Why I Dumped My .38 $pecial.

[Dave Lively]

If people are turning away from revolvers, why aren't there a bunch of used ones on the market?

Because selling a used gun these days is a hassle.

If it was as easy as selling something on eBay I have a few that would be on the market. I have sold guns locally and on GunBroker and both methods have drawbacks. Selling to a dealer for half what the gun is worth is an option I have not used before but am considering. I don't see any point in keeping guns around that I do not shoot but it takes a few years before I work up the motivation to sell them.

 

[Dave Lively]

I bought a 686 this spring and knew ammo would not be as cheap. But I really like the gun so I bought it despite the cost of ammo.

I was looking this morning and found some PMC for $21.50 per 50 round box. Free shipping, but only if you order a 1000 round case.

PMC Bronze 38 Special Ammo 132 Grain FMJ - Ammo Deals

 

[FLJoe]

These guys are in my town so I don’t have to pay shipping, but they sometimes have free shipping deals. Its good range ammo.

Mountain City Supplies. I’d post a link but I got dinged last time.

Have you tried their reman ammo and has it worked okay for you? I've run a couple hundred or so rounds of their "private reserve" new ammo in my j frame with no problems, but they didn't have that available for a long time so I got a few bags of the "white label" reman. 25 rounds into the first bag I got a squib lodged in the barrel. Luckily for me it lodged between the cylinder and the barrel, and locked the action, because I was doing a rapid fire group and hadn't noticed that the recoil felt different (it did go bang, just not with enough force to move the bullet all the way out). Had the bullet stuck 1/8" further down the barrel I would have ruined my gun, and possibly hurt myself.

Anyway, the owner at the range/gun shop knew of the ammo and said I wasn't the first in recent months to get bad loads- one customer did blow the barrel in his 9mm not long before.

Also, with shipping, last few times I ordered, which was about 4 month ago now, shipping was taking about 2 months, but they charge your card at the moment you order. Customer service is extremely polite, and apologetic about the lead times, and I get it that they're having supply shortages, but it's not indicated on the website about the lead times, and I don't like being charged up front then waiting months for my product.

Regarding prices in general, I find "reasonable" prices on ammoseek all the time, but if I keep a regular eye on Midway they often have decent quality ammo at about $0.40/round, and you can often find a free shipping coupon code. I know it's not 9mm cheap, but it's worth shooting .38 to me.

 

[BSA1]

The 9mm is now as popular as the .38 Special was 40 years ago. The .38 Special cartridge isn't used much as a service round. Maybe some Security guards but it seems even they have gone to the 9mm. I've maintained for a long time that the popularity of the five shot 2" guns is what's keeping it alive.

States like California that are banning semi-autos are creating a market for the .38 Special. The K-Frame with 4” barrel is excellent for home defense / checking for things that go bump in the middle of the night.

The slightly smaller Colt Police Positive Special is a good choice for ladies but it has been discontinued too many years to be commonly available.

The J-Frame .38, while very popular, isn’t a good choice as it is hard to learn to shoot accurately.

 

[rockquarry]

I’ve always been a big fan of the .38/.357. It is IMHO one of the most versatile rounds ever produced.Until this most recent ammo/firearm crisis, I’ve always believed that the .38 was so common that you would always be able to find it anywhere; and at a reasonable price. Not so long ago, you could walk into any backwoods hardware store or mercantile and it was almost certain that you could find .38 Special in some iteration, even if it was Lead Round Nose.

Today’s ammo situation has proven me wrong. Was just checking ammo prices at Runnings. Federal American Eagle.38 Spcl FMJ, $58/50. Federal American Eagle .45 ACP FMJ, $34/50. Almost makes me want to buy a big bore!

I know that “these things shall pass”, but I think these crises shall become more cyclical and frequent . For the foreseeable future, it’s 9mm/.380 for me.

Have you considered handloading? The initial outlay for equipment can be minimal. Accuracy seems to be pretty secondary to many nowadays, but if you have an interest in it, you can produce ammunition that's considerably more accurate than factory ammo. Of course, handloading basics need to be learned first.

 

[sigp220.45]

Have you tried their reman ammo and has it worked okay for you? I've run a couple hundred or so rounds of their "private reserve" new ammo in my j frame with no problems, but they didn't have that available for a long time so I got a few bags of the "white label" reman. 25 rounds into the first bag I got a squib lodged in the barrel. Luckily for me it lodged between the cylinder and the barrel, and locked the action, because I was doing a rapid fire group and hadn't noticed that the recoil felt different (it did go bang, just not with enough force to move the bullet all the way out). Had the bullet stuck 1/8" further down the barrel I would have ruined my gun, and possibly hurt myself.

Anyway, the owner at the range/gun shop knew of the ammo and said I wasn't the first in recent months to get bad loads- one customer did blow the barrel in his 9mm not long before.

Also, with shipping, last few times I ordered, which was about 4 month ago now, shipping was taking about 2 months, but they charge your card at the moment you order. Customer service is extremely polite, and apologetic about the lead times, and I get it that they're having supply shortages, but it's not indicated on the website about the lead times, and I don't like being charged up front then waiting months for my product.

Regarding prices in general, I find "reasonable" prices on ammoseek all the time, but if I keep a regular eye on Midway they often have decent quality ammo at about $0.40/round, and you can often find a free shipping coupon code. I know it's not 9mm cheap, but it's worth shooting .38 to me.

All I shoot is their cheap stuff (remanufactured) in 9mm, .38 Special, and .380 ACP. I’ve never had a bad round (yet).

