April 2002

.38 Supers: Pleasant-To-Shoot Power Packed Into 1911 Pistols

As expected, we learned that Springfield Armory’s $682 Mil Spec 1911A1 is easier to handle than a similarly sized .45 ACP — enough so we’d consider buying one.

The Springfield Mil-Spec in .38 Super was
ûeasy to shoot — softer recoil than a .45 ACP
ûbut plenty of punch for self-defense.

The Browning 1911 single-action pistol and big 0.450- to 0.452-inch bullets are synonymous. So is a level of power that demands respect, not to mention the recoil that goes with it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can enjoy the benefits of the 1911 design with what we found to be a pleasing flash and satisfying jolt simply by rolling back the clock almost a hundred years ago.

The original chambering for the Browning semiauto design was in .38 ACP, but in 1907 the gun was rechambered for the .45 ACP round, and it was that variant that won the United States military contract and eventually became the…

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