Is .38 Special in danger of becoming an orphaned round?

[bushmaster1313]

Outside of this Forum, is the .38 Special in danger of becoming an orphan round?

Specifically, most of the guns I see at the range are .45, 9 mm and .40 S&W.

Rarely do I see anyone other than myself shooting .357 or .38 Special.

And the current crop of concealed carry revolvers seemed to be mostly chambered in .357.

Yes, .38 Special can be used for self defense, and it is a great practice round if you are carrying .357, but it is an expensive cartridge due to its high brass and high lead requirements, and I suspect that it is not on the manufacturers' "A" list of cartridges.

I would not be surprised if the cost of new .38 Special cartridges stays quite high even after the "panic" eases.

Going to start saving my brass, even though I don't reload.

 

[Bob L]

There has been talk ever since the 357 came out that the 38 Special was going to go away. It hasn't happened yet and I do not see where it will in any of our lifetimes. If for no other reason then there are millions of pistols made for the 38 Special. I believe that the 38 is still in the top three or four cartridges sold in the US.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

Wont be an orphan anytime soon. Other than calibres that were adopted for law enforcement and military applications where most of the contract weapons were auto loaders the .38 special is still #1 in ammo sales for revolvers. If the military were to readopt the .38 then you would see the prices drop accordingly . Everyone and their brother would be making the ammo and competing for market shares.

 

[LimaCharlie]

The way the .38 special revolvers and ammo are flying off the shelf around here, I think it has a very bright future. Even people buying .357 magnum revolvers are buying .38 special for practice. My wife practices with .38 special +P and carries .357 magnum rounds.

 

[JJEH]

I doubt it as well. It's too good of a round in older as well as modern handguns...

 

[GypsmJim]

I believe it will be made obsolete - the day after the .30-06 is orphaned.

 

[Welder1]

The 5 in my Pockett don't feel like orphans.

 

[Zekest]

Yes, .38 Special is going away because we all know we need a .357 round that that will pass through two car doors and crack an engine block. A .38 Special is just not enough power to stop a crazy crack head, like the ones that try to take your life on a daily basis...

Who starts this silly **** anyway? It cannot be anyone with an ounce of common sense...

 

[mbliss57]

No, heck no , absolutely no in 13 characters

 

[sarge1967]

As others have said it is not going anywhere. I would recommend saving your brass and learning to reload because prices are going somewhere and that is UP!

 

[rwsmith]

People in the know

People in the know will be using them for a long time to come. They are one of the world's great cartridges. Gazillions were made and still used. They are still very popular around the world. Sure the semi autos take over the big popularity spot, but people realize the reliability and simplicity of a DA revolver that has manageable recoil.

 

[ibewbull]

I recall Taps being played for the .45 Long Colt in 1970 and the sound echoing in the halls for a long time. Well the ole girl was good in the late 1800s and still works just fine today.
So now think of the mighty .357 magnum and how it can knock a deer down at 50 yards. Well this may well be true if we do our part. Then the Highway Patrol adopted it after Bill Jordan got Smith and Wesson to make a .357 magnum. It did it's job well and still shines.
Now that the citizens have right to carry in most states we have different senarios for the use. The .357 is great for the road warrior but in a populated area it is a bit much. Liability is a concern to us all. The .38 special is a great choice for defense with proper load. I like the 158 grain lead HP from my snubby. All the fancy exotic jazz is not necessary in my opinion. The FBI used the 158 LHP for a long time.
Smith making the hammerless 642, 640 etc. at a reasonable price will keep this package a top choice for a long time to come. I just wish more dealers stocked the 158 LHP but then it can be ordered.
So yes Virginia the Special will keep on kicking for a long time to come . i have no doubt at all.
Now as to obsolete the .32 magnum and .327 are surely in danger. BUt then I am a fan of the .300 Savage so who knows?

 

[LimaCharlie]

My favorite assault weapons are a 2nd. generation Colt SAA in .45 Colt and a Marlin 1895 Cowboy .45/70. Everyone knows those cartridges are obsolete and going away.

 

[adwjc]

With the ridiculous magazine limits that are being implemented in some states and put in place in others, the good old .38 spc is still a safe bet for the law abiding, tax paying serfs.

 

[bushmaster1313]

TargetSportsUsa still has .38 Special ammo in stock at $0.39 a round:

Federal American Eagle 38 Special 158 Grain Lead Round Nose Ammo

This is good, but it goes against the trend of panic buying, indicating to me that .38 Special is not as popular as it used to be.

 

[mike from st pete]

Now 44SPL is another story.

 

[Zjnovak]

Now 44SPL is another story.

Actually, even 44 magnum is getting a little harder to find by me in Milwaukee WI.

To the OP- every time you look at someone shooting a revolver, 8 out of 10 times it is what caliber? 357 or 38.

With the acception of 22 LR, 38 is no doubt the most common revolver cartridge ever made. There are a few "odd" ones like 9mm, 45 ACP, etc. but nowhere near as many as 38 special.

 

[wyo-man]

I shoot the local USPSA matches with a model 10 in .38 Special.
A few laughed at first (I just smiled back), but no jams and after a few lighting fast reloads with a speedloader, most said they didn't know a revolver could be reloaded that fast...........(I didn't even mention to them about a "New York Reload").....................................
I can't compete time wise, but lets compare scores and I am (usually) in the middle of the pack of the Production class autos.
I shoot the revolver class for fun - and I have a good time.
Nope, the .38 Special is not going anywhere for a long time.

wyo-man

 

[ancient-one]

Don't think so.

 

[riverrat38]

I have read that S&W's most popular revolvers are the .38 Spec. Airweights. I think that says something about the future of the round.

Best,
Rick