STI Trubor.....9mm or 38 Super ?

[Sandbagger123]

i see it pretty frequently for 20-25 per 1k if bought by the large FRB. i bought mine in 9mm to save brass cost. in my area there is no such thing as brassing for the shooter. you want it back ,you pick it up yourself. i was concerned about doing so because people say they don't run well in 9mm. after a change of spring and a good cleaning mine has run 100% over 600 rds.

[R.Elliott]

38 SC brass is currently going for $250.00/1000 here (Ontario Canada). I'm not really crazy about the idea of switch to 9 major but at these prices I'm seriously thinking about it. 9mm brass is 1/10th the price.

[MrPostman]

I have the 38 super barrel that came in mine but I just fitted a Trubor blank in 9mm, so I can see the 38 super barrel sitting in the case from now on.I paid $90 for 5K plus $17 shipping for mixed indoor range brass. They give you extra for the few dented cases that you will find in the box. The brass isn't processed, but I have a wet tumbler that will tumble 1k and have it nice and shiny in about 1.5 hours.

[JimF38sup]

I purchased a 38 sup GM . When I purchased it I would have not been able to shoot 9mm for at least 6 months because of the powder shortage. No problem now but next year, who knows. Then there is the gas thing. The comp works on gas. Less powder. faster powder = less gas.

I shoot 2 to three matches per month and calculate if I don't pick up brass (I usually do) I lose 3000 per year. Just figured it as part of the expense. My annual round count is about 25,000.

If there is a next open gun for me it will still be 38 super(comp).

[bigboy69]

The brass is the issue for me. I love 38 super, I think it's a more versatile caliber.

When I first got my super 3 yrs ago a lot of people were going to 9 open. What I'm seeing now especially at local matches, it looks like people are going back to 38 Super.

[photoracer]

I had a custom STI built in 2010 in 9x23mm (same case length as 38S/SC but can stand higher pressure). I went with 9x23 over 38 SC because I already a gun in that caliber I was reloading for. I even made a deal for a lot of new brass from a fellow competitor getting out of the sport due to health issues. Still like most have said I got tired of having to scavenge for my brass at every match and skipping any lost brass matches. I still have a good amount of new 9x23 brass left but just don't feel like dealing with it. Considering rebarreling it in 9mm and may do it. Built a G34 into an open gun originally for 3-gun but find myself using it in USPSA and SC with off the shelf ammo. My take would be to go 9Major if you are starting from scratch.

[Hello]

My .02 is this; if you intend on ever putting ports in the gun go 38SC, if you don't plan on porting 9mm is just fine. Everyone mentions the extra expense of SC brass but what they fail to mention is that free 9MM brass is usually fired brass, this equates to extra processing and sorting time to make it 9MM major worthy. You can pick up your SC brass when your done shooting and recoup a good portion of your expense and that brass reloads super easy. With 9mm you can't recoup that extra processing time unless you buy new brass and then your in the same boat as SC anyway so may as well get the benefit of the extra case volume of SC.

Right now I shoot a ported 9mm because time is less valuable to me then money. When time becomes more valuable I always switch back to SC.

[echotango]

I don't process 9mm. Wet tumble, dry, load. No issues. I'm not knocking SC. I have never owned a SC gun. But there are no extra steps to load range brass. I have 16k pcs of 9. Get rid of the crap headstamps and there are no issues.

Edited April 1, 2016 by echotango

[Racinready300ex]

I know some people who buy once fired 9mm shoot it once and leave it. That's the hole point in their mind, cheap brass you don't have to pick up.

I just bought a 38 Super gun got 1k cases for $120. I've shot it about 3 times now, so that makes it about $.04/load at this point. I'll shoot it at least a couple more times before I go to a lost brass match and lose it. At that point it will be at about $.02/load. So I'll be about even with what they are spending. Any brass that makes it longer will do even better.

[Hello]

echotango: your post confirms my comments. What kind of time does it take to look at 16k head stamps to pull out the crap ones?

