joedirt Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 This is a honest question. Would a person at any given skill level shoot better with sc over 9 maj? I have been shooting open for about two years and have improved when I practice. I have two young kids so I can't put as much time into it as it would take to get as good as I would like to be. Although I have shot a sc, it's been a long time and I didn't think that it shot any better than my 9major open gun. I'm thinking of going to limited just to remove that one, unknown. To me it's not worth the extra cost but, I would like other opinions. I you are die hard in one direction or the other, that won't help. I want to hear from sc guys who were surprised at how 9major guns shot, or 9 major guys who say, wow, I never knew sc was so much better... send it Ps,, I don't wanna hear about how this subject was beaten to death ten years ago... new shooters, techniques and opinions have come about in the past ten years.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-shot Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I think the window for reloading is much, much wider with 38sc. But it is not worth the cost. I would almost build an open glock in .40 now, but I want to stay in production for a few years. I have a ton of limited ammo loaded from years ago. So I think cost and availability are major factors for the average person at this point. I have an open 38 super and a 9 major, and for me, it really comes down to what you have to feed it with and how much that food costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joedirt Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 I think the window for reloading is much, much wider with 38sc. But it is not worth the cost. I would almost build an open glock in .40 now, but I want to stay in production for a few years. I have a ton of limited ammo loaded from years ago. So I think cost and availability are major factors for the average person at this point. I have an open 38 super and a 9 major, and for me, it really comes down to what you have to feed it with and how much that food costs. ok senator, which gun do you score better with the maj or sc? you bring up a good point, the cost of sc brass means a lot of guys are shooting 9maj, which also means, I really am that bad... thanks man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-shot Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I score equally because I own the a-zone. It's all about the dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Hello: No. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I enjoy the science of Open just as much as the shooting so I have experimented with a lot of comps/loads in my 9. Whenever I can I try to shoot other Open guns and have yet to find one that shoots flatter. There is a lot of theory to support the idea that 38s should shoot flatter, but a surprising amount of shooters (mostly M class) who let me try their 38s were not that interested in load development. It would be interesting to play with a 38 to see what I could do with it, but I'm really happy shooting my nines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightUp_OG Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 This discussion always ends at cost amortization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neomet Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 The foundational question should be how flat does a dot need to be, then you can get to the which caliber meets that goal/costs less/makes you more popular with women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinginlead Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 19.00 difference per 1000 on brass. .02 per round if all you ever shot was new brass. This was one if my factors in going with .38 super. I tired the 9mm route and i did not have any fun in it. Maybe if i had a 2011 built in 9mm major I would have liked it. I love shooting .38 super and i dont see changing any time soon. Sometimes you come across deals on brass like I did this month. 4000 new pieces for 350.00. That will last me a long time because I make sure I pick up my brass. I also shoot some 9 in IDPA but I just like the feel of my super gun and I don't want to fight 2 months working out a new load on 9mm major. I also see lots of people fighting the loads for 9mm major and jumping back and forth on 115-124 or 125. I just buy 125's and don't worry about any thing else. If I need to change something I just adjust my powder. So my vote as you can tell is .38SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 The major three things that limit my advancement in the field of OPEN shooting do NOT include the fact that I have not maximized the amount of dot movement reduction (the only potential advantage of .38 super). If I had The Finest .38 super that reduced dot movement 25% less than my 9mm major, it wouldn't make one little difference in my scores - there's a lot of other areas that I need to address first. PERHAPS once I was a GM and trying to squeeze out another 0.1%, it might make sense for me to try a .38 super - but I'm no where near that level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B45C22 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 They shoot the same. Don't look for scores to improve with the change from 9 to 38sc. A properly set up 9 will run and run and will be just as flat as a sc. The difference is brass availability. Go on gun broker and try to find brass for a SC. Most of the top guys shoot sc because they have a sponsor that gives them the ammo. They don't have to worry about scrounging it. I shoot 9 because I get 9mm brass for free. I pick it up at the practice range, but leave it at matches. I am over the days of digging brass up off the ground after a match. The thought of it makes me ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parallax3D Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I think that years ago you might have been able to make the case for 38S because of case volume and the better selections of powders that could make major in a 38S, but now? Powders have come a long way in the last few years, and I can name at least a half a dozen powders that can make major in a 9mm. I use Autocomp, and at 173 PF, the case is only about 3/4 full. Comp design has come a long way as well. All of the Master class shooters that I shoot with regularly are using 9 Major, and it doens't seem to be holding them back. As others have said, I think nowadays it comes down to cost rather than performance of the round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavy Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Don't forget, you can reload 38SC more times than 9mm major. This helps offset the higher cost of the SC brass. But you have to pick it up off the ground to reload it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