They’re local to me, so I just stop in and grab some off the shelf.

 

[Goldstar225]

The 9mm is now as popular as the .38 Special was 40 years ago. The .38 Special cartridge isn't used much as a service round. Maybe some Security guards but it seems even they have gone to the 9mm. I've maintained for a long time that the popularity of the five shot 2" guns is what's keeping it alive. I imagine most of it is actually shot in .357's. That helps too.

Of course with such a huge installed base it's a long way from being discontinued. But it's not what it once was. Fortunately it's an extremely easy cartridge to reload. The brass lasts a long time and you don't lose any in the grass.

For my purposes it's great. I'm just a target shooter, and I reload. Hard to beat a .38 for punching paper. In my experience your average .38/.357 is very accurate with a wide variety of loads be it factory or reloads. I can't say that for the 9mm.

This is on target. I've been around long enough to see the transition from the .38 being on top to the 9mm replacing it. Economy of scale in production accounts for the pricing reversal.

Fortunately I reload and cast my own bullets so I'm not a slave to the market. Even before the recent panic .45 Colt was $50.00 a box for basic lead loads, now I'm seeing $70.00 a box. If I didn't roll my own I wouldn't own my .45 Colt.

 

[Goldstar225]

go price a basic start up reloading kit.

Many of us started our handloading hobby with a basic Lee Loader Kit and built up over time. I was one of them. It's still available for under $50.00.

Lee Loader 38 Spl - Lee Precision

 

[xfarfuldog]

I can remember when you could buy factory reloads for 38 for under $8. I was the head firearms instructor for my small department, basic academy and later a security company. When we replaced ammo every year, many did not want their old ammo. I found a home for it. Still have thousands of 38. Mostly Gold Dot or Hydrashock/HST.

Don't shoot that much anymore, but when I do its usually 9mm.

 

[rockquarry]

go price a basic start up reloading kit.

I suggested a "minimal" setup. I doubt they are outrageously expensive. Most basic tools will make ammo just as good as higher priced equipment, it's just a slower process. When learning handloading, slow is better anyway.

 

[LostintheOzone]

If people are turning away from revolvers, why aren't there a bunch of used ones on the market?

There are plenty of used revolvers for sale. I just purchased one from a well know website. They aren't inexpensive however, just like ammo.

 

[venomballistics]

It's too unpredictable to be honest.
I was of the mindset to bank on "the wheezing geezers" of the gun rack.
The 30-30's, 38-55's, 32-20's, and 45-70's.
Those crusty old arms few wanted but were capable of putting a chunk of lead in motion even after all the WhizzBang new kids ran dry.
The philosophy worked great up until this last run, where it seems to be exactly wrong.
About the only thing that seems solid about anything is the concept of what I call the "Swiss reserve".
For any gun you have, you should also have 200 rounds for it. Under no peaceful circumstances should you ever fire that 200.
200 rounds of ammo is the same as being out of ammo.
Target quantities should be a minimum of the maximum amount of ammo you'd expend with that particular arm times two.
There in, you get to enjoy your arms with enough of a cushion that they will serve you in darker times.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I haven’t bought a box of factory 38 in years but I did just pay $85 for a brick of 22lr yesterday - yikes-
Don’t give up on 38spl it’s a great cartridge that is cheap and easy to load
The shortage of primers is just a bump in the road and a learning experience
When things become available again you could employ the “need one ,buy two” method of stock piling , never really breaks the bank but before long you have a good supply built up
That is how I do it , maybe I can’t afford to EVERYTIME but often as is possible ��

About 5 years ago I bought 5K rds of CCI 22lr. I think that's 10 bricks. Cost was about $265 IIRC. How does a product more than triple in price in 5 years? Unbelievable.

 

[Transamconvert]

At this point in history, .38 is a reloader's cartridge.

 

[max503]

The J-Frame .38, while very popular, isn’t a good choice as it is hard to learn to shoot accurately.

"The Secrets of Double Action Shooting" by Bob Nichols.

^^^Worked for me. Just ignore the parts where he insists you can only do it with a 5 screw S&W. I learned on an H&R 22.

 

[LostintheOzone]

These guys are in my town so I don’t have to pay shipping, but they sometimes have free shipping deals. Its good range ammo.

Mountain City Supplies. I’d post a link but I got dinged last time.

It's easy to do. It's been challenging for me. I'm a better person because of it though.

 

[Beemerguy53]

All ammo is making a come back. But prices will never be like the old days. Get what you need while you can.

For as long as I can remember, I've bought ammo whenever I've come across a good deal on it, whether I needed it at that particular moment or not. As a result of that habit, I have a good stock set aside.

It's far better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I see reloading being spoken about here. Unfortunately it's a bad time to start reloading and has been for around the past 2 years or so. Still, with the unavailable of ammo still there and the extremely high costs associated with buying it, reloading is still a viable alternative.

Basic setups:
An RCBS Reloader Special-5 single stage kit on sale right now for $244.43 (Midway)
This kit comes with a digital scale and a reloading manual.

A Lee 4 Hole Turret Press w/auto-index kit on sale right now for $199.99 (Midway)
This kit comes with a balance beam scale which is rudimentary and usable. No manual included

Add a set of calipers and you are set up to start reloading.

 

[AJ]

You just have to shop around to find the deals. Some of the major retailers in my area are somewhat reasonable and the small gun stores are outrageous. Saw .380 for $60.00 a box a few days ago.

 

[max503]

Because selling a used gun these days is a hassle.

I wonder if there is any safe way to advertise locally that I am willing to buy a revolver. I'm real picky about who knows I have guns.