Super 38

Wanted: A handgun that can go toe-to-toe with the mobsters!

The Volstead act outlawed alcoholic drinks in the United States during the 1920s. It also made the business of illegally manufacturing, importing, or selling of alcohol highly profitable. As you can imagine criminals stepped in and soon started making a lot of money. We saw mobsters like Al Capone rise during this era.

The mobsters were well funded and had the latest in weaponry, including the famous Thompson automatic ("tommy gun"). Law enforcement at that time found themselves outgunned. The .38 revolver that was ubiquitous among law enforcement simply did not have the penetration and stopping power needed against the mobsters. With a velocity of about 800 feet per second, it did not have the power to penetrate car doors or body armor of the time.

By the late 20s the situation was pretty dire. Gang violence was on the rise (St Valentines Day Massacre). So law enforcement asked the gun manufacturers of the day to come up with something more effective -- a gun or round that could penetrate automobiles and body armor.

Coming! ...a new Colt

Colt was the first to respond. In 1927 Colt started developing a new pistol that could meet the needs of law enforcement. What they introduced in 1929 was the "Super 38". Note there is some confusion regarding the name. The pistol is called the "Super 38", while later ammo is called the "38 Super". The original pistol shot the same 38 ACP round invented by John Moses Browning way back in 1900. However because of the smaller caliber and faster velocity it was able to penetrate car doors while .45ACP could not. It was only later on that the ammo companies determined that the round could be loaded hotter for use in this automatic pistol that the 38 super was introduced.

What is this? A hunk of junk?

When I first saw the box I was wondering what was inside. What is that? Band-aids? If the box was in such poor shape then what about the gun?

All cleaned up

Luckily I was able to clean up the box and get all of that medical tape off. The original end label is still intact

4 digit

Colt practice at the time was to write the serial number on the bottom of the box in pencil. That number was still there. Wow, that got my heart racing. a 4 digit serial number!

Labels and Paperwork

ok I slowly open the box to find the original documentation. sweet! what lay underneath?

wow!

oh you beautiful beautiful colt! it took my breath away! A first year of production Colt Super .38. Colt guns produced in this era are probably the finest they ever built. Colt had a highly skilled workforce, who gained valuable experience during WW I, with not a lot of demand on their time because of the depression. Guns produced in this timeframe exhibit superior fit and finish. These Pre-War (pre-WW2) guns are highly in demand by collectors.

As you can see the gun is easily in 99% condition with the only wear being on the trigger.

Serial #1127 - First year of production

Two tone magazine

The magazine is the typical two toned magazine used in this time frame. The reason why it is two tone? colt had a really hard time getting the magazines right. The feed lips would bend in the earliest magazines. Then Colt tried cutting a hole to relieve stress from the lips (the so-called "keyhole magazines"). Finaly Colt figured out that they could temper the top half of the magazine by dipping it into molten cyanide(!). This dip stripped off the bluing.

polishing AFTER rollmarks -- attention to detail that is sadly lost today

vintage ammo

Along with the gun I also received a box of vintage ammo from the seller. Notice that is just normal .38 automatic, not .38 super. .38 super did not come along until later. A big clue to the gun's remarkable condition -- only 9 rounds were missing from this box. I'm pretty sure whomever owned this gun before shot exactly 1 magazine, called it a day and put it away.

the other gangsta stopper - the registered magnum .357

A few years after the introduction of the Colt Super 38, Smith and Wesson introduced their own answer to law enforcement's request -- the Registered Magnum. Chambered in the new .357 magnum round it quickly found favor with law enforcement. J Edgar Hoover considered automatics to be "ganster weapons" and encouraged the use of revolvers by federal law enforcement.

The .357 became wildly successful, the .38 Super less so. However, the .38 Super continues to be popular in countries where military ammunition is prohibited. In fact, the .38 Super is the most popular caliber in Mexico. In addition the .38 Super is popular in shooting sports because of its extremely flat trajectory.