rupture Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Awful lot of 38 supers in the classifieds. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockton Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I like my back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Hello: I did and I am Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Front Man Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I have too much brass to go nine. (Don't have $ for a new blaster either...) FM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JorDanO Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Guilty as charged. I do still have one super squirreled away though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 No with 38 Super I can use any powder and bullet. With current brass prices even 9mm isnt that cheap. They usually list what calibers are in top 16 at Nationals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Awful lot of 38 supers in the classifieds. Opinions? I'm not so sure the classifieds mean all that much...it could be coincidence, it could be folks who aren't primarily Open shooters selling guns for a little cash in hard times....hard to say really. We've talked about this a lot in the last couple of years and right now it seems there are actually some folks going from 9 back to Super/SC. Some folks are still going to make the switch from Super to 9, but the economics of it only work out in certain situations. It used to be that anybody seemingly could come up with a source of either free, or inexpensive brass, without much trouble. Now, much of that well has dried up as fewer and fewer law enforcement agencies are issuing 9s...and some suppliers have run out of it frequently due to overall demand from reloading componenets the last six months or so. Once you have to buy brass the price gap closes, and if you can recover most of your brass (say at local matches and practice) you'll get more for your dollar with Super/SC because it lasts a long time (10x isn't unreasonable) where most folks seem to be using 9 only once or twice and leaving it. If I pay $125 for 1K of SC and use it ten times, I've spent a lot less than the guy that has to buy 9 at $30/K ten times. For folks that can't recover their brass, or folks who have a bad back and simply don't want to bother picking brass, it starts to really make sense. I know that just within the last two weeks I've had PM discussions with guys that are primarily 9 Major shooters and they both bought backup guns in 38SC to compare to their 9s...kinda interesting. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neomet Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) After the expense of an Open pistol, what I pay for range time, match fees, gas, powder and projectiles I personally can't get see picking a caliber because the brass costs might be slightly less. I pick up my brass, or at least all I can find so depending on how much I pick up SC might actually be cheaper. At least it is close. 38SC just gives me the options I want in powder selection which I think is a large component in having a soft, flat shooting Open gun. (Think 3n38 or N105) I haven't heard anyone really argue that 9 is a better performing platform, just possibly less expensive. Just my .02 edited because i can't spell Edited January 22, 2010 by Neomet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flack jacket Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I just got my Open gun back from the 'smithy, from 9x21 to 9x19 for obvious reasons, it's a P9/Tanfolio. I did it because of the once fired I find plentiful. One of the GM's at my club moved back to 38S from 9major because he found it flat/soft shooting with his load / comp combination. In fact, he moved from STI/SVI to Caspian wide body. I'm personally not at that level of shooting to notice the difference, perhaps one day I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I do NOT shoot Open. Yet! But if I were to find a used (not abused) .38 Super or .38 SuperComp open gun at a good price that actually ran, yeah, sure I would be tempted to pick it up. I have some .38 Super/SC/TJ brass squirreled away here at the house that I could make some reloads for it, just to make sure it ran with .38Super/SC/TJ. Then, with all the 9mm Para/Luger brass I have I would probably quickly get it re-barreled to 9Major. However, if I found a good used Open gun in 9Major that ran, at a good price...I would sell a kidney on eBay (you only need one, right?) to snatch it up. With the money left over (what's the going rate for a kidney? ), I would actually buy some copper jacketed bullets for it too. Oh..and one of those barely there holsters too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I shoot 9 major strictly because of the brass cost which is free for me. At times my back acts up and I don't feel like picking up brass. When I was shooting 38sc that wasn't an option. I have no reliability issues and the brass will last several reloadings. The only thing that wears out is the primer pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezco Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I started Open with 38 SC and know my gun shoots flat with a variety of powder and bullet loads so I don't see a need to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitman Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Short answer is no. Seems many new to open are going 9, many cause they already reload 9s and dont want to add another caliber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcs Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Started with 9 Major. Gun ran great. Brass was $19 a thou for once fired. Now shooting 38SC. I like having more choices when it comes to powder for a 38SC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffWard Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Short answer is no. Seems many new to open are going 9, many cause they already reload 9s and dont want to add another caliber. I'm not moving to Open any time soon, but I have access to cheap 9mm (LOTS) and I already load 9mm for Production, and my carry gun, so I'd likely go 9-Major. