Wilson Combat dropping 460 Rowland, 38 Super, and 40 S&W pistols this year

[HCM]

I think the case never changed and I think many people credit Bill Wilson as being the dood that quit head spacing on it, but I am just working from foggy memory.
Attachment 49444

That was Irv Stone of bar sto barrels.

[Bucky]

Exactly. Thus eliminating the need for a semi-rimless cartridge. Originally the extractor held the case in the chamber with the semi-rimmed cartridge.

I’m not sure this is entirely accurate. From what I recall, a recess in the barrel hood caught the semi rim...?

[mmc45414]

That was an unfortunate disadvantage of the 38 Super. Why it ever went into production like that has always been a mystery to me.

I just wonder if before IPSC people other than bullseye shooters even expected pistols to do what we expect them to do. 38 Super was probably embraced on the fact that it would go through a thick ass car door and decades later somebody noticed it wasn't so easy to hit the car door.

[Corse]

I’m not sure this is entirely accurate. From what I recall, a recess in the barrel hood caught the semi rim...?

I believe this is correct.

[farscott]

I just wonder if before IPSC people other than bullseye shooters even expected pistols to do what we expect them to do. 38 Super was probably embraced on the fact that it would go through a thick ass car door and decades later somebody noticed it wasn't so easy to hit the car door.

Rather than fix the headspace issue with .38 Super, Colt offered the .38 Special Mid-Range wadcutter in the 1911 when Bullseye shooters transitioned from revolvers. If Colt had fixed the issue at that time rather than trying to shoehorn a rimmed revolver cartridge into the 1911, I have a feeling .38 Super would have been a lot more popular than it is. Colt survives in spite of itself.

[Borderland]

I learned something here, as always. Interesting discussion.

[Robinson]

Rather than fix the headspace issue with .38 Super, Colt offered the .38 Special Mid-Range wadcutter in the 1911 when Bullseye shooters transitioned from revolvers. If Colt had fixed the issue at that time rather than trying to shoehorn a rimmed revolver cartridge into the 1911, I have a feeling .38 Super would have been a lot more popular than it is. Colt survives in spite of itself.

Hey, it only took them... well, several decades to fix the problem. Them Colt Super 38s sure shoot good nowadays though.

[falar]

I’m not sure this is entirely accurate. From what I recall, a recess in the barrel hood caught the semi rim...?

It did, which is why there were accuracy issues back in the day as already posted in this thread.


Much, much later barrels were changed to index off the case mouth, as already said.

The recess is still there in the barrel hood on current production Colt .38 Supers though. It is just there to clear the rim though and even though it looks close the mouth bottoms out first.

[TDA]

oops. Yeah, that's what I meant. It's hard to keep track of all these companies trying to piggyback on the names of Government arsenals.




It's not the first time I've tried to goad you into a gun purchase and it won't be the last.

I'm sure this will shock, but I've bought one. In nickel.

it was the rattle when you shake it kind of 1911, and the OEM magazine was absolute shit, like straight to the recycle bin after a good stomping. I want to say it sent all 9 rounds, the follower, and the spring out the ejection port the first time I seated it firmly. It ran fine with Wilson mags. The sights were kind of terrible as well, but it was fun.