less powder for reloads and the rest is the same. But then again is sounds cooler to say 38 Super Comp Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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