[Hi-Power Jack]

What kind of time does it take to look at 16k head stamps to pull out the crap ones?

I examine every piece of brass as I reload - check for bad headstamps, crimped primers,

cracks, live primers, dirt in the case, etc.

So, it really doesn't take any extra time.

[Hello]

To get 9mm major to run 100% all the time you must either use new brass or add the following steps to used mixed head stamp "free" brass: Swage, undersize, bulge bust or roll size (your choice), sort out the crap. Anyone not doing these steps will have malfs or they are BS'ing you.

And then if you have automated presses like I do you have to go back thru your brass and double check for any .380 that is mixed in. I have never bought a batch that did not have some mixed in.

38SC extra step mark it so you can pick up yours. Load the crap out of it until the primers fall out.

Only telling the truth!

Edited April 1, 2016 by Hello

[S&W686]

I have a Freedom Gunworks 9mm major gun with 3 popple holes. I have had the gun for just over a year and have ran right at 4000 rounds through the gun without any problems. I get once fired brass from a gentleman in Arkansas who sends it to me primer removed, pressure checked, ringer checked, primer pocket swaged, full length sized, base sized, roll sized, and polished. When I do place an order for brass I purchase 5000 cases for $289.00 shipped and I do not pick up my brass after finishing a stage.

[ffgats]

Been shooting 38 super before moving to Canada, back then the lost brass is not a concern, all clubs has its own brass boys ( like golf caddies), regardless of the match level, so expect 95% of your brass will be back after shooting the stage. In Canada, Since labor is expensive here, I switched to 9 major, just used IF $35/K. I only picked up my fired brass during my practice shoots at my local range, my 9mm brass ilfe cycle is between 5-6 reloads. after that will use for my Classic loads.

[Sarge]

To get 9mm major to run 100% all the time you must either use new brass or add the following steps to used mixed head stamp "free" brass: Swage, undersize, bulge bust or roll size (your choice), sort out the crap. Anyone not doing these steps will have malfs or they are BS'ing you.

And then if you have automated presses like I do you have to go back thru your brass and double check for any .380 that is mixed in. I have never bought a batch that did not have some mixed in.

38SC extra step mark it so you can pick up yours. Load the crap out of it until the primers fall out.

Only telling the truth!

Telling the truth according to who? I think somebody is BSing you or maybe you're BSing yourself. I load 9MAJOR just like I load minor. I'm pretty careful at sorting out brass but I don't roll size, bulge bust etc. I have reloaded some cases a dozen times. I don't have ammo problems nor do the many 9MAJOR loaders on here.

What does an automated press have to do with sorting out 380? I sort that out pretty early in the game.

FWIW I have never bought 9mm brass. I have traded for some a time or two but it gets sorted first thing. Any reloader worth his salt checks brass he buys or trades for before just dumping it in the casefeeder. That will be problematic even on a rockchucker!

[Sarge]

My .02 is this; if you intend on ever putting ports in the gun go 38SC, if you don't plan on porting 9mm is just fine. Everyone mentions the extra expense of SC brass but what they fail to mention is that free 9MM brass is usually fired brass, this equates to extra processing and sorting time to make it 9MM major worthy. You can pick up your SC brass when your done shooting and recoup a good portion of your expense and that brass reloads super easy. With 9mm you can't recoup that extra processing time unless you buy new brass and then your in the same boat as SC anyway so may as well get the benefit of the extra case volume of SC.

Right now I shoot a ported 9mm because time is less valuable to me then money. When time becomes more valuable I always switch back to SC.

Ports? You mean Popple holes? I don't use them but they are becoming fairly common on full size 9's.

[echotango]

echotango: your post confirms my comments. What kind of time does it take to look at 16k head stamps to pull out the crap ones?

Well I did't pick up 16k at one time. I pick up my brass after each stage plus whatever 9mm is laying around. I then sort it when I get home. Typically 150 rounds or so. Takes me a couple minutes with a sorting tray.

