.38 Super Conversion: Upgrade a Self-Defense Gun

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Buy a Talon on GunsAmerica: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=nighthawk%20talon

Read more about the Talon: https://www.nighthawkcustom.com/pistols/talon-series

Read about Sig’s .38 Super ammo: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/sig-38-super-ammunition-test/

Read a Review of a Night T4: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/nighthawk-t4/

Starting out

I have a Nighthawk Custom 1911 Talon in 9mm that I have owned since 2010. I have upgraded the Talon every year or two since purchasing it. I might add the one-piece mag well/main spring one year, and upgrade to a pair of Heinie sights the next. These small changes aren’t necessarily restricted to a yearly event–those G 10 grips and grip screws just couldn’t wait! In 2016, I knew it was time to make the biggest improvement yet: I was going to add a caliber to the gun.

The Thought Process

We all have things that draw us to a particular platform or caliber of gun. Get enough gun people in a room with some coffee, and you are guaranteed to hear the words “I wish they still made…”, “…was the perfect caliber” or “I don’t know why it went away!” at least one time in conversation.

My nostalgic point for the full-size 1911 has always been the .38 Super. I recently wrote an article on this caliber, in which I set out to answer some common question: is it obsolete, and why did it go away in the first place? The reason the .38 Super is such a sweet spot for the 1911 platform is that it was designed specifically for the 1911, to optimize its round count while maximizing reliability and power. I’m not aware of any other round, including the .45 ACP, that can lay claim to this exact design intent. In a full size 1911, you can get 10+1 of .38 Super, rounds that feeds reliably as the case length matches that of the 45 ACP.

When you consider the increased velocity of the .38 Super over the 9mm, it’s easy to understand why I want it! The only problem with this desire is justifying the price of a new 1911 in .38 Super. Because I’ve always got to look out for Number One, I quickly went about finding a way to scratch that itch in a more affordable manner. This quest led me to the workbench of Bob Reeves- Gunsmith at Nighthawk Custom in Berryville, Arkansas. Bob assured me that the conversion would be a relatively straightforward process, and affordable when compared to the cost of a new firearm.

The Conversion Process

When Bob and I began talking about this project, I laid out my exact goal for the end product. Simply put, I wanted my Nighthawk Talon to be 100% as reliable in .38 Super as it had been in 9mm. Since my gun was built from the ground up for 9mm, with a ramped barrel, the conversion process would be relatively straightforward and yield good results. Bob was able to get started on my gun quickly, which I sure appreciated (thanks Bob!). All told, it took about six weeks. The total price for the project was going to be about $550.00 plus tax (at least, that’s what I told myself).

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Because I live close to Berryville, I decided to drop my gun off with Bob. While we were looking the gun over, I decided to add a full-length guide rod with the Ever Last Recoil System (designed by Bob Marvel). Bob noticed that my ejector appeared to be cracked, so–out of an abundance of caution–I decided to add a new ejector. With these two additions I was now looking at just over $700 plus tax, still relatively inexpensive when compared to the price of a new Nighthawk Custom 1911.

Parts/Labor

• Stainless 38 Super Barrel & Bushing $339.95
• 38 Super Extractor ($60.00 w/out Checkering) $95.00
• 38 Super Ejector (mine was broken) $75.00
• 2 Chip McCormick 10 Round 38 Super Magazines $73.98
• Ever Last Recoil System (New spring only 15.00) $99.50
• Test Fire Fee $40.00

Following the inspection and defining the work to be done, Bob stripped the slide of the gun down. The barrel and bushing had to be fitted to the slide, a process involving three key areas. The barrel hood must be fitted to the breach of the slide. The barrel bushing must hold the front of the barrel securely to the front of the slide, but still allow it to unlock and slide. Finally, the feet of the barrel must be cut and a link installed to position the barrel to the frame. If any of these tasks are not done properly, the resulting gun will either fail to function reliably, or will deliver poor accuracy.  The barrel is then painted with Dykem Steel Blue Layout Fluid, and then the skill of a master gunsmith is applied to remove metal from the oversized parts. This is not done with power tools, but rather with files and sand paper.

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Once the barrel is fitted, the extractor must be fitted as well. The hook that slides over the seated round in the barrel is cut. The extractor is also a spring, and must be calibrated to ensure extraction without impeding feeding. Finally, the rear of the extractor must be trimmed and checkered to match the rear of the slide.

