So who is shooting a 1911 .38 special?

I've always been fascinated by 1911's that shoot .38 special. I was talking to Jon and he said he's made several new ones, this was surprising since I hadn't heard of any new production .38 special 1911's. Have any of you guys got a new production .38 special 1911. Jon says they take roughly 2x the labor so they aren't cheap, might have to sell a kidney and have one built one day.

zanemoseley wrote:I've always been fascinated by 1911's that shoot .38 special. I was talking to Jon and he said he's made several new ones, this was surprising since I hadn't heard of any new production .38 special 1911's. Have any of you guys got a new production .38 special 1911. Jon says they take roughly 2x the labor so they aren't cheap, might have to sell a kidney and have one built one day.

Production,coonan's .357 with light recoil spring for .38 special. In midrange wadcutter,a custom gunsmith or the old colt mkIII NM.

My hands are probably way too small for the increased size of a Coonan.

I had a conversation with Joe Chambers about .38spl 1911s. He is not a fan of the cartridge at all. His advice is .38 super instead. He says that the .38spl cartridge is too obsolete to waste the resources to build a mediocre custom gun around that cartridge.

I like .38spl also, however...maybe a used Giles or Clark is in my future...

KC said something similar, but after seeing Jon's 38 I may have to pick an extra organ as well.  To say the recoil is mild is probably excessive.  The real answer is just to have one of each...lol.

The work, of course, is impeccable as well.  Beautiful pistol.

I have a .38 Super that was converted to Wadcutter about 50 years ago. I like it a lot a 50 ft. Haven't tried it out doors yet.

I've also been reading about the 32acp used in the Pardini's. Heard of some guys getting 1" groups with the jacketed Hornady XTP 60 grain bullets. Talk about mild recoil, that's only 50% more weight than a 22lr. Now is someone had a .32acp 1911 we would be set.

there is something nice about the cycle rate of the Special.. similar to a long slide Clark 45....

no question the super is easier to build and shoots very well..  still I have all the parts for a special other than a finished slide so maybe... just maybe

A bulleye pistol smith here in the SF bay area has said to me that a 38 special 1911 shooting HBWC is a super accurate gun, he showed me one he made up and it is a really nice pistol.  Of course I need another pistol like I need an 11th hole in my target after shooting 10 rounds;)  I don't know if I would call a 38 special an obsolete cartridge.

On the 1911 platform a .38 spl has less felt recoil than euro .32. Grip angle has a lot to do with it. It's also easier to reload sub 1.5" ammo without labor intensive testing and breaking the bank setting up to reload for it.
Obsolete........lol....amateur.
I won US Team selection match for Int. centerfire and we set 3 man team record that has stood since 91. Great cartridge. I still choose it over .32 to this day. But they do take more work to build. Gunsmiths that make a living gunsmithing can't afford to build them because they will lose money on labor hours. .38 super is easier to build but not a .38 spl
Jon

zanemoseley wrote:I've also been reading about the 32acp used in the Pardini's. Heard of some guys getting 1" groups with the jacketed Hornady XTP 60 grain bullets. Talk about mild recoil, that's only 50% more weight than a 22lr. Now is someone had a .32acp 1911 we would be set.

Some one does have a 1911 in 32acp

I use one in an indoor league that requires iron sights, but will start to use it outdoor with a dot (clark .38 1911)

Chris Miceli wrote:

zanemoseley wrote:I've also been reading about the 32acp used in the Pardini's. Heard of some guys getting 1" groups with the jacketed Hornady XTP 60 grain bullets. Talk about mild recoil, that's only 50% more weight than a 22lr. Now is someone had a .32acp 1911 we would be set.

Some one does have a 1911 in 32acp

Do tell. An accurate one or a rattle trap antique.

zanemoseley wrote:

Chris Miceli wrote:

zanemoseley wrote:I've also been reading about the 32acp used in the Pardini's. Heard of some guys getting 1" groups with the jacketed Hornady XTP 60 grain bullets. Talk about mild recoil, that's only 50% more weight than a 22lr. Now is someone had a .32acp 1911 we would be set.

Some one does have a 1911 in 32acp

Do tell. An accurate one or a rattle trap antique.

Don't know of any antique 1911 32acp

38 Special is an unusually accurate round like the 22lr. If you can get your hands on a Clark or Colt with 2 or three magazines then it's worthy of consideration. 

Given the CMP changed the rules again 38 super is now legal for a service pistol. 38 Super makes a lot of sense. Get a Clark 1;16 twist barrel, 125 gn bullet over 3gn of BE , it should shoot well 147gn and it would shoot even better.

So, are we now able to shoot 1911 in 38 Special, 38 Super or 9mm  in Service Pistol EIC?

Yup, Marines are going to use KKM barrels and 9mm, I heard.

Olde Pilot wrote:So, are we now able to shoot 1911 in 38 Special, 38 Super or 9mm  in Service Pistol EIC?

Yep even a 40 cal
U. S. Government or Colt M1911 Service Pistols or commercial versions of the same type (M1911). These pistols may be chambered for any cartridge with a bore diameter not less than 9mm and not greater than .45” and have a barrel length not greater than 5.100”.

dronning wrote:

Olde Pilot wrote:So, are we now able to shoot 1911 in 38 Special, 38 Super or 9mm  in Service Pistol EIC?

Yep even a 40 cal
U. S. Government or Colt M1911 Service Pistols or commercial versions of the same type (M1911). These pistols may be chambered for any cartridge with a bore diameter not less than 9mm and not greater than .45” and have a barrel length not greater than 5.100”.

Jacked bullet

I waiting on KKM to get their 1-10 twist 355 barrels ready

So Chris are you gonna tell me about the mystery 1911 chambered in .32 acp or leave me in suspense.

I think Salyer built one. Nelson should do a 32 acp conversion.

Olde Pilot wrote:So, are we now able to shoot 1911 in 38 Special, 38 Super or 9mm  in Service Pistol EIC?

Not .38 Special, since wadcutter bullets are prohibited, but not semi-wadcutter.  The .38 Special mag for the 1911 requires 148 grain hollow base or double ended wadcutters.

6.4.2 Pistol Ammunition
a) Service Pistol. Service Pistol competitors may use any safe ammunition that is loaded with metal-jacketed or metal-plated bullets.  Non-jacketed, wad-cutter or lead bullets may not be used.

Oh man if Nelson made a blowback 32 acp conversion with a steel slide it might kill the pardini's overnight if done well.

zanemoseley wrote:Oh man if Nelson made a blowback 32 acp conversion with a steel slide it might kill the pardini's overnight if done well.

Don't think a big enough market exists to set up tooling and a product line for a Nelson 32acp(much as I want one). Not to say he does or doesn't have a prototype.