What has been the availability of .38 SPL and .357 Magnum factory ammo availability been during the pandemic, particularly as compared to other hand gun calibers?

I've only been looking at .38 SPL and .357 Magnum for the past three weeks or so, and it's really hard to find. When I started buying guns in August 2021, I noticed that .45 ACP was out of stock at the LGS, which guided my decision to start with 9mm. I'm noticing now that big box LGS (Sportsman's and Big5) have .45 ACP, but rarely .38 SPL or .357 Magnum

I'm in California, so on-line ammo orders have to go through my FFL, which is a pain in terms of logistics. I also understand that on-line ammo dealers charge a hazardous materials fee.

Once I pass California's one-gun-a-month purchase club in about 2.5 weeks, I plan to buy a revolver or a lever action rifle in .357 Magnum. However, I'm concerned about being able to resupply ammo. I'm not in a place to set up ammo reloading, so for the foreseeable future, I'm limited to factory ammo.

Use ammoseek.com to search for your favorite calibers. Unfortunately for you, buying ammo online is problematic because of where you live. And prices will never return to the old days, that's for sure.

Edited to add:

I think the hazardous materials fee only applies to powder and primers. Ammo shipments must display a logo identifying it as ammo, but haz mat fees do not apply to loaded ammo.

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FBINA, 204th Session

For in person purchases at a LGS or big box store, I have seen .357 in stock one time and there was one box left and they were $45 a box! I have yet to see .38 special in stock for the extent of the pandemic. I have seen .45 acp in stores infrequently but I’ve seen it and have purchased some when available for reasonable prices.

My understanding is that the time and resources available to ammo manufacturing are likely being allocated to calibers that sell the most frequently like 9mm, 22LR, 556, etc. The other calibers may come out in small batches like revolver calibers, hunting ammo, etc but the focus seems to be on the major plinking calibers currently.


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Haven’t seen that much 38 or 357.
Recently have purchased 45ACP, 9MM and 22 LR.
Also haven’t seen 380.

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In North Texas, I bought 38 Special after the election on and off for six months at $.50 a round at our regional category killer, Academy. I bet I saw it fewer than 20% of the time, luckily I was looking for other calibers.

temporary situation due to the shortage.
38/357 is usually available
get with a good independent retailer instead of box stores.
this is then those guys earn their keep
Larry
www.advancedtactical.com is in stock on Armscor NOW.
california situation is another matter

Thanks. I'm a repeat customer at my LGS and everyone there knows me by name, but they still won't sell anyone ammo unless you buy a gun in that caliber. That would be okay, but their gun prices are high ($625 for a Glock 17 wherein big box sells for $550 and $615 for a Browning Buck Mark that's only $350 at big box, and $100 more for a Ruger 10/22 than big box), no revolvers in stock, and they still limit how much ammo they'll sell, e.g. two boxes and you can only buy that ammo either when starting the paperwork OR when picking it up.

The other LGS are too far away.

The local Bass Pro and Cabelas have tons, literally tons, of ammo on the shelves. This includes 38 Special and 357 Mag although perhaps in lesser quantities than 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 acp.

What isn't generally available are 44 Special, 45 Colt, 41 and 44 Mag. A local pawnshop, which is more like an LGS, has had ammo of all types available pretty much through the pandemic; he buys the stuff by the pallet load and while there have been shortages of specific calibers from time to time he's pretty much had a little of everything in stock.

Living in California you have my sympathy, the situation is likely to only get worse. . .and more expensive; we're still accepting applications for folks to move to Texas though.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Thanks.

There is only BassPro out here and that's kinda on the way back from the shooting range, so I've gone there twice. They don't have any .38 SPL or .357 Magnum.

I'm checking inventory daily for the other big box stores, which are at least 1 hour's drive each way. However, Sportsman's Warehouse doesn't list in-store availability of much of the pistol caliber ammo, meaning when I go there to start the paperwork and pick up a gun, I have to do a physical check of inventory. Big5 is just down the road from them, but they're problematic, because their website doesn't accurately reflect what's in and out of stock.

