9 major or 38 super comp for open?

[Shadyscott999]

15 hours ago, theWacoKid said:

 

I only fire my 9 brass twice before I can't read the headstamp.  That good?

 

IDK maybe normal for 9 grenade.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[SCTaylor]

1 hour ago, Shadyscott999 said:

 

IDK maybe normal for 9 grenade.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

So much angst!

[Sarge]

5 hours ago, Shadyscott999 said:

 

IDK maybe normal for 9 grenade.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nowhere near normal. I load cases 10 times or more and they seem to still be fine. Tight pockets and no real damage to the headstsmps. FAKE NEWS!!

[theWacoKid]

2 hours ago, Sarge said:

Nowhere near normal. I load cases 10 times or more and they seem to still be fine. Tight pockets and no real damage to the headstsmps. FAKE NEWS!!

Or maybe sarcasm..

[Nevadazielmeister]

On 8/8/2018 at 5:42 PM, teros135 said:

 

What were the power factors for these two loads/guns?

 

I am not sure what the power factor was for the 9mm major but do know that it was above 165. 

 

For the 38 Super Comp I am getting 1362 fps with a 124 grain Montana Gold Bullet, which is 168.88. 

[Nevadazielmeister]

On 8/9/2018 at 7:59 AM, Balakay said:

Have you chrono’d these loads?

I need 10.7 g of 3n38 to make 170pf. I have 4 small popples, standard length Brazos comp. 

Maybe your barrel is super fast(or mine is slow) but 8.8 seems light

 

I just chronographed the load of 8.8 grains with a 124 grain Montana Gold bullet and got speeds of 1373 high, 1353 low, 1362 average, with average PF of 168.88. It is a tungsten sleeved heavy barrel, if that helps at all. 

[Balakay]

2 hours ago, Nevadazielmeister said:

 

I just chronographed the load of 8.8 grains with a 124 grain Montana Gold bullet and got speeds of 1373 high, 1353 low, 1362 average, with average PF of 168.88. It is a tungsten sleeved heavy barrel, if that helps at all. 

Thx.. My 10.7 g load is with 115s so this makes more sense

[Posvar]

I’ve only ever loaded and shot 9mm major and haven’t had a problem. I do hand inspect each piece of brass prior to loading and do dump certain head stamps. With the Precision Delta 124g JHP bullets 9mm major is pretty nice. 

[a matt]

On 8/22/2018 at 9:05 AM, kneelingatlas said:

 

I don't sort my brass prior to loading, here's my process:

 

-dirty range pickup goes into the dirty bin

-30-40 minutes in a tumbler with dry walnut media and it goes into the clean bin

-before I ran out of case lube I'd spray with case lube on it's way into the clean bin, but since I ran out, the machine runs with slightly more effort.

-into the case feeder of my bullet fed 650

-loaded rounds are tumbled in the same dry media for another 30-40 min, this knocks primers out of any loose primer pockets, removes any grease or grit and leaves loaded rounds smooth and shiny.

-dump loaded rounds on a damp towel to remove media dust

-chamber check each round in the barrel it will be fired in, pass rounds go ammo boxes for matches, fails into a box for practice

-once match ammo is in the box, I run my finger over the headstamps transferring any stepped cases to the practice box

 

Since I adopted this process I have yet to have an ammo failure in a match, interestingly I've only had two stepped cases separate, both in the same gun, so I don't think it's even an issue to worry about in the others, but better safe than sorry.

 

I do almost the same with

my 9mm except wet tumbled prior to reloading then after I load them I check it with a 100rouns shockbottle gauge or whatever it’s called. While  they are in the 100 gauge I ck the primers are all seated then dump them in a plastic MTM 100rd bullet holder.  I have had really good results from this process. I think the more the brass/bullet is handled the better the chance a occasional bad round will be found. When I shot 38 S/Comp each time I practiced I would have a case split but I also shot 3 times a week about 2 to 300 per. Not these days but that is a whole different story to be told on an uncomfortable couch to $200 an hour shrink. I’m guessing anyway. Lol

  Good luck

Edited August 28, 2018 by a matt

[chase214]

I have a 38sc if I keep the pistol then I will have a 9 barrel fitted it will not be cheap but I'm done crawling around on the ground looking for brass 

[a matt]

44 minutes ago, chase214 said:

I have a 38sc if I keep the pistol then I will have a 9 barrel fitted it will not be cheap but I'm done crawling around on the ground looking for brass 

I had my LSI 38 comp built with 9mm too.  I mainly shoot 9 these days

[chase214]

I'll shoot 38sc for major matches but l shoot more local matches so that's the main reason for the 9 barrel

[a matt]

I was doing the same. Then I went back to 3n38 for 9 (I was always using 3n38 for super-comp) and worked on my loads till the 9 and comp were close enough to the same recoil impulse or the dot moved really close to the same ahooting both I just stuck 9 for all my open shooting. Yes, 38 super comp feels a bit softer, is easier to eject, load and reload but once I got my gun to run (eject) without any issues and got the dots to move the same I just didn't miss the price or chasing that comp brass after I shot it.  Now my 9 is ultra reliable and has been reliable for a while. It took some trial and error to get the 9 to run without any issues like comp seemed to do from the jump. I'm sure it's not as hard as I might make it seem but in getting my 9 running as good as with comp I learned everything I'll need to know about a 2011 from getting a crisp 2 lb break to getting brass to land in a 5 gallon bucket and knowing how fit and fix anything that may go south at a match was worth the effort to me. Good luck 

Edited September 3, 2018 by a matt

[speed]

38 super comp is best   cost is way more than 9mm though  lost brass hurts more too  if your looking for the absolute best reliability  super comp all day!! 

