Won an auction for a Colt Lightweight Commander in 38 Super

[bigarm]

Really like the 38 Super and always thought a lightweight commander in that caliber would make a great carry gun. Guess I will find out.

[contender1]

Congrats!

[pworley1]

Let us know what you decide.

[scaevola]

Congratulations!

You're in for a treat when you get to shoot it; I have a lightweight Colt XSE Commander and love it.

[MtGun44]

I could reliably and safely get 1400 fps with a Hornady 124 JHP in my
.38 Super with 5" bbl. W571/HS7 was the key, no longer available but
maybe find some old stock. AA7 should be close in performance or Blue
Dot.

[bigarm]

Sent the money order off today. Wish my wife was as happy as I am! Guess you can't have everything!

[blaser.306]

Powders that my 38 super likes! 4756, 7625, power pistol, 3n37,571 Bear in mind these are loaded in the interest of making major power factor, and do that with style! PS These powders are lit off by a small rifle primer to help with the "pressure issues" YMMV. Enjoy the caliber I really like mine.

[revolvergeek]

Excellent! Congratulations! I have always wanted one of them.

[c1skout]

Good for you! I have a Rock Island in 38super. Everybody who shoots it wants to get one.

[khmer6]

38 super rocks! Loaded hot in some 38super comp brass and it's a tack driver!!

[MtGun44]

Try Power Pistol or Blue Dot in that one for top end self defense loads with JHPs. I drove
148 SWCs to a bit over 1200 for IPSC major caliber, but the only powder then
that would do it was W571/HS7. I think you might be able to get there with
PP, which didn't exist back in the days I was doing this.

Alliant shows 9.2 of Blue Dot under a 124 Speer Gold Dot at 1,312 fps but no
PP data for that. AA7 is close in speed to HS7, may work, too.

[gwpercle]

Sent the money order off today. Wish my wife was as happy as I am! Guess you can't have everything!
Get her something real nice for Easter, if it's nice enough, she will forget all about your new toy.
Gary

[Green Frog]

Sounds like you found a fine old gun. If it is an original light weight, don't get in a hurry to try to make Major Power Factor with your loads for it. There was a very good reason the "race gun" community went to ramped, fully supported barrels for their 38 Supers, and that was with steel frame, full sized guns. If kept in its factory configuration, I would limit myself to loads on the order of factory power and enjoy the gun for what it is, not try to make it something it was never intended to be. Others my disagree, but that's just my 2¢.

Froggie

[RJM52]

Really like the 38 Super and always thought a lightweight commander in that caliber would make a great carry gun. Guess I will find out.


..so exactly what did you get? Is it one of the older original Commanders that were made between 1949-1980+-...or one of the newer XSE or TALO guns?

I have carried a .38 Super Commander daily since 1980...doesn't get any better...

Bob

[bigarm]

I bought a new Talo gun, at least it has the T at the end of the serial number. I looked for an older one a while back and the prices were outrageous. I found this one at a somewhat reasonable price on gunbroker. I saw a few on armslist and they wanted way too much. I have wanted one for years. I have owned a government model for years and always liked the cartridge. It has been a while since I reloaded for it, but it seemed a pretty easy cartridge to load for and you can load light to fairly heavy. I will most likely make up a nice plinking load and buy a factory load for carry. I am excited to get it, but it is not due to be delivered to my FFL until Wednesday or so.

[MtGun44]

My .38 Super with a normal barrel, NOT a ramped barrel, has fired over 70,000 rds
of Major Caliber IPSC loads. The only trick was to NEVER use ANY Winchester
brass - Rem +P, Midway +P, PMC, Star - all good. Winchester +P+ MIGHT survive
one firing - about 50-50 chance! The ones that survived had literally a 1/16"
bulge at the feed ramp unsupported area. The other brass all worked just fine
and some was shot many dozens of times - much of it has the headstamp pounded
off by hitting the ejector so many times. These were 1230 fps or so with a
147 gr SWC boolit.

[Green Frog]

My .38 Super with a normal barrel, NOT a ramped barrel, has fired over 70,000 rds
of Major Caliber IPSC loads. The only trick was to NEVER use ANY Winchester
brass - Rem +P, Midway +P, PMC, Star - all good. Winchester +P+ MIGHT survive
one firing - about 50-50 chance! The ones that survived had literally a 1/16"
bulge at the feed ramp unsupported area. The other brass all worked just fine
and some was shot many dozens of times - much of it has the headstamp pounded
off by hitting the ejector so many times. These were 1230 fps or so with a
147 gr SWC boolit.

... and this was accomplished using an aluminum framed, Commander-length gun? Maybe with full sized steel, but if you beat the brass up that much, I shudder to think of the condition of a short aluminum frame.

Froggie

[MtGun44]

The only beating brass takes is hitting the ejector. If you look, EVERY
time any 1911 ejects the case there is a slight mark on the head where it
hits the ejector. The only point was that the cases were reloaded many
dozens of times, so the ejector hits were all over the case heads.
If you have shot 1911s much you will see exactly this same phenomenon
on .45 ACP - shot many dozens of times until the headstamp is just
"erased" - it has absolutely nothing to do with hot loads or anything
like that, just the same cases surviving a huge number of uses.

The aluminum frame has nothing whatsoever to do with the
strength in the 1911 design, 100% of the stress from the firing
pressure is in the steel barrel and slide. The only wear issue with aluminum
frames is possible rail wear due to slide cycling (never much of an
issue) and some sharp edged JHPs can gouge the frame feed ramp.

The velocities will be down slightly due to 3/4" shorter barrel, but
otherwise, it will be fine.

[Petrol & Powder]

Really like the 38 Super and always thought a lightweight commander in that caliber would make a great carry gun. Guess I will find out.
The first 1911 I owned was a very early production lightweight commander in .45ACP. I carried that gun for a couple of years and it was a great pistol. In my impulsive youth I decided that a newer series 80 pistol would be better and I traded off that old LW commander. The newer Colt was never half the gun that old blued model was and I wish I still had the original one. I always thought that a LW Commander in 38 Super would be a good carry gun but I always ended up with a 45ACP. In those days the only people shooting 38 Super were competitors. The reloading equipment and components for 38 Super were always just a little too expensive for my limited funds in those days.