The shooting range/BassPro and Big 5/Sportsman's are in opposite directions of where I live. Though I would save 30 minutes/30 minutes/1 gallon of nearly $5 per gallon gas net-net by going directly from Sportsmans/Big 5 to the shooting range, Sportsman's had a line and botched my paperwork the other day, preventing me from having enough time to go to the shooting range.

As to your invite, thanks. Living in California is like going to grad school: every day I think about quitting, LOL. My lifelong neighbor is buying property in suburban/rural Oregon and suggested that I move there for the more gun-friendly laws and lower tax rates. And, no, I can't legally have him buy ammo for me, nor can I legally travel out of state to buy it.

By the way, do your invite apply to Nancy Pelosi, Jackie Speer, George Gascon, Chesa Boudin, and Gov. Newsome? You'd make a LOT of us happy

I like having a lever carbine along with a 357 revolver. I can shoot far more accurately at longer distances with the carbine. Maybe you could consider a 9mm carbine to go with your hand gun. At least until you get into reloading. That's where the lever gun/ revolver combo really shines.

Thanks. I have the Henry Lever Action in .357 Magnum (maybe Winchester 1873?) on my short list. Hickok45 likes it and the recoil and muzzle climb with .357 Magnum are minimal. I calculated it to be the same as my Glock 17 (9mm), due to the Henry's 8.68 lb weight).

Also on my short list is the Ruger PCC, which takes Glock mags and is a takedown model. However, both are still out of stock, I already have an S&W M&P 15 (AR-15 in 5.56), and Clint Smith disparages PCCs and lever actions in pistol calibers, saying either get a pistol or a carbine chambered in rifle ammo. Paul Harrell found the Ruger PCC's accuracy mediocre, as compared to similar PCCs (none were AR15 platforms).

There’s no 357 in any stores in my area.

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I like Ike.

^^ where's that?

Ammo is slowly making a come back. But, as mentioned, its the popular semi-auto calibers first. That's where the money is these days. No telling how long it'll be before revolver calibers are readily available again.
Honestly, I'd put off buying guns in calibers you don't already stock for the time being.

Thanks. That is a thought in the back of my mind.

I'm in California, so we can only buy one center-fire pistol OR rifle per month. I ordered a very nice Performance Center 686 4" .357 for pick up in early December (but can easily cancel that order), have a 2" .357 Taurus 605 snub nose planned after that in January and/or then either a Glock 17, 19, or S&W M&P Shield (9 mm). The 2" snub, the Glocks, and the M&P would be back up guns, either open hip carried at home or stored in a different part of the house. I'm still evaluating cognitively and physically whether I want two guns on my person at all times at home or have them off my body in parts of the house where I spend most of my time.

I held the M&P Shield at the LGS and it feels good in my big hands (unlike the cramped Walther P22 "jamomatic"* which I was hoping would be a training gun for my Glock 17, but has a manual of arms more like the Shield)); S&W has a lifetime warranty vs. Glock's 1 year, and on this forum, most people are happy with S&W.

However, the manual of arms and trigger pull on the Shield are a little different than the Glock (6.5 lbs vs. 5.5 lbs) and the barrel is only 3" long. Of course, the mags are different, in lower supply, and are more expensive than the Glocks. I have a Glock 17 now, so getting a second would simplify accessories and the manual of arms. Any thoughts on the better/best back-up?

* my .22LR conversion kit for the Glock has given me all the training I need, and then some, with how to deal with failing to feed, double feeds, and extracts, though no stovepipes - yet, LOL.

Been all over the east during this COVID nonsense and .38 and .357 has been one of the hardest calibers to get. If you do see it its $1 a round. Roll your own.

As much as I love shooting, I refuse to pay exorbitant prices for any box of ammo. I don't understand my own level of self-control, either.

In this time of ammo insecurity, disparaging pistol caliber lever guns doesn't make sense. A 357 lever gun extends the practical range and ballistic performance of easy to reload ammo you already have for your more handy to carry revolver. What's to disparage?

Central Minnesota. I did find some Buffalo Bore online but shipping was almost as expensive as the ammo.

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I like Ike.

I’m finally seeing .38 Special on the shelves here for reasonable prices.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Try normashooting.com. Free shipping over $150. I bought some last week.

