I have a Kimber 1911 in .45 acp...............but lately I have been looking at Colt 1911s..........anyone know anything about the .38 Super or 9mm ones? Trying to decide between a Commander and a Govt model size gun

I've been wanting one of these

You misspelled Dan Wesson.

DW are nice.................but I want a Colt

I want a Colt in .38 Super too.

I love my Combat Elite.

Looks like my good pics aren't here.

In my not so humble opinion, had police departments and LEO been using pistols instead of revolvers back in the 1920s-30s we would likely be in a market dominated by 38 Super pistols. It has been around in the 1911 guns for many many years. It is a very capable and energetic round. Had the 38 Super seen more widespread use back then I don't think the 9mm would have become as popular as its only real benefit is more rounds on board as compared to the only other real choice, the 45 ACP. Additionally the advent of the 357 Magnum revolver sorta sealed its fate. Revolver, in the most powerful cartridge to date (1930s) and the perception that pistols weren't as dependable......there ya go. A friend of mine had a Colt 1911 in 38 Super from the 1960s as I recall. Great shooter and felt great in the hand.

From what I have read it was partly to do with the 38 Super not really actively being marketed as a defensive round. But that is loosely based on a few things I read about it a while ago. It is possible to build a 38 Super on the Govt. model or the Commander sized frame. If they were out there for a decent price I would be a buyer ASAP. It is a grail gun for me.

As to your question. I love 1911s, in 45 ACP. Add in a couple Chip McCormick 10 round mags and I'm gtg. For anything else in 9, 357 Sig, 40, 10mm there are too many choices better suited to those rounds. Especially as they were designed around those rounds.

For me 1911=45
For all other calibers=take your pick

I've had several but always preferred the commander length in .45acp.  I see no point in a 38 super or a 9mm if i want a 9 its a glock. I will say this about the 1911, an H&K45 is a much safer pistol. Where people screw up with a 1911 is they tend to grasp with their whole hand so off target off trigger.  If the grip safety is depressed because you are holding it and your finger is on the trigger with the safety off the triggers are very light it does't tale much.

Since you already have a .45 1911 I say go lightweight commander in 9mm if you want to carry it and combat commander (steel frame) 9mm if it will just be a range gun. I wouldn’t consider .38 Super unless you reload.

That said it is hard to pass up the 5” Competition 9mm for $722 at Buds...
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/4251/colt_o1982ccs_comp_government_9mm_5

Excellent suggestion.
.38 Super is awesome but hard to find, expensive and often loaded very lightly.

It's a shame that the .38 Super is not loaded to near it's potential except by boutique manufacturers, not easy to find, and thus more costly than other rounds.  I have two that are old game guns and love the caliber but have 9mm's for SD/HD guns.

Handloaded with the right powder they will perform nearly as well as a .357 Sig but you will get higher mag capacity in the same size pistol.  Too bad you can't readily buy loads and guns like that.

I bought my Colt Custom Competition .38 Super last year.  I like it.

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Just a personal preference but if I didn't have either I would start with the 9MM, there are no ballistic/tactical reasons why I say that, its just that I enjoy shooting them so much and the ammo is cheap, I have  a Fullsize Colt in 38 Super and its a great gun, just have a soft spot for the 9MM.

The 1968 Colt a few pics up was my first pistol bought in 1990 … old rancher had two nib in wax paper . One was the super for $325 and a 1968 45acp Colt for $350 .

I went for the super only because I thought it might have less recoil … really wish I bought both … the 1911s are way to heavy for my size and now carry  g23 since 95 so mine is just a range toy . It is what I used for my ccw class ( super ) , the Tampa cop that put on the class was surprised when I fired six rounds with the rest of the class , they are very loud .

I reload so ammo is no issue but these are some  older ammo that are pretty zippy … I have a few 9s also but the super is just plain fun.

I was in the same boat as you, I have Kimber .45 ACP (still series II) from early 2000s.

I wanted something different and went with a Colt 9mm Competition.

Things I like about it are
-Cheap ammo with 9mm and almost no recoil making fast follow up shots
-Accurate. If I concentrate it is not very hard to produce 10-shot one hole groups at 7 yds. I'm sure the gun can do one hole group at 10+ yards but I can't. . I believe it comes with a NM barrel.
-Series 70 since it is competition series.
-10 shot capacity (with Wilson mags)
-Undercut trigger allows higher grip
-Reliable. I shot over 1,000 rounds since buying it in last November and the only failure I had so far was that 1st round failed to go into battery from a fresh mag - I'm guessing I loaded that incorrectly



I'm not a huge fan of the fiber optic front sight as it is a bit wide but it can be replaced.
I like the simplicity of this pistol so much I'm thinking about buying it in the .45 ACP as well, even though I already have the Kimber for that.

