Sig P220 in 38 Super

Back in the old "racegun" era - that was a pretty popular competitive gun - mainly in the 1980s - really the only exposure I've ever had to guns in the caliber.

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I mean an extended .38 is .357 right?

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Not really - it was - essentially, .38 special bullets chambered for a M1911 platform - I think the cartridge was developed prior to the Browning High Power (9mm Parabellum) was introduced.

They wanted to market it to law enforcement as a penetrating round, but it quickly lost that luster when the .357 magnum round was introduced in the mid-1930s.

I think it survived because it could be handloaded to produce quite accurate ammo for Browning-derived pistols. I wouldn't mind a P220 in .38 Super just for the novelty. My first "real" gun was a P220 and I regretted selling immediately and ever since.

ETA: - The P220s in .38 Super were almost exclusively in the U.S. as raceguns - with a compensator, their muzzle velocities could qualify them as a "major" caliber - but much easier to handle than a full power M1911 with .45 ACP.