Joe I do not know the specifics. The 38 super (9x23) is for a pistol and is a lot hotter than the .38 special in a revolver. I have only owned two 38 super pistols. The last one was a Wilson Combat and I loved it, but no longer own the firearm.
The 38 super is an over pressure version of the old 38 auto ctg. it was created to give law enforcement a better possibility to penetrate car bodies & body armor during the late 1920s. It is longer than a 9mm luger and holds more powder. 38 supers have a small semi rim that early guns were reported to headspace on giving mediocre accuracy. The 38 super fell out of favor but regained it's popularity in action shooting sports like USPSA & IPSC. It was fast enough to make the major power factor but muzzle rise & recoil were severe. Muzzle compensators are allowed in IPSC & USPSA and the combination of the low recoil due to compensator and the flat shooting 38 super, along with those new dot sights changed the sport forever. Several rimless versions were introduced to solve some feeding issues. I assume the 38 super high capacity compesated with optics is still the hot ticket in IPSC but the changes in the courses of fire made this 45 1911 single stack guy look elsewhere to compete. Enter IDPA.
Hope this helps.
xring
Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock.
Will Rogers
