Why I Dumped My .38 $pecial.

[AJ]

I’ve reloaded off and on since I was a kid. It was strictly for economic reasons. I have to come to the conclusion I really dislike reloading.

I’ll keep my gear for a while. Maybe one of my kids or nephews/nieces will want to give it a try. As for me - nope. Its too boring and I can afford ammo.

My shooting buddy actually likes reloading, so it works for him.

"To each their own"

 

[rockquarry]

I’ve reloaded off and on since I was a kid. It was strictly for economic reasons. I have to come to the conclusion I really dislike reloading.

I’ll keep my gear for a while. Maybe one of my kids or nephews/nieces will want to give it a try. As for me - nope. Its too boring and I can afford ammo.

My shooting buddy actually likes reloading, so it works for him.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that reasoning.

 

[Dave Lively]

I’ve reloaded off and on since I was a kid. It was strictly for economic reasons. I have to come to the conclusion I really dislike reloading.

I came to to the same conclusion except that for many years I really enjoyed trying to find loads that gave the best possible accuracy in my rifles. But eventually I got tired of it.

I still have the equipment and a lot of components. Selling it can be a hassle. Due to the weight I would need to sell it locally and since a lot of reloaders are very cost conscious they only want the equipment and components they need, not the whole lot. Selling it in one transaction would be a lot easier than a dozen or more piecemeal transactions. Some of the stuff is old too. Not sure how many people would want a box of 700 large magnum rifle primers from 1982. I gave all my powder to a friend that burned it in a bonfire, selling open cans of powder sound like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

 

[bigt5150]

The first gun I ever bought was a S&W 686 with a 6 inch barrel in 1991. Still have it to this day and it's still a tack driver. I loved to shoot it so much i got into reloading just to feed it. Best decision I ever made. You might want to look into reloading for your revolvers. It might be a little tougher today but I think it's still worth a shot.

 

[tajada]

Reloading only option cheap with hard cast bullets.

I would drop my .39 special because of ammo
Price. I would learn to reload. The 38 specials are excellent and one of my favorites next to the .44

 

[jeeps]

Shooting 38 Special today without the shell shucking of bottom feeders makes getting your brass easy. Hardcast 158 swc's are cheap and easy to reload and the brass last a long time. I load the 158swc to 850fps and its a general purpose do it all load. My M10 4" heavy barrel is my favorite along with a M10 2" round butt for ccw. Both super accurate and great d/a shooters. Whats not to like?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I could use some 38 Special.
Have 3-38s and a Dozen 357s I shoot it in.
I have a fair amount, just don’t shoot that much.
9mm appears to be The Round.
More on shelves, variety, price competition.
When I was talking to that Dude at Cabelas who had a Custom Rifle on Order- 25-35 Caliber.
He was lamenting about the problems of finding 25-35 Ammo.
Say what? You couldn’t find that when you could find lots of ammo.
So I’m mostly plinking with 22LR and 9mm.
Just bought a Sig 365 XMacro.
May buy another one.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

I ran into the same problem with the 357 magnum. Luckily, there are a few options short of getting rid of your 38 specials.

1. Reloading: I know components can be hard to find, but one bulk purchase of everything necessary will last a while if stored properly will last a while and save you tons of money. Especially in less common calibers like 38 special.

2. Buy bulk online/in-store of your preferred ammo and stockpile constantly. I bought out the entire stock of Winchester Silvertip ammo from Aim Surplus recently and will again when they re-stock it. Try to not let your stockpile of 38 get below 1,000 rounds and re-stock to 1,000 every 250 or so.

3. Or as you mentioned you can go to a more common caliber such as 9mm or 380. Just realize if there is a real military demand crunch those can become scarce too. I know it is common due to military and police use, but that can go both ways, it can become scarce due to military and police getting first priority if things go South.

No matter what, I wish you the best. I just know I would stockpile tens of thousands of rounds of 357 magnum components if I ever thought it would go the way of the Dodo before I would give that up.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

What one does has little to no effect on the rest of us 167,999,987,686,000 that like and shoot the .38 spl.

 

[Biggfoot44]

its not at all about the fun of reloading. Its about a cost perspective.

People will rightfully complain about the price of primers, but yet are too eager to overlook the cost of what they actually pay day to day.

Depends upon the caliber .


Back at the original sub topic :

The Revolver Era is over. Generic 9mm fmj has taken the market share that used to be occupied by cheap .38 Special . .38 Special is now a niche caliber , at niche prices . And .38 " practice ammo " is most commonly seen in 130 fmj .

