Post by coyote6974 on Aug 3, 2015 21:49:43 GMT -5
I've been an avid handgun enthusiast for nearly 40 years now. There's been one on my side on the job for 35 years, and I've hunted with them since before then. I've shot critters from gophers to deer, to turtles to groundhogs, to coyotes with them. One thing I always liked was a handgun that I could fire different cartridges from, such as a .357 magnum that could fire .38 special, or a .44 Magnum that could fire .44 special cartridges. Having this capability made practicing with these revolvers using the lesser powered and cheaper ammo a great option.
In the past 20 years though, I've developed a strong liking for the 1911 pistol. Colts in particular. It started with a department issued .45 ACP Gunsite pistol. Seeing that .45 mow over steel targets that a 9MM round would just clang into made me a believer in the grand ole thumper. But I was also a fan of the energy delivered to a target from a high velocity 125 grain HP fired from a fine .357 Magnum revolver. I'd also sent many a 148 grain hollow base wadcutter out the tube of my S&W K and L frame revolvers making nice round holes through paper targets. I loved the smell of bullseye burning in the morning. Then I loaded that same revolver with 125 grain grenades and went well armed into the night. One rides there today while I bowhunt deer, and is a great finisher on sniped coyotes.
A few years ago it dawned on me that I could combine that 1911 pistol with that .357 Magnum revolver in the form of a 1911 chambered in .38 Super. Capable of sending out a 124 grain HP bullet at 1400 FPS, a .38 Super 1911 pistol would be a fine melding of both of my favorites but for one thing. I wouldn't be able to load that 1911 with a cheaper, lower powered round for plinking and practice. Sure, I could download a couple of grains of powder under hardball bullets and shoot a little cheaper, but the pistol had to run reliably, and to do so, it needed to be fed nearly full charged ammo, meaning, in .38 Super, expensive ammo, compared to say....
Today I took delivery of a new barrel from BarSto precision chambered in 9MM. By the end of this week, I will have this barrel fit to my Colt Lightweight Commander chambered in .38 Super. Though 9MM ammo isn't quit as cheap as .22 rimfire, in this day and age it's not really a whole lot more expensive when hand loading is an option. I hand load for my .38 Super, but brass is a bit costly when compared to 9MM brass that can be found by the bucket full for the cost of picking it up. Now I'll have a dual cartridge 1911 that can go from rocket like self defense loads to half the price to shoot 9MM practice ammo that if I lose a piece of brass it's no big deal. Looking forward to it.