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Jessie

Jessie

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I was hoping to get some Buffalo Bore .38 S&W for my wife's 32-1 Terrier.
I found some decent BB 125 gr. hardcast @875fps out of that 2".
Good enough with little recoil. Pricey @ $28/20, but $26 for shipping on 2 boxes? Deal breaker.
Does anyone load for this round? Is it worth the spin up with dies, etc.?
I really like the gun and she does too and we'd both shoot it enough to justify some initial expense considering the alternative.
I understand the bullet is a bit larger than the .38 spcl. Are they easily obtainable? And in SD configuration?
It may pay to get a mold also?
 
The .38 S&W is easy to load for, and I have loaded it for many years. I use .38 Super dies, a set of the old Lyman Tru-Line Jr. type. You can easily get standard .38 Special ballistics, but you had better not use them in any of the older top break revolvers. OK in solid frame revolvers. You can use .38 Special bullets (.357-.358) with no problems, but the recommended bullet is .360-.361. I load only Lead bullets.
 
That's a shakedown. For a little more than what they would charge you, you can probably buy good, minimal loading equipment.
 
Whether you are dealing with a manufacturer, distributor, or individual seller the cost of "shipping & handling" must be factored in prior to completing an order. There are many sellers out there advertising attractive prices, then jacking up the delivery charges to keep the bottom line high.

Loaded ammunition (and primers, powder, etc) poses some special considerations when being shipped. Generally speaking you will be limited to ground services, and hazmat fees will be applied. Shipping to a residential address can be more expensive than a business address.

If you are a member of a shooting club or range you may want to consider working up group buys, generally saving on bulk pricing and keeping shipping charges to a minimum. Otherwise, as an individual you will find yourself always at the hard end of minimum delivery charges.
 
Jessie,
I know Buffalo Bore ships for free if you buy 12 boxes (240 rounds - I know) and would also bet you could find a more fair shipping deal if you look around and do not want so much of it. I agree that what they banged you for shipping is outrageous but IMHO their ammo is top notch and it turns many smaller calibers into viable defense guns.
 
I load for the 38 S&W because even factory practice ammo is very expensive. Bullets are not hard to find but if course there isn't as wide a variety as with the .38 Special. It's not hard to load that cartridge at all.

A set of Lee Carbide dies will cost you only $32.
 
Thanks everyone. It sounds like it will be no trouble to load these. The dies are the same as a box and a half of BB.
I should be able to work up something that approaches BB and will add some bite into that Terrier's bark.
I would think you're getting some extended life out of the brass with its low pressures, also?
 
I don't think you will have any brass life problems with the .38 S&W, no more than with any other caliber, even with hotter loads. There's really not much point in trying to magnumize the .38 S&W, although it's no trick to reload to .38 Special ballistics, or beyond. One of my favorite loads is a 125 grain lead truncated cone bullet for the .38 Special which moves out at about 850 ft/sec. That load groups well at any reasonable distance and should be adequate for any SD purpose.
 
No, I don't want to make it a " magnum " by any stretch.
That would defeat the purpose of getting it for my wife because of the mild recoil.
The load you mentioned sounds good for that gun. 850fps is enough.
 
Check out other ammo suppliers.

I just tried Cheaper than Dirt and they have BB 38 S&W in stock and charge a little over $16 to ship to my location for two boxes.

But for shipping 5 boxes (all they had in stock) it's only a couple bucks more.

Usually shipping a couple hundred rounds isn't my more that shipping two 20 round boxes.

Didn't buy it, so those 5 boxes are probably still there.
 
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I just checked Cheaper than Dirt and they want $22 to ship one 50rd box to Va.
You would think it was nitro or something.
I know all about hazmat charges and such, but something else is going on with the "exotic" calibers, I think.
 
Jessie said:
I just checked Cheaper than Dirt and they want $22 to ship one 50rd box to Va.
You would think it was nitro or something.
I know all about hazmat charges and such, but something else is going on with the "exotic" calibers, I think.
Click to expand...

There is no hazmat fee on loaded ammo. The ammo companies had enough power to prevent that while reloaders didn't. Even though that is a huge price it's not a hazmat charge.
 
Maybe you could find it at a local shop, or they could order it for you. Wouldn't help the high price any, but you would avoid the outrageous shipping.
 
I've got the same little Terrier and I bought 38 S&W from SG Ammo. PPU makes it; a Serbian ammo manufacturer. Thus far it has been very very good ammo. I've shot about 500 rounds of it. I usually get between 5 and 10 boxes at a time. Shipping is very reasonable. I use that ammo for my 32-1, 11-4, and 33-1.
 
Check out the Lee Hand Press Kit , a set of Lee 38 S&W dies and a Lee 2-cavity bullet mould.
The hand press kit comes with press , case lube, powder funnel and primer seating tool.
The dies come with a shell holder , powder scoop and load data.
The mould , 125 gr. RF , is complete with handles and bullets can be shot as cast, roll them around in Lee bullet lube and dry .
The whole set up will put you back $107.00 from Midway .
Not a bad investment to become the master of your own ammo supply.

The hand press is excellent for making handgun ammo , it's about all I use now , I sit anywhere in the house , or my office, and reload ammo. One thing I forgot , you will need a bullet tray to hold them while reloading. MTM is $7.00 or drill holes in a wooden block = $0.00
Gary
 
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gwpercle said:
Check out the Lee Hand Press Kit , a set of Lee 38 S&W dies and a Lee 2-cavity bullet mould.

The whole set up will put you back $107.00 from Midway .
Not a bad investment to become the master of your own ammo supply.
Click to expand...

What about the melting pot,Lyman #2 casting lead,sizer and greaser,bullet lube etc?

Casting setup costs can be costly.
 
Lyman has a kit, at a pretty good price. Actually they have two, one comes with a lubrisizer. Lube is cheap. Lead is about the only thing you have to look for and eBay is full of it.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
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