Lots of .38 Spl Guns continue to be sold , primarily in small frame snub defensive guns . But the average buyers ( not enthusiasts like us) typically buy a box or two of premium Defense loads , and not bulk plinking ammo .

 

[sophie]

What one does has little to no effect on the rest of us 167,999,987,686,000 that like and shoot the .38 spl.

I can’t even count that high but I am in that group that has several .38 Specials, quite a bit of factory .38 Special ammo and also reloads for my 38’s and still have lots of brass to use for reloading.
I used to buy Remington and Winchester new unprimed brass by the case in .38 Special and .357 Magnum for reloading. Those days are gone long time ago.
Now don’t get me wrong because I have a lot more 9mm in reloads and factory ammo because it takes a lot more 9mm ammo because of the magazine capacities, you can go through a lot more ammunition. I like my 9mm pistols and my .45acp-1911 guns too.
I still like to slow down and shoot my revolvers regardless of the caliber. Been doing it a long time now.

 

[smoothshooter]

I agree that the crises will be more frequent.
The pre-China Virus status quo is not coming back.
The politics of the recent past has dealt a serious and permanent blow to the future of the shooting sports.

 

[smoothshooter]

I have never really cared for 9mm except out of a carbine. .38 special is a better and more generally useful cartridge when considering that bullet diameter. .44 Special and .45 ACP are good too.
But due to ammo availability and price over the long-term, I feel forced to get a 9mm or two, buy factory ammo, and save my powder and primers for my other calibers.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Depends upon the caliber .


Back at the original sub topic :

The Revolver Era is over. Generic 9mm fmj has taken the market share that used to be occupied by cheap .38 Special . .38 Special is now a niche caliber , at niche prices . And .38 " practice ammo " is most commonly seen in 130 fmj .

Lots of .38 Spl Guns continue to be sold , primarily in small frame snub defensive guns . But the average buyers ( not enthusiasts like us) typically buy a box or two of premium Defense loads , and not bulk plinking ammo .

"The revolver era is over".............That made me bust out laughing. So uninformed.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I have never really cared for 9mm except out of a carbine. .38 special is a better and more generally useful cartridge when considering that bullet diameter. .44 Special and .45 ACP are good too.
But due to ammo availability and price over the long-term, I feel forced to get a 9mm or two, buy factory ammo, and save my powder and primers for my other calibers.

9mm was the first cartridge I cast bullets for and loaded in 1972. For a BHP P35 that I bought myself for high school graduation. Now 51 years later I cast and load for multiplies of calibers and gauges.......The only factory ammo I buy(rarely) is self defense ammo. and only for liability reasons,

 

[Model19man]

Reloading only option cheap with hard cast bullets.

I thought 38 Special was overpriced at $12 for 50 which is why I started reloading 45 years ago. Most of my components were purchased when it looked like there would be a President Dukakis.

You would do well to do the same.

 

[AJ]

Look for Estates that are being sold. You may hit the jackpot and find one that belonged to a reloader. Usually the family is receptive to a reasonable offer accompanied by cash.

 

[djohns6]

I don't reload . Never have , never will . It is not the solution for everybody .

 

[AJ]

I don't reload . Never have , never will . It is not the solution for everybody .

You sir are correct. Wish there were more with your philosophy. Seriously. if you were not into reloading before this mess and starting out getting set up to reload it can be expensive, Some of us bought components years ago and are surviving on them. Nowadays, the present cost of components, equipment and your time makes just buying store bought ammo attractive to many.

 

[BSA1]

Depends upon the caliber .


Back at the original sub topic :

The Revolver Era is over. Generic 9mm fmj has taken the market share that used to be occupied by cheap .38 Special . .38 Special is now a niche caliber , at niche prices . And .38 " practice ammo " is most commonly seen in 130 fmj .

Lots of .38 Spl Guns continue to be sold , primarily in small frame snub defensive guns . But the average buyers ( not enthusiasts like us) typically buy a box or two of premium Defense loads , and not bulk plinking ammo .

Thank you for the laugh this morning.

The revolver era is far from over. Even as States like California continue to pass laws restricting Semiautomatic pistols it doesn’t reduce citizens need for self-defense. Citizens simply buy whatever pistols that are still legal. Since revolvers so far have been free of specific laws restricting them or their features (magazine capacity for example) there is a strong market for them especially in those States.

Shopping for K-Frame size revolvers (S&W, Ruger, Colt) is the main reason I go to Gun Shows. If the Gun Show I went to this past Spring finding them in good condition is getting difficult. I have been giving a lot of thought to buying a Taurus Tracker.