In my case, the ejector was replaced along with the firing pin stop. The ejector is pinned, and must be fitted to ensure it will eject the spent round without hitting the magazine feed lip. The rear must also be trimmed so that it does not extend past the rear of the slide. The firing pin stop requires some minor fitting to fit in the slide and be retained by the extractor.

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The next step was to test fire and make any needed adjustments. Once Bob was satisfied with the fittings, the parts were sent to a different area to be finished, as the original parts were still in the raw. After the finish was applied, Bob inspected all the parts to make sure they were correct for the gun. As a measure to avoid any mis-matching, the parts are always marked and kept with the gun, much like a newborn in a hospital!

Finally, Bob assembled the gun with the finished parts, and it was time to test fire to verify 100% function and accuracy. The gun is then sent to be prepped to be returned to me. The gun is test fired again by a final inspector to confirm fit, finish and function.

On the Range

I packed 4 different kinds of ammunition for its first outing. The ammunition consisted of two variants of the new Sig Elite, PMC and Winchester. Much to my delight, the modified Talon ran flawlessly from the first shot to the last.

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While testing for accuracy, it was fairly easy to put rounds through the same elongated hole from 7 yards. If there were any changes to the level of felt-recoil, they were minuscule. I did notice that the Talon’s report was sharper than it was when it began its life as a 9mm. I could try to come up with some fancy gun writer words here, but simply put Bob Reeves did exactly what I asked him to do; he kept every bit of reliability and accuracy while changing the caliber to .38 Super.

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Ballistics

So let’s talk about the ballistics of the .38 Super. A good rule of thumb is that the .38 Super will run about 100 ft./s over a comparable 9mm of the same type and weight. When you compare all of the handgun calibers that run in the .355(+/-) diameter range, only a few come out on top of the .38 Super: the Bottleneck .357 Sig, 9×23 Winchester, and of course the .357 Magnum. That’s it. The .38 Super, when matched with other mainstream handgun calibers, is the fastest. It speeds past both the .40 Cal Smith & Wesson and the 10mm. Admittedly, it accomplishes this with a much lighter bullet.

This caliber is definitely not a slouch. Combine the velocity with the inherent design compatibility with the 1911 platform, and you can understand how attractive this conversion becomes.

One more thing

Hyman Saul Lebman was an accomplished gunsmith during the 1930s. He began modifying Colt pistols into fully automatic weapons during this time period. His specialty was the “Baby Machine Gun”- a Colt Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol, converted to full-auto fire. This machine pistol in .38 Super featured a 22 round magazine, a compensator, and a foregrip adapted from the Thompson submachine gun. Interestingly enough, some of his more famous customers turned out to be John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. Lebman, according to his son, thought that they were charming, wealthy, oil men who were interested in guns. He even invited them to his house for a meal home-cooked by his wife!

Nelson used one of Lebman’s special automatics to great effect at the Little Bohemia Lodge on April 22, by killing federal agent W. Carter Baum and seriously wounding two others. The gun was never recovered, but the FBI was able to trace the gun left behind by Dillinger to the Colt factory in Hartford, Connecticut. From there, authorities followed the trail to Hyman Lebman, who had done the conversion work. There was no federal law against civilian ownership or manufacturing of machine guns at that time (luckily for Mr. Lebman).

It’s hard to imagine a more effective concealable personal defense weapon than a full auto 1911 in .38 Super, with a 22 round magazine to boot. These particular guns are on display in Washington, DC’s FBI Building.

Would I Do it Again?

Well, now that I have spent my money and got my gun back it’s time to assess the results. Going through the process with Nighthawk Custom was professional, simple and blessedly uneventful. They delivered on time and met my expectations the first time. I can honestly say that I feel like I got a $3500 gun for $700. Long story short: yes, I would do it again.

My only question is this: why doesn’t everyone who makes a 1911 make one (or more) in .38 Super? With performance like this, and the resurgence in popularity suggested by the new availability of practical carry rounds from Sig and others, I hope that this is the start of a full on revival.

And then, after all is said and done, I can still put in the 9mm guts, too. That’s the real beauty here; the .38 Super parts were fitted to the existing frame, and not the other way around. All of the original parts fits just as well as they did originally.

Writers Note: Nighthawk Custom is accepting all brands of 1911 handguns for custom and repair work. You can contact Bob Reeves at 877-268-4867 ext. 243.

Buy a Talon on GunsAmerica: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=nighthawk%20talon

Read more about the Talon: https://www.nighthawkcustom.com/pistols/talon-series

Read about Sig’s .38 Super ammo: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/sig-38-super-ammunition-test/

Read a Review of a Night T4: https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/nighthawk-t4/

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