.38 Long Colt for plinking.

[otis24]

I had gotten away from .38/.357 revolvers due to the exorbitant price of ammo in this caliber. I’ve decided to go back to the .38/.357 because o have by happenstance become the owner of 3 fine revolvers with a 4th on the way. That, and issues with arthritis and locking trigger finger. The revolvers are a 1964 Colt Trooper, a 1969 Model 10-5 in great condition, and a Model 10-6 that was a Jordanian police trade in. One of the Model 10’s was going to be my primary concealed carry weapon but I just ordered a Ruger Speed Six with 2 3/4 inch barrel that will fill that role.

In any event, I’m thinking of stocking up on bulk .38 Long Colt ammo for plinking purposes. From what I’ve seen, .38 Long Colt can be had for half price or less than .38 Special/.357. Is there any reason that I shouldn’t use .38 Long Colt for plinking?

 

[murphydog]

Yes, the .38 Special is the same case diameter and longer than the .38 LC.

If you’re finding .38 LC at less than half the price of .38 Special, I’d stock up quickly. Hard to believe though given the smaller production volume.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

On Ammo Seek factory 38 Special is 29 cents per round. 38 Long Colt is 56 cents for reloads and 92 cents for factory.

The other downside depends on your arthritic condition. If you are recoil sensitive the 38 Colt makes sense but if you have the "trigger finger" problem, then shooting revolvers is a problem. JMHO, YMMV.

 

[DWalt]

.38 LC used to be fairly uncommon to find, apparently someone is still making it. Case is exactly the same as .38 Special except a bit shorter. It was actually the predecessor of the .38 Special. If you want to go even weaker than .38 LC, you can drop down to .38 Short Colt. I think it can still be found. The ICORE folks like it. .38 SC is a versatile cartridge that deserves to be much more popular than it is. It can also be used in .38 S&W-chambered revolvers. Just load it using .38 S&W data.

 

[otis24]

On Ammo Seek factory 38 Special is 29 cents per round. 38 Long Colt is 56 cents for reloads and 92 cents for factory.

The other downside depends on your arthritic condition. If you are recoil sensitive the 38 Colt makes sense but if you have the "trigger finger" problem, then shooting revolvers is a problem. JMHO, YMMV.

Thanks for that information. .38 Special here has been 60 cents to $1 per round here, depending on what you buy. Definitely going to Ammo Seek and stocking up!

Not so much recoil sensitive as much as getting ganglion cysts on my hands. Have had injections and a couple of surgeries. Racking a slide is getting a little more difficult. Will eventually get an EZ-9 or EZ-380. But for now, going back to the revolver. Might try to start doing some basic reloading.

 

[.38SuperMan]

I have hand and wrist arthritis and reload my 38’s and have found powder and bullet combinations that have noticeably less recoil. I load using Accurate 2 and 158 RNFP polymer coated bullets. I load using Accurates data and load to minimum loads. I also find accurate Nitro100NF and 125plated bullets to be an excellent combo too. Again I’m using Accurate loading data at minimum loads.

I shoot these in a range of revolvers from a 6” Python to a 2” Cobra and can easily shoot 50+ rounds and often 100 rounds with no issues. All powders are not created equal. Lighter bullets and faster burning smaller charges generally create less recoil plus they’re more economical to reload.

The guns you’re getting are heavier frames and the additional mass will help absorb recoil.

I know you’re getting 38 cal revolvers but I’ve developed a love for 32 S&W Long and the old 38 S&W (not special) cartridge.

 

[otis24]

Just ordered 500 rounds of Armscor 158gr FMJ’s and a 30 round box of Underwood Xtreme Penetrator ammo from Ammo Seek. 29 cents per round for the Armscore. My local guy has Black Hills Honey Badger ammo but it is only action 50 round boxes. $78/box for .357 and $84/box for.38 Special.

 

[gwpercle]

If you can get it at 1/2 the price of 38 Special ... Get It !
Clean the chambers after every session and you will have no build up .
38 Long Colt are usually hard to find , but will shoot fine in 38/357 revolver for plinking at the range .
Gary

 

[otis24]

The “half price “ I was quoting for .38 Special was based on the $1 plus per round that I am finding locally. At 29 cents per round on Ammo Seek, .38 Special is half the price of .38 Long Colt; which is running around 56 cents per round.

 

[LostintheOzone]

There are some boutique ammo makers out there selling 38 Short Colt. I'm not sure about Long Colt. 38 SC is a great cartridge to plink with. I reload that for my model 36 for some range fun. Works well in K frames also.

If you have a source for cheap 38 LC I would be tempted to buy all I could afford. It and 38 SC is coming back as desirable revolver cartridges.

 

[reddog81]

If you're finding .38 Long Colt for half the price of .38 Special, you're looking at a scam. There's tons of scammers out there. Beware

 

[DWalt]

There are some boutique ammo makers out there selling 38 Short Colt. I'm not sure about Long Colt. 38 SC is a great cartridge to plink with. I reload that for my model 36 for some range fun. Works well in K frames also.

If you have a source for cheap 38 LC I would be tempted to buy all I could afford. It and 38 SC is coming back as desirable revolver cartridges.

One advantage of the .38 SC is that its shorter case allows more positive extraction from .38 Special revolvers. Especially snubbies having short extractor rods. While the factory .38 SC loads are mild, much like .38 S&W factory loads, the case can be handloaded to a substantially higher power level if desired.

 

[midwestbrass]

.38 LC used to be fairly uncommon to find, apparently someone is still making it. Case is exactly the same as .38 Special except a bit shorter. It was actually the predecessor of the .38 Special. If you want to go even weaker than .38 LC, you can drop down to .38 Short Colt. I think it can still be found. The ICORE folks like it. .38 SC is a versatile cartridge that deserves to be much more popular than it is. It can also be used in .38 S&W-chambered revolvers. Just load it using .38 S&W data.

SSL Firearms is liquidating the remining inventory from Jamison Brass on 6/4/25. The auction includes quite a bit of .38LC, might be able to get a deal there as everything is selling with no reserves. bid.sslfirearms.com/auction/355

 

[venomballistics]

Yes, the .38 Special is the same case diameter and longer than the .38 LC.

If you’re finding .38 LC at less than half the price of .38 Special, I’d stock up quickly. Hard to believe though given the smaller production volume.

exactly ....
Scam check you source before pulling the trigger

 

[Juan Million]

If you can get it at 1/2 the price of 38 Special ... Get It !
Clean the chambers after every session and you will have no build up .
38 Long Colt are usually hard to find , but will shoot fine in 38/357 revolver for plinking at the range .
Gary

I use 38lc hand-loads with moon clips in a GP100. It allows a little more space for ejection. If you plan of using 38 special in the same gun, cleaning the chambers of carbon ring will become necessary. I do like the long colt, shoots great. I get the brass from star line.