[a matt]

That’s been the consensus for most of my time shooting open too.

[RGC]

2 hours ago, speed said:

38 super comp is best   cost is way more than 9mm though  lost brass hurts more too  if your looking for the absolute best reliability  super comp all day!! 

This....

i had an SV built with both top ends (went through divorce,..sold...yadda yadda regrets), but the 38 is flatter.  Period.  

[sc68cal]

I have a 38sc and 9 major gun. The one thing that bothers me about shooting 9 major is that unless you're buying/sorting brass to have the same headstamp, you're going to have some variability in the rounds. I use an EGW U-die and also the ShockBottle case gauge for both 9 major and 38SC and I really like how with 38SC starline brass, it drops in the gauge and comes out, no problem. Completely uniform.

 

When I'm loading mixed once-fired brass for 9 major the cases are going to have slightly different tolerances and I have to monitor the adjustment of my EGW u-die for 9mm, and even then some are going to be absolutely 100% perfect, and some are just going to be tight in the gauge and need a little push to come out of the Hundo. Plenty of cases that are beat to hell, have bulges (they get knocked out by the Udie but still), and have crimped primer pockets. It's a hassle.

 

9 major is great for PRACTICE because you just shoot it and leave it, and it's half the price of 38sc.

 

For major matches however, it's the same cost because I buy new 9mm starline brass and load it. I don't want to buy an airline ticket, rent a car, stay in a hotel, then step up to the line and have ANY issues with ammo.

 

As for which shoots softer, I'm still working up a 38sc load so I can't compare my 9 major vs 38sc loads just yet since I'm not at the same power factor.

 

Edited September 6, 2018 by sc68cal

[a matt]

Every gun is different but most like .38 super ir comp more than 9. It takes some effort to get

9 reliable as super or comp. 

[S&W686]

For the last three years I have been shooting 9 major.  I got into PCC and then sold my 9 Major.  I did not think I would miss shooting Open that much but I did.  Freedom Gunworks/CK Arms was running a special of 10% off any gun on their website for their 10th anniversary.  I could not pass that up and purchased the only 38 SC they had for sale.  This is my first Super Comp Open Gun.  I received the gun yesterday and took it to the range this afternoon.  Since I don't have all of my reloading accessories for 38 SC yet I purchased some 38 SC 125gr from Atlanta Arms.  With the Atlanta Arms ammo I am getting a power factor of 170.  I didn't think there would be that much difference between the 9 Major and 38 SC but there is.  The gun ran fast, flat, and the dot stayed in the window.  The only drawback is picking up the brass again but it is well worth it and I am going to have fun.

[theWacoKid]

I've shot 9 major since I started this game.  The reason was strictly because I had 9mm infrastructure and the cost of making my ammo would be reduced.  Of course I have tinkered non-stop with 9 loads and guns finding what I prefer and what works.

 

During the time of shooting 9 I have shot a few super guns.  Some felt really nice and some didn't feel so good.  That tells me right off that the round isn't magic, but my thought was that super could likely be better shooting, whatever that means, and has more options in terms of load recipes.

 

Recently I decided to experiment with super comp and 9x23 just to see where it would lead me.  I set up my backup gun to shoot super, 9x23, and 9mm.  Of course, before I came to any conclusions, the slide broke.  So far, the only thing I'm sure of is that there are much more options for loading super and there is something about a 9mm set up right that feels very good.  What exactly that feeling is I'm not even sure of yet, but I know I feel something.  I've yet to find any magic in 38 super that improves my hit factor, but I am willing to keep trying the next time I have the time and opportunity.

 

In terms of functioning, the two best things about 38 super are how it stacks in magazines and how it ejects.  I have a theory that 38 super and 9x23 ejection consistency is easier simply because of the weight and cg of the empty case and nothing more.  Having said that, nothing constitutes anything that means a super can't malfunction or a 9 can't run 100%.  It's not magic, neither round is any guarantee of anything.

 

While I expected to fall in love with 38 super, I'm not yet convinced and will continue to shoot 9 until I can prove to myself some real benefit in making a switch.

 

 

    

[a matt]

I like shooting 9 in my open gun. I found a major load both my gun and i am happy with so I’m sticking with it.  Cheers all

[Nalle2491]

In my opinion and the 9mm is more volatile than the 38sc, but brass is much more expensive for the 38. There’s pros and cons to both. But for me it’s all about the 38sc