Edited April 1, 2016 by echotango

[echotango]

To get 9mm major to run 100% all the time you must either use new brass or add the following steps to used mixed head stamp "free" brass: Swage, undersize, bulge bust or roll size (your choice), sort out the crap. Anyone not doing these steps will have malfs or they are BS'ing you.

And then if you have automated presses like I do you have to go back thru your brass and double check for any .380 that is mixed in. I have never bought a batch that did not have some mixed in.

38SC extra step mark it so you can pick up yours. Load the crap out of it until the primers fall out.

Only telling the truth!

Mine runs 100%. I don't swage, bulge bust or roll size. Like I said before. Wet tumble, dry, load.

My 1050 has a M die in station 3. I don't even use the swager.

Edited April 1, 2016 by echotango

[echotango]

To get 9mm major to run 100% all the time you must either use new brass or add the following steps to used mixed head stamp "free" brass: Swage, undersize, bulge bust or roll size (your choice), sort out the crap. Anyone not doing these steps will have malfs or they are BS'ing you.

And then if you have automated presses like I do you have to go back thru your brass and double check for any .380 that is mixed in. I have never bought a batch that did not have some mixed in.

38SC extra step mark it so you can pick up yours. Load the crap out of it until the primers fall out.

Only telling the truth!

Telling the truth according to who? I think somebody is BSing you or maybe you're BSing yourself. I load 9MAJOR just like I load minor. I'm pretty careful at sorting out brass but I don't roll size, bulge bust etc. I have reloaded some cases a dozen times. I don't have ammo problems nor do the many 9MAJOR loaders on here.

What does an automated press have to do with sorting out 380? I sort that out pretty early in the game.

FWIW I have never bought 9mm brass. I have traded for some a time or two but it gets sorted first thing. Any reloader worth his salt checks brass he buys or trades for before just dumping it in the casefeeder. That will be problematic even on a rockchucker!

Agreed.

[FTP_Shooting_Sports]

I would say it depends on how serious you plan to be. 38 SC cases have a larger case capacity so you can use a slower burning powder and have a larger volume of gas. That works the comp better. How much better is the real question but a lot of matches are won and lost by very small percentages. With the trend of more ports in the barrels, some powders will not be able to make major in the 9mm. Most of the best Open shooters in the world run 38 SC.

The big advantage of 9mm is the cost of the brass.

[Hello]

Keep on keepin on... while your rackin your slide the 38sc or the guy that put the extra TIME in on his 9mm brass will blow on by!

Call them ports poppel holes, thrust vectoring for all I care... I have them on all my current open guns and they are all shorties. I've owned 5 major 9's, 6 SC's, and 5 supers and I've ran major 9 in all of them except 2 heavily "ported" SC's. All built by top smiths in our sport. My point is the more heavily ported they are the longer your oal ends up being to accommodate more powder. With 9 major the longer you load the more important case prep and inspection becomes. And that's a fact jack!

[Hi-Power Jack]

To get 9mm major to run 100% all the time you must either use new brass or add the following steps to used mixed head stamp "free" brass: Swage, undersize, bulge bust or roll size (your choice

Mine runs 100%. I don't swage, bulge bust or roll size. Like I said before. Wet tumble, dry, load.

Not necessary to do any of those "extra steps" - I just reload them (take out the bad headstamps).

[T.McDevitt]

55% of participants at the USPSA Open Nationals shot 38 Super/SuperComp.

That 55% can't sell there 38 Super/SuperComp Guns. If I remember correctly a couple years ago 38S/SC was much much higher percentage of shooters. I Started with 38 Super, I now shoot 9mm in my Open pistol AND my PCC can't see any distinguishable performance difference

[kneelingatlas]

I have sold the last of my 38s, now I'm all nine!

[DenverDave]

Atlas,

Then what are your thoughts on the Tanfoglio Gold Team in 9mm?