.38 Special

[skwchock]

I shoot .38 Special from my M&P revolver. I love it. It is a good round for target shooting and for self-defense. A few years ago, this round and reloading components were plentiful -- now, I cannot find anything for a .38 Special-- and it seems to have been displaced by the 9mm. With the new interest in revolvers, I sure hope there is renewed interest in .38 Special.

 

[ramprat]

.38 Special?

I shoot .38 Special from my M&P revolver. I love it. It is a good round for target shooting and for self-defense. A few years ago, this round and reloading components were plentiful -- now, I cannot find anything for a .38 Special-- and it seems to have been displaced by the 9mm. With the new interest in revolvers, I sure hope there is renewed interest in .38 Special.

I've noticed the same thing recently. Went to a local show looking for .38 Special ammunition and pickings were mighty slim. Typically, the asking price of a 50 round box of 158 Gr lead round nose was $50.00 with very few vendors willing to negotiate. Even boxes of 100 count Speer 158 Gr SWC bullets were going for north of $40.00.
Gary

 

[B.Thomas]

Utah hasn’t been too bad.
There are retailers who are gouging but have bullets to load with and others that have a load of them for 2 year ago prices. I have stocked up over 1000 158g & 125g Hornady XTP bullets and cast my own LSWC and LRN bullets in 158g
Shells can be had from one local guy for $40 for a thousand. I almost bought more but after counting my current stock of loaded rounds, I decided it wasn’t needed.

Even finding powder at many stores although 25% higher in price and sadly I think that’s the new normal. I’m just glad to be able to buy stuff.

 

[Model19man]

Seems like anything I need is available. I don't usually buy from gun shows, they are normally not the best price for ammo or reloading supplies.

 

[Pine_Worker]

I have not seen 38 special on the shelves at Cabelas and Academy in 2 years. Same for 44 Special and 45 Colt. I am on the “Notify Me” list at Midway. When I receive a notification, I have to act right then because if I wait a day, they are sold out. Prices are outrageous.

 

[Valmet]

I shoot and reload .38 Spl pretty regularly and while it’s never been cheap, boy has it gotten pricey.

 

[skwchock]

I am glad that I am not the only person who enjoys shooting .38 Special. I was beginning to think that everyone has gone over the the 'dark side' and are now 9mm junkies..

 

[Nevada Ed]

I saw a gun show on tv about one of the places that makes ammo.

The 38 special has taken a back seat to the 9mm ammo.

The main reason is that the 9mm is used for LE and military and lots of people shoot it........
which meens that there is more sales and $$ coming into the company
in these trying times.

Supply and demand is king right now but they will get around to 38 special, since there are still a few LE that use this round.

Hang in there.

 

[Heinz]

I bought from CMP when I got my wife's Model 19, Model 17 pair in mid 2021. About 1000 rounds in 38 and 500 in 357. And a bunch of 22 rimfire
We are picking up all that centerfire brass in case primers ever reappear.

 

[ShowMePro]

I reload and shoot light 357 rounds through my guns (686, 19, 60) but since I also have a couple 38 special only models (36, 10) I bought 500 new starline brass 38 cases a few years back knowing I'd use them someday. I think I made a good call.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I too enjoy 38 special . I don't use my 357's for it . I use 357 magnum cases , load from mild to wild for those guns . But , I recently did have the good fortune to buy a Colt Police Positive Special , which is chambered in 38 special that looked brand new for a " giveaway price " . I had my local gunsmith clean and oil it as I figured it hadn't had any service since leaving the factory in the mid to later 60's . A very sweet shooting gun in 38 special and very very accurate . It has fixed sights , love them .
I cast my own bullets . Either the LEE round nose tumble lube 158 gr , or the 148 gr LEE wadcutter . For powder I prefer the faster burning powders --- Bullseye , titegroup , WST , 700X etc . I don't try to " magnimize " the 38 special . I shoot and enjoy it for what it is , " a special " . Regards Paul

 

[Baxter6551]

A birth year Colt Official Police - always a pleasure at the range. Model 64 former Ludlow MA PD duty gun and a model 67 former police and armored car issue gun.
I still have a fair quantity of .38

 

[.38SuperMan]

I am glad that I am not the only person who enjoys shooting .38 Special. I was beginning to think that everyone has gone over the the 'dark side' and are now 9mm junkies..

When I check out my LHS 80% of the guns in the display cases are plastic 9’s. Most of the 38’s I see new are Smith airweights and I don’t see many of them. I’d say I see 40 or 50 9’s for every 38 I see.

I shoot more 38’s now than anything including my lever guns. I reload everything and have a good stash of primers and powder so no issues there. Bullets are readily available too.

 

[John Patrick]

Plenty of 38spl available. It’s the price that’s an impediment.

I do not like reloading, but a Bud and I are set to load a couple thousand Berry’s HB plated wadcutters. And then some SWCs and SWCHP GC.

 

[Frailer]

It was my love for the 38 Special in general—and wadcutters in particular—that finally got me to start reloading. Even pre-pandemic wadcutters (when you could find them) were more than twice the price of good 9mm FMJ rounds.

 

[len917]

Have 2 S&W revolvers in .38 spec. Reloading in not that expensive if you have the equipt. Brass is free, 148gr lwc and 158 gr lswc are about .08/per bullet, powder is about $30-35/# and use 2.5-3.5 gr depending on powder/bullet and CCI primers are about .08/ea. Really not too bad.
9mm is not that much different, just more powder.
Most of us have already written off our equipment already.

 

[swagmeister]

I check the local Academy and Bass Pro Shop a couple of times a week and .38 ammo is very scarce. When they get some in, it is only a few boxes and they are usually gone before the end of the same day. I lucked out a couple of weeks ago at Academy as they had one 50 round box of Remington .38 130 grain copper. It was priced at $33.95, and with tax it was over $35.00. I have several .38 and .357 revolvers of different makes and it is getting too expensive to shoot them much. I don't see any relief in sight for the near future. Most dealers at gunshows for the past year and a half have asked really stupid high prices for ammo of any kind.

 

[MajorD]

A couple days ago I was in the local sportsman warehouse and the few boxes of 38 they had ( the FMJ practice ammo) was 31 per 50. I can reload 38 158 LRN or 148 WC for about 1/5th of that.

Any avid shooter that doesn’t reload is either absurdly wealthy or crazy

 

[Fishinfool]

.38 Special - 158 Gr - FMJ - Norma Range & Training - QTY 50 - Norma Shooting

Take 10% off if you join their mailing list, and free shipping. So $24.30 a box. I tried a box of this ammo recently in a 28-2 and a 586, and it shot clean and accurate. I like it's a 158 grain flat nose FMJ instead of the more common 130 grain FMJRN, and that it's not down loaded.

Larry

 

[Iadwm]

I agree 38 spec. nice to shoot and nice to reload!

 

[Model5]

When I started loading for 357 I only bought one bag of starlike brass. I should have bought 2. I can’t find brass anywhere. Unless I want to load 357 sig and judging by the supply everywhere nobody wants to do that haha.

 

[snubbert]

I love 38 special, maybe even my favorite cartridge. Good for defense; good for target/range, plinking, reloadable... and of course, launched from a revolver

 

[murphydog]

To me it is a perfect storm causing .38 Special ammunition and components to be more expensive. Raw material and shipping costs are rising, demand (at least compared to 9 mm) is low, labor costs are higher and the manufacturers have to use what capacity they have to bring what is popular to market. Who knows when all this will get better?