openclassterror Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 If you shoot many big matches, they will NOT give you time to scrounge your brass just because it is expensive. Try chasing down your empties at the Ironman in the devil-dirt! I went with the 9 just because I don't have to freak out when there isn't an opportunity to pick up my brass. Also, our local PD shoots on the range and they just dump their brass in the garbage. Between that and the occasional box of factory ammo I buy for plinking with my pocket pistol, I haven't bought new 9mm brass in ages. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberacp Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 exactly what posts #11 and 12 wrote. there MAY be a difference with dot movement between SC and 9mm (and so what if there is), thats not whats going to hold you back from becoming a better shooter! What will hold you back is a lack of enough shooting supplies, (that you can afford) for you to utilize to get you to be a better shooter! look for SC brass? out of stock! check the price? close to 200.00 per 1000! 9mm, you can reload it a few times, then toss it. no big deal. big matches, local matches...leave it on the ground! to me...its a no-brainer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heckler Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I have been shooting 9 major for a couple years now and Supercomp before that. Before switching I had always heard you can only load 9 major a couple times then it is no good. That was the only thing that gave me pause before switching. I check my 9 brass just like I do 40, 45, and used to check 38SC. I load it until I see a crack or anything abnormal. It has been my experience that I get no more or less use out of my 9 major brass than I do out of any other brass that I shoot major power factor from. I do not pick up my brass at matches. I concentrate on shooting and socializing, rather than making sure I picked up every piece of expensive hard to find brass. When practicing I pick up all my brass and usually what a non-reloader has left behind gets added to my five gallon buckets at home. Go 9 major and when you get good enough to knock on Max Michel's back door let your sponsors buy your SC brass for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 (edited) If 38 SC is better why is it loosing ground to 9 mm at the Nationals and other major shoots every year. Edited April 8, 2014 by Jaxshooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris iliff Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Don't forget, you can reload 38SC more times than 9mm major. This helps offset the higher cost of the SC brass. But you have to pick it up off the ground to reload it. I shot both, starting with Super for 4-5 years and now 9 for 4-5 years. I've reloaded 9 up to 5 or 6 times and since it was range brass it might have been reloaded prior to me picking it up. I eventually quit picking it up, who knows how many loadings I could get out of a "new" 9 brass. So, for me, the # of reloadings would not play a factor, I'd consider this a wash IMHO. The advantages for shooting nine for me start at NOT picking up the brass. I found that constantly worrying about whether or not I got all my brass back took away from my match experience. It became something I detested and it began to interfere with my stage prep. Hey, maybe for some it's no big deal, but for me, I wanted to maximize my time on each stage and I found I couldn't because I was picking up or searching for brass. I'll say this about the difference "shooting wise", the nine has a sharper recoil impulse to me. It is snappier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Chris, do you remember the load you used for .38 S vs your current load for 9mm major? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joedirt Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 ask and ye shall receive. I really appreciate all the feed back on my question. Practice makes perfect right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyglock Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Perfect practice makes perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayDubU Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I think shooting .38sc is cheaper than 9mm...if you pick up your brass for practice and local matches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idHawk Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I started out shooting .38SC and switched to 9major within the last month. All I can say is the I enjoy shooting the 9major gun much better and my scores are better as well. For the record, both guns were basically the same, made by the same manufacturer, so I can't really say it was the platform that I liked better. I simply shoot the 9 better and it is nice not worrying about the brass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caspian38 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I like how my 38 super shoots but I will swap out for major nine as soon as my barrel needs replacment. Felt recoil is the only thing I dont like about major nine. I agree major nine feels snappy ( not in a good way), but it was negligible looking at the dot. The only real change in this argument is that the cost of 38 super brass has almost eclipsed the cost of a new barrel. Add to that the possibility of selling my 38 super brass and it's a done deal. If you hate major nine you can always have it rechambered to 38 super. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I like how my 38 super shoots but I will swap out for major nine as soon as my barrel needs replacment. Felt recoil is the only thing I dont like about major nine. I agree major nine feels snappy ( not in a good way), but it was negligible looking at the dot. The only real change in this argument is that the cost of 38 super brass has almost eclipsed the cost of a new barrel. Add to that the possibility of selling my 38 super brass and it's a done deal. If you hate major nine you can always have it rechambered to 38 super. This is not true! (9mm is tapered, Super/SC is not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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