Why so little "normal" 158gr 38spc, or 357mag rounds out there?

[k53]

OK... so I will start by saying.. Ya, I know. I realy need to just reload my own... and maybe thats the issue here.. But you know, out looking at the shelves in the stores, and you see a ton of pricy SD rounds, and you find a lot of smaller bullets... like the 130gr rem FMJ rounds, the 110gr stuff etc..... but its almost impossable to find a normal everyday old time 158gr round for plinking, or target shooting. Back in the day that seemed to be the standard round for these. Did people just stop plinking with 38's?? No more target shooting with them?

And agean... I know I just need to roll my own. And im working on that, but at this time its going to be a bit before i can get up and runnning... And i have also seen some on line... but Im realy not looking to mailorder at this time.. I guess the days are gone that you could walk into the local shop and leave with a box isnt it?

 

[tbury]

The old standby 158gr loaded ammo in .38/357 has been replaced with the latest/greatest "man stopper" bullets and do not sell as fast so stores do not carry much stock. I am not sure how much is being loaded by the "big" manufacturers. The last box I found at the LGS was a box of RWS and I only bought that because it was too cold to load 158gr LSWCs in my Garage this winter. I have been loading .38 spcl since the 60s.

 

[blujax01]

Not far from me there's a little basement LGS I frequent. I was told that they will pretty much stop offering .38 plinking ammo due to their cost. No way can they buy the quantity needed to justify carrying it on the shelf.

The reality is that the hand gun of the masses is now the 9 mm.

And K53, like Neil Young sings: "Homegrown's alright with me - homegrown is the way it should be!"

 

[baccusboy]

I'll bet it has to do with money. That's why you see lighter bullets on the shelves (for plinking). They can save 40 grains or whatnot per bullet, and sell it for the same price. Over a box of 50, that's 200 grains. Over a case, that's how much?

It all comes down to penny-pinching.

 

[TSQUARED]

One has to cater to consumer tastes and it appears that the majority of consumers are infatuated with the latest/greatest bullet designs. I am reminded of an old ad in a S&W catalog which staed that more med both good and bad havwe been dispatched with 32 S&W revolvers than any other. It appears that men have become tougher over the last century and require more oomph for dispatch.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

One has to cater to consumer tastes and it appears that the majority of consumers are infatuated with the latest/greatest bullet designs. I am reminded of an old ad in a S&W catalog which staed that more med both good and bad havwe been dispatched with 32 S&W revolvers than any other. It appears that men have become tougher over the last century and require more oomph for dispatch.

Not necessarily tougher. The shooters have just become smarter, though. When I shoot somebody with anything, I want him to know it and cease what he's doing immediately. It matters nothing to me if he dies from my round 10 minutes after he kills me.

 

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

Everywhere I go I can find 158gr loads in .38/.357 calibers: CCI Blazer/Blazer Brass, Winchester, Remington, Independence, S&B, Speer etc.

 

[MrAmbassador]

Oddly enough in gun friendly NJ, that's a sick joke, I have no problem finding 158gr. Now if I could find a nice place in the woods to plink.....just dreaming.

 

[M29since14]

I'll bet it has to do with money. That's why you see lighter bullets on the shelves (for plinking). They can save 40 grains or whatnot per bullet, and sell it for the same price. Over a box of 50, that's 200 grains. Over a case, that's how much?

It all comes down to penny-pinching.

I think you're correct, but your math - not so much so. It's 2000 grains and that's ~0.3 pounds saved for each box of shells, or ~3 pounds of lead saved in a case of 500. Might be your typing? Forget a zero?

Shotgunners have long since abandoned the old 12 gauge 1-1/8 oz. target load (which used to be 1-1/4 oz. before that). Nowadays, most of the 12 ga. shooters I know shoot 7/8 oz. It does add up since the price of lead shot is somewhere around $40/bag.
7/8 oz yields 457 rounds per bag
1 oz, 400
1-1/8 oz, 355
As they say, "The more you shoot, the more you save!" That's silly of course, but bottom line is the savings do add up.

But (returning to pistols), yes, by far the most common .38 Special round I see these days is the 130-gr FMJ, which was so uncommon outside of the military when I was a lad that it was almost sensational to find a box of them. The wholesale change over of .357s to the 125-gr load just seems deplorable, to me.

 

[ryanjames170]

i can still get 158gr LRN at our local wal-mart and a few other places as well

 

[PuertoRican]

Cheaper Than Dirt has em for 14.89 for S&B.

 

[badge 851]

Everywhere I go I can find 158gr loads in .38/.357 calibers: CCI Blazer/Blazer Brass, Winchester, Remington, Independence, S&B, Speer etc.

Me too. There is no shortage of 158gr 38 Special or 357 Magnum ammunition in the Pacific Northwest of WA state that I can see. Cabelas®, Wholesale Sports Outfitters®, Sportsmans Warehouse®, Big 5 Sporting Goods®, and Walmart® all have 158gr ammo in these two calibers.

 

[stantheman86]

Federal still makes the 158 gr. LRN, and it's widely available.

 

[nipster]

Cheaper Than Dirt has em for 14.89 for S&B.

Last time I looked, all of the cheaper stuff on CTD was steel case **** from TulAmmo or some other eastern european maker I have never heard of or was sold out (a chronic problem). I ended up buying some 142gr FMJ made by Fiocci which was alright, because it was cheaper than I could get 158gr FMJ. I dont like shooting partially jacketed stuff and cant shoot full lead shot at my range(s) due to restrictions they have on the stuff.

 

[Pigirondan]

Georgia Arms sells bulk .38 Special 158 grain SWC. Look under the "Canned Heat" section.

 

[MrAmbassador]

Speaking of 158gr in both .38 and .357, I have made it a point to only shoot that based on some of what I have read here regarding K frame and flame cutting, etc.. Is this a good idea, bad idea, doesn't matter?

 

[Texas Star]

Speaking of 158gr in both .38 and .357, I have made it a point to only shoot that based on some of what I have read here regarding K frame and flame cutting, etc.. Is this a good idea, bad idea, doesn't matter?

That depends ENTIRELY on who made a post and on how much he really knows.

But you sometimes see a concensus.

 

[ryanjames170]

i think just about everyone who makes 38 has 158gr LRN and LSWC
I personally have Remington LRN and Federal LSWC's in 158gr i have seen Federal, PPU and i know Winchester makes a 158gr bullets

and i have seen 357 as well with 158gr

 

[k53]

Seems its hit and miss depending on where you live. I'm planning on reloading in the next few years till then I'll keep looking.

 

[geoff40]

Around here it used to be that the 158/swc was mass produced by several different commercial reloading outfits. Now there is but one, and he puts out a very high quality, top shelf product. He is about the only source I know of, I can't remember the last time I saw 158 grain SWC factory ammunition in a GS. Sometimes I see 158 RN, but I am not a fan of that bullet.
Yep, you gotta roll your own. And yes, especially for plinking ammunition like the 158 SWC, it is worth it. A box of 500 of them is about $40-45, a pound of Bullseye (7000 grains in a pound) will load up between 1550 and 1650 rounds of 38 Special target loads (depending on the charge), $17-20 depending on the store. Primers are roughly 3 to 3 1/2 cents each. Do the math!