I bought some .38 special from Norma a month or so ago when they had the flash sale with free shipping over $50. 158 grain FMJ. Made in Hungary. $28 per box. Looks good but haven't shot it yet. Bought some for a friend at the Cabela's/Bass pro when driving through Bristol, Tn. 158 LRN at $32 per box. It appears to be slowly coming back.

Does ammo availability tend to dry up on right after riots or verdicts that are unpopular?

Yesterday evening, in the aftermath of Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal, my downtown area had massive looting, while the adjacent city had "mostly peaceful" protests calling for "revolution."

I was the first person at the LGS today, which is in a city different from those two; they actually had a lot of ammo, and for the first time since I started looking .357 Magnum JHPs ($2.50 each, thank you very much) and I believe .38 SPL. There was one person behind me when they opened, and I didn't think to ask if the verdict led him to come today. The LGS didn't seem too worried about ammo running out today. While they were processing the sale, I overhead a group of three people asking the LGS newbie-level questions about gun purchases.

At the gun show today, they were asking $45 for 50 rounds of cheapo steelcase. 45 FMJ. Ouch.

First can you move out of commiefornia? Do you have friends/relatives in a nearby state that could buy ammo through stores or on line for you and then you go pick it up? Obviously it would have to be a big enough order to make it worth your while but its at least a way to get some.

Thanks.

I have family obligations in the People's Republik, so I won't be able to leave any time soon. Plus, there's a Cal-Exit 10 year tax.

I think our fearless leader, Gov. Nuisance, banned gun shows, and I don't recall that last time there was a gun show in my general area.

My neighbor is a lifelong acquaintance and he's out of state to gun-friendly Oregon, but it's illegal for him or me to buy ammo out of state and transport it across state lines unless it goes through an FFL. I only know of (and not know) an FFL that will accept out of state ammo that complies with Kalifornia law. Unfortunately, that FFL is a one-man operation by appointment only, is 1.5 hours away, and he's erratic as to reliability, eg off and on with answering e-mails.

Reloading isn't practical due to lack of space. That said, I plan to look for and save .38 SPL and .357 Magnum cases at the shooting range.

I'm thinking my best bet is to keep watching for ammo availability (two local big box store LGSs have on-line presence that I can check) and grab it as it becomes available. Right now, I"m in need of #1 buckshot, Federal FlyteControl #00 buckshot, .38 SPL, and .357 Magnum.

I went to Academy Sports yesterday and was very surprised to see their ammo section pretty much full! 4 box limit still. Lots of .22 in bulk packs, .45 acp, and a ridiculous amount of .556. There were some other calibers but hardly any pistol ammo (I bought the last pack of .45). More .556 and .22 than I have seen in a long time. I picked up 1,500 rounds of thunderbolts! I’m not normally a Remington rimfire fan but the last bulk pack of thunderbolts I purchased (month ago) ran great without a single dud.


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This must be an "area" problem. The ammo selection here in Indiana is almost back to normal, but the prices are still elevated. I see .38 & .357 on the shelves here, pretty much any time I head to a gun shop.

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We are getting 38spl and 357 at local gun shops, not at the big box stores. No other revolver calibers though.
What I've noticed lately is that ammo seems to be going up in price. When 9mm first started coming back there were some decent prices. Today, a gun shop had a good selection of 9mm but the cheapest plinking ammo is around $20-22, any 124gr, is close to $30 a box. HP's were close to $50 for a box of 50.

Thanks. I'm on Palmetto State Armory's (PSA) daily e-mail offer list. I've noticed that it seems all of their ammo prices have increased a bit over the past 1-2 months. My LGS's prices for 9mm have come down a bit.

My decision on a .44 Magnum (and .44 Special) was easy, recoil notwithstanding: there's still no ammo for it and I've never seen it in real life

Target Sports USA has .38 Special.Bulk Ammo for Sale Online Free Shipping Available

Was just down at Cabela's.
They had a fair amount of Ammo.
Bought 45ACP and 9mm.
No 38 Special or 357 to be seen.

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.38 special can be had at normashooting.com at $29.99 per box of 50. Not that cheap but free shipping and insurance on orders of $150.00.

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FBINA, 204th Session