Peter K Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 Hi, what is the difference between these cartridges/cases: .38 Super Auto .38 Super Auto + P (ok, that´s easy: more gas pressure...) .38 Super Auto Rimless (ok, no rim...) .38 Supercomp Can I use all these cartridges/cases in a gun chambered for .38SA???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 Maybe yes, maybe no. My Caspian, built by Nowlin, has no problems with mixed brass. Other guns are not so easygoing. You'll have to try to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 The chamber should accomodate all of them. The tough part is the extractor - the rimless versions and the semi-rimmed versions may not be compatible. Like Patrick, my Rusty Kidd built .38 Supercomp gun would run also tolerate regular Super and Super +P brass (it had an AFTEC 9mm/9x23/.38 Super Rimless/Supercomp extractor in it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 Hey we might as well turn this into a thread that mentions all the .38 Super Auto rimless variations... There's .38 Super Lapua and whatever Matt McLearn called his, .38 MCM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 MCM is correct. Don't forget .38 TJ too, though that stuff is high $ now new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted June 3, 2005 Share Posted June 3, 2005 Don't forget: 9mm Supercomp/Starline 9x23mm Starline 9x23mm Winchester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRT Driver Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 Don't forget:9mm Supercomp/Starline 9x23mm Starline 9x23mm Winchester The 9X23 variations are tapered cases. The 38 Super etc are straight walled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 Yeah, nevermind all the flavors of .355, just the ".38 Super Auto" rimless variations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter K Posted June 4, 2005 Author Share Posted June 4, 2005 Yeah, nevermind all the flavors of .355, just the ".38 Super Auto" rimless variations. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I cannot understand this! What do you mean??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooterj Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 If the chamber is not fully supported (older .38ACP) do not shoot any of the other 38 variations. The ACP's were not designed for the higher preasure rounds. If the chamber is fully supported, .38 super and .38 super+p should run with no extractor mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Yeah, nevermind all the flavors of .355, just the ".38 Super Auto" rimless variations. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I cannot understand this! What do you mean??? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 9x23 and it's co-horts (9 Super Comp) are lengthened 9mm-based cases and different than the modified 38 Super-based cases-- most of the difference is the 9-related cases are tapered and Supers are not. That taper is a few thousanths of an inch more at the back of the case, which can lead to all kinds of problems. Avoid mixing 9-mm based cases and super-based cases even if the gun runs like that-- most don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superdude Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Wow, lots of answers and nobody answered your question. I’ll give it a try. Conventional 38 Auto and 38 Super: All the cartridges you mentioned are variations of the same case. It is a straight walled case with a nominal diameter of .3840 and a length of .9000 max. The 38 Auto is the original cartridge introduced in 1900 in the Colt 38 Automatic pistol. it propelled a 130 grain bullet at 1050 fps. The Super Auto was introduced in 1929 and it pushed the 130 grain bullets at 1280 fps. It was renamed the 38 Super Auto, or just the 38 Super. In 1974 the industry adopted the +P headstamp to distinguish it from the older 38 Auto. They did this because the 38 Super opperates at much higher pressure than the old cartridge. Both the 38 Auto and 38 Super Auto are semi-rimmed cases. The rim diameter (.4060) is a wee larger than the rest of the case (.3840). Rimless versions of the 38 Super: The 38 Auto rimless is, as you noted, a rimless version of the 38 Super (and see the 38 Supercomp below). I think there is one company that designates their brass with this name - but I forget the name. The 38 SuperComp (made by Starline brass) is a rimless version of the 38 Super. It was made, I think, in response to the fact that the rimmed cases sometimes have feeding problems in high capacity magazines. Removing the rim helps them feed reliably. Another rimless version of the 38 Super is the 38TJ (38 Todd Jarrett, Made by Hornady). Bottom line: they are all the same cartridge, the conventional ones are semi-rimmed and the newer ones are rimless. All the cases can be used in your 38 Super pistol. Your extractor might distinguish between the semi-rimmed and rimless versions since their diameter is different, and this could result in case extraction problems. Most folks would advise you to not use the old 38 Auto brass in your 38 Super gun since the 38 Auto brass might not be strong enough for the pressures of the common 38 Super. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuildSF4 Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Don't the Super Comp, MCM, and 38 TJ have a thicker web on the brass also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter K Posted June 10, 2005 Author Share Posted June 10, 2005 Hope this helps. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Superdude, that´s what I wanted to know! Thanks a lot!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now