Although it enjoys the greatest popularity as a competition round, .38 Super also makes a great cartridge for self-defense. If you want a defense load for your 1911 "just in case" and don't want to spend a fortune, this ammo from Federal will get the job done. These cartridges fire a light 115 grain jacketed hollow point bullet at 1,130 feet per second, delivering a bit of extra power than your typical 9mm load. Recoil is hardly a problem thanks to the weight of the all-steel guns chambered for the .38 Super.
This ammo comes in boxes of 50 and is manufactured at Federal's headquarters in Anoka, Minnesota using non-corrosive Boxer primers and brass cases. Like all .38 Super ammo, it is marked "+P" to distinguish it from the earlier .38 ACP cartridge. Any pistol in good working order chambered for .38 Super can fire .38 Super +P ammo.
Introduced in 1929 by Colt as a high velocity, high-penetration alternative to the .45 ACP for 1911 pistols, the .38 Super has a colorful history starting with its use by Prohibition-era law enforcement agents and gangsters to punch through light cover such as car doors. Temporarily pushed into obscurity by the .357 Magnum, which satisfied the mid 20th century police market's preference for revolvers, it re-emerged in the 1980s as one of the top contenders in IPSC "Major" factor competitions. The .38 Super had several advantages over the .45 in this format including higher magazine capacity and lower recoil; with some further refinement of its accuracy potential, it quickly became (and remains) a favorite of IPSC champions up to the present. Although limited by weapon availability (largely still confined to the 1911) it also makes for a potent self-defense cartridge and delivers higher performance potential than the 9mm Parabellum while largely sharing that round's forgiving shooting characteristics.