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenTX Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I use 38 SC because It gives me more otions for reloading. You can use STI mags without spacers. I don't have to worry about a 9 Major round getting into your 9mm production gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecutts Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I started with 9mm, now I'm shooting supercomp for a whole host of reasons. Oh yeah and I've got a couple of open guns for sale both in 38 supercomp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 There are a lot of 38 Supers for sale just like there are a lot of Toyota's on the road. There are just more of them. You also see more Open Guns for sale than Single Stacks or Limited guns. The reason for that is the nature of the Open Class. Open shooters change guns more often than other divisions. I am on number 6 in two years (have 3 all run true 100%). Why because I still don't know exactly what works best for me, I'm on my 3rd limited gun in the same time and have lost all desire for something better because I feel like I have the perfect limited gun, actually two. Now open guns is another story, still looking for the magic one. I bought 2,000 SC brass 2 years ago, I did 6 majors last year (lost brass) still have 1500 new and 5000 in the reload pool. RO at 4 majors, and Dykem + nut roller so 9 mm isn't any cheaper for me, and I don't bend over just roll them up. I shoot an average of 6 local matches a month. I do have a 9 mm topend just have not had enough desire to try it out, yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt2ace Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I get atleast 4 reloads on my 9 major brass, 6 or more if I roll-size the brass. I have found that powder choice can impact 9 major brass life. The faster powders seem to beat on the brass much worse. In my experience to date, slower powders like AA7, HS6, 3N38, Autocomp seem to allow for more reloads before the brass it unusable. I am still experimenting with powders to see if this theory is true (multiple reloads with various powders using same brass). Roll-sizing every 2-3 reloads keeps the primer pockets tight (a big problem in 9 major) the case diameter in spec for size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWLAZS Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I have been shooting 9mm for a few years. I buy/trade for brass when I can get a good deal. Its not quite as cheap now but its still around. I use once fired brass for matches. I pick up all my practice brass and re use it without keeping track of how often it is reloaded. I use the same powder/bullet combo that I used in .38 super. When I shot .38 I lost all my match brass and reused the practice brass. I used the brass until it was lost or unfit for use. My brass bill is lower with the nine and the gun shoots the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireant Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I sold all my super comp brass and topend of my open gun to finance the switch to 9 major. I happened on a great deal for about 50K pieces of once fired 9mm brass for a steal, so I am set for a long time. I don't notice much if any difference in the performance once I tunned the gun to what I like. Now I don't have to worry about feeling like I have to find every piece of brass when I shoot and I don't mind lost brass matches at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rma_38sup Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) When I shot 38 Super I typically lost 1/3 to 2/3 my brass depending on the type of bay surface ( gravel vs grass, etc). Like a previous poster I could usually count on getting back 90% or more after pracice sessions. With 9 MM, I pay $35 to $45 shipped for single manufacturer, cleaned brass that I resize with a case pro. Typically I leave it behind at matches and pick up around 90% after practice sessions. For me the math works as follows: 38 Super: Based on $120-$150 plus shipping for 1000 super brass and assuming I get it back an average half of the brass at matches the cost per 1000 is in the range of $60 to $75 (Plus shipping). 9 MM: the cost per 1000 for me is $35 to $45 (Shipped). Would prefer to shoot Super becuase it is easier to reload, but the cost and not having to chase it at matches has me shooting. Clearly picking it up can happen for either type of brass. You just have to decide what you prefer. Robert L2723 Edited January 22, 2010 by rma_38sup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMartens Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I have an open gun almost finished and it is 9 major. Easy for me since I have over 20k pieces of 9mm brass, I shoot production and I have a 9mm carry gun. Brass, at least right now, is plentiful and I can normally get about all I can pick up for just the investment of time and effort, after the match is over. I shot a friends 38 Super for a few local matches to decide if I wanted to go open and I felt like a barnyard chicken every stage. With 9 major I pay attention to the targets and work on what I did right and wrong [more wrong than right] and never give the brass a second thought. I bought SV mags so there are no spacers to worry about. I've been able to develop major loads so far with 4 powders and 3 bullets. The new gun will decide which is best. Granted, when you can't get your regular powder, primer, bullet [or all 3] 9 major may not have as many options but, there are still options. I load major with different bullets so mixing major loads with production or carry is not a problem. I do try to stripe my brass so that others will know that it is major. I have run a few pieces of brass through several reloadings and the primer pockets do start to loosen up after 4 reloads or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neomet Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 20-$150 plus shipping for 1000 super brass and assuming I get it back an average half of the brass at matches the cost per 1000 is in the range of $60 to $75 (Plus shipping). 9 MM: the cost per 1000 for me is $35 to $45 (Shipped). Robert L2723 To Bart's point thoughif you can get three times the reloads out of SC brass aren't you money ahead with the SC using your formula? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) I reload my 9mm brass until the primers fall out and that is somewhere around 20 reloads.... I use my Dillon dies and just a hint of flare with a just enough crimp to knock the flare down. I have zero jams... JT EDIT: I really like the brass after it gets a couple of loads on it... I know it works well and it resizes easy and I know it will run through my reloader fine. My brass "problems" are more about how they go through my press than the gun. When I get a new load of once shot mixed I have all sorts of little issues with the press as I weed out the bad brass. After I load it a couple times it's all conditioned to my press and gun and it's a snap to load. m2pence Edited January 22, 2010 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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