If you are into reloading or willing to run logistics for hard-to-find ammo, 10mm is the first choice, followed by .38 Super for me.

10mm can be loaded (or purchased) from lukewarm .40 S&W to full power 10mm. It is a very formidable PDW and a very reasonable trail gun. Deltas can change to .40 with a barrel swap (and I am fairly certain converts to .38 Super/9mm with a barrel and mag swap although there is a wider breachface for them.)

.38 Super sounds interesting for reloading, especially if one did match shooting, but my understanding is that the factory ammo is anemic, (like much of the commercial 10mm, only with far fewer choices of full power factory loads -if any exist). While you can convert to 9mm on a .38 Super with a barrel change, you cannot go up to .40/10mm without milling the breachface.

If you are absolutely obsessed with a sub-.45 on a smaller platform (Commander) then .38 Super/9mm is the only choice you have for Colt. There is something to a 9mm Colt for range savings or '50s Commander nostalgia, but to me, it's mostly a "meh" novelty... something to get excited for on your 4th (or maybe 6th or 10th) 1911, not your second one. It wouldn't be long before I'd be wondering what a Delta felt like or wishing I got something more interesting/exotic for a non-.45 1911 than a 9mm.

My first non-.45 1911 was a Delta Elite. I'd love one of those hard chrome Supers, a Gold Cup and/or Commander in either/both calibers, but I absolutely feel I chose wisely with the Delta and don't regret the decision. I don't feel like I am missing out with 10mm and .45. I KNOW that I would feel like I would be missing out with only 9mm and .45.

1911s like longer cartridges so if you are looking at it from a reliability perspective, 38 Super will on the whole be a bit more reliable than 9mm because of the length of the cartridge. I have a 38 Super Colt, standard S80, and I love it, but I wish ammo were less expensive and more available locally. You can order it online and it's not THAT expensive, but you can't go to Walmart and buy 300 rounds for the same price as 9mm, that's a fact. Most modern 38 Super is under-loaded as well. Most factory loads are around 11-1200 fps...which is ok, but a little slow for it. Loads used to start at 130gr moving at 1300fps and even more..so there's plenty of room to grow there if you want.

I have always been a fan of the 38super. I had the bright stainless colt custom like the one shown above and now own a standard series 80 in blue.
Like stated above most factory ammo is anemic. I handload almost exclusively and will say that pushing a 130gr fmj to 1350+ fps is not hard if you take the proper precautions. All 38super brass is not made equal and it's best to use starline brass if wanting to push it to its limits. Power pistol or NV105 will get there for sure.
I havent experimented with other weights but would like to work up some 147gr loads some day.

Take a good look at all the info posted above and decide on your own. My opinion is if you dont reload you cant get near the true potential of the 38super. The ammo costs more and is not loaded significantly hotter than 9mm unless you get into the even more expensive boutique rounds.
Since I  reload using starline brass I find myself scouring the ground for every case I fired. It can be a hassle that keeps me from taking the 38super to the range as much as I would like.

I love the 38super but it's not for everybody.

While I have a Dan Wesson Valor 9mm with a 5" barrel, many recommend 4.25" for a 9mm 1911 because of the reduced slide mass.

The 9mm Colt Lightweight Commander is a pretty sweet setup.

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After my first, a 1991A1, I swore I’d never buy another Colt.  But I recently bought a new Gold Cup National Match (unseen from grabagun) and I’m underwhelmed.  I mean, it’s adequate but rollmarks are uneven, the stock adjustable sights have poor Colt stampings and rough adjustments, slide to frame fit is sloppy compared to my $600 Remington R1, and while I would like to swap out the trigger for a short the wide trigger they come with does not seem to have any aftermarket options.  It is blued which is rare among modern offerings but it isn’t all that deep or bright.

I have a new Colt in my stable but it’s not nearly the nicest gun I own.

You're obviously in need of more Pony-inspired enthusiasm.

Two months ago I scored a box stock, unfired Series 70 MKIV ...  400+ rds later I couldn't be happier.

Seriously.

Colt Competition 70 series in 38 Super.

Greatest firearm in the world.