Doesn't anyone sell 148 WCs anymore?

mkk41

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Got caught short on match ammo , been neglecting my reloading. Anyway , I was gonna attend a league shoot , but went to several shops but not a single box of 148gr wadcutters to be found. New or reloads. Not even any 158gr LRN or SWC. Only that anemic 130gr FMJ and $1.25 per round +P hollowpoint premium tactical defense ammo.

I remember when there was at least a half dozen varieties of .38 Special on any gun or sporting goods store shelf.

What happened to the grand old .38?
 
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A buddy's dad gave me some about 6 months ago....1000 rounds. I just finished them up last week.

They must have been 30 years old, but they still looked new.
 
Look for Fioccohi 148 gr full wadcutters on-line. Cheaper than Dirt, Ammo to Go, I can't remember where I got mine within the last year.
 
Every major manufacturer still makes the 38Spl wadcutter: Magtech, Fiocchi, S&B, Fed, Win, Rem, etc. it's just that there's not much demand for this style of bullet. I see FMJ ammo everywhere I go, especially S&B, Win USA, Independence and CCI Blazer Brass.
 
I bought a couple of boxes of S & B wadcutters at Cabela's today for $22 a box. they had quite a few boxes of it on the shelf. it shoots quite well in my K-38. if you reload I have come across tight primer pockets with the brass
 
Look for Fioccohi 148 gr full wadcutters on-line. Cheaper than Dirt, Ammo to Go, I can't remember where I got mine within the last year.

Fiocchi makes excellent ammo I know.

I haven't actually gone looking to buy any ammo for a long time , but I've gotten way behind on my reloading , and probably have a few thousand .38 specials sitting empty , waiting to reload. Gotta park my butt in front of my Dillon 550 more often instead of this darn computer.
 
When I started shooting back in the 1970's you could pick up .38 wadcutter reloads at every gun shop in town. Now it's all 9mm and .40's.
The only wadcutters I still shoot are my own handloads.
 
All my LGS's have them. I just bought some last year. The shelves were all stocked to the roof this afternoon. They all seem to be getting ready for November sales.
 
Haven't seen any 148 gr. wadcutters in my neck of the woods for nearly seven years since I bought the last five boxes of Winchester Match at a Trader Horn store that was going out of business. Darn 40 S&W everywhere. 9MM and 45 ACP sell out but lots of 40 S&W. The only .38 Spl. ammo is 130 gr. FMJ and 110 and 125 gr JHP defense ammo, even at the LGS.
 
I can't buy them locally in my area. As a result and as others have mentioned, I reload them as they are my favorite 38 load.

joe
 
IMO lead bullet ammo is no longer stocked on the shelves because for some reason shooters are convinced that ammo will always lead up their barrel Of course that's not true but if they think it's true, it's true...
 
Where have all the 148 gr. wadcutter loads gone? I suppose the same place other less in demand loads have gone. Seriously, I long ago gave up on expecting to be able to find such ammunition in a LGS, etc. I started reloading my own ammunition while still a student in seminary. Especially for target quality ammunition, I load my own. It allows me to tailor the load to the firearm resulting in better function and on target accuracy. Also, there is a sense of satisfaction in loading the cartridge as you want it loaded, then taking those rounds to a match and winning using your own handloaded ammunition.
 
148 WC

I got tired several years ago of looking so I stocked up several cases. Thankfully I have all I will ever need. Some times you will find them at a show. I did have to have my local reload shop order me some 32 WC's last year. :)
 
I live in a desert of gun shops. None worth visiting. Used to be, one always had a stack of large cube boxes. Each held 500 wadcutters with a silicone lube. They were great, but they were available so why stock up? Then suddenly they were no more. Over the last few years I've found and bought bags of wadcutters. Reloading supplies. I also buy 147 gr 9mm bullets when I find them. Just adding to the stockpile so when I die my son's can fight over it. I guess if I begged my oldest, he'd give up a few hundred 38 empties for me to fill.

The 32 wadcutters loaded are like hen's teeth. Lee had some at an OGCA show a few years ago. He wanted like $75 or more for them. I've never seen just the bullets available. Guess I live a sheltered life.
 
I've noticed the same thing around here with .38 special ammo 130gr FMJ seem's to be all the rage in these part's. Two years ago a LGS blew out some Federal 148gr WC ammo for eight bucks a box and I bought em out and another large GS blew out the bulk pack Speer 148gr BB's and I grabbed five thousand of em. All I can say is when ya see em buy em!
 
Cabela's in Hoffman Estates, IL, had several brands of 148 wadcutters Friday for about $15/50. There seems to be an upsurge in popularity of .38/.357 revolvers in the area. Before Friday, I hadn't seen them in a while. I just bought 1000 HBWCs for reloading. That should last me a while.
 
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