OT- Is 38 special fading away?

[Otto]

I went to the local gunshop yesterday looking for some 38 plinking ammo, and you would think I asked them for pin-fire cartridges or something. They rooted around on the shelf, and found one box each of Winchester and Remington 110gr HP. I asked whether they had any SWC and they literally laughed at me. I figured 38 would still be a popular plinker/practice round. Aren't there like a bazillion jillion old revolvers out there somewhere?

[rjohns94]

i just loaded 300 rounds my shooting range sells them gunbrokers has them in bulk

[Hobie]

Just a poorly supplied store...

[Otto]

Rjohns94,

What is your load? I'm going to put together some CAS-type loads with a couple different powders and maybe some FFFg. I'll use 158gr SWC, and maybe something like 140gr for the black powder.

[rjohns94]

for 158 grain SWC I am using 4.5 grains of unique and CCI 500 primers, winchester brass.

[Blaine]

WallyWorld has 100 round Win WhiteBox for cheap.....a truncated FMJ that shoots pretty good in mine and about the same POI as the Win 130gr STX +P.

[Ysabel Kid]

for 158 grain SWC I am using 4.5 grains of unique and CCI 500 primers, winchester brass.

I do that exact same loading an love it. I wouldn't know about new or store-bought .38's - it has been a couple decades since I had to buy any factory stuff!!!

Over the last month or so I think I've loaded up 600-700 rounds of .38 Special. Just cleaned and deprimed about 800 more cases as well!!!

[Andrew]

Just a poorly supplied store...

Yes. I was hoping to avoid that problem buying ammo for my Blackhawk but the wally-world guys said before me it had been 6 months since someone asked for .45 Colt. They had plenty .44Mag though.

[rjohns94]

yk< thats kewl we use the same load. I use unique for .38, .357, .45lc.

[Otto]

Unique is the powder I have on order for this project, and those Walmart value packs are where I got most of my brass. By the way, I'm shooting a pair of Cimarron Lightning replicas. They're a lot of fun. Sorry, I'm camera deficient at the moment.

[Slick]

Just a poorly supplied store...

EXACTLY! You should have laughed at them...

I reload lots of .38 spec for plinking ammo in my .357 lever-guns.

[Steve Collins]

Can't even remember the last time I bought .38 practice ammo, I've been reloading it so long...

[Idiot]

A shop that doesn't have a substantial supply of 38 Special ammo is not a gunshop - it's a joke.

The 38 Special is alive and well.

[Jaguarundi]

A shop that doesn't have a substantial supply of 38 Special ammo is not a gunshop - it's a joke.

The 38 Special is alive and well.

+1 and amen !

[DennisD]

The 38 spl is fading away just like some bottom feeder shooters try to say the revolver is going to disappear altogether. I just saw a piece (magazine or on TV, can't remember) that said revolvers are gaining in popularity again. Maybe due to SAS shooting but I think all revolvers are getting more popular again. Like someone else suggested, find another gun store.

[Modoc ED]

The .38 Special better not be fading. The only revolvers I have left are .38 Special.

[WCF3030]

I reload for the 38.
But around here all the stores are well stocked with differnt 38 loads.

[morgan in nm]

I was just sitting here thinking, it has been a few years since I seen a newly manufactured revolver in 38 special.

They are definately not fading away though. The reason your gun shop doesn't carry them is probably the excuse mine gives, "I can't compete with Wal-mart." My reasoning is that he can because of more quality loads and availability but they don't see it my way.

[Hillbilly]

I have at least a 1000 empties... but no dies nor a press. that is just wrong.

I was shooting white box Winchester for the longest time... but in the last year it's gone up... S&B can be found on the web auctions pretty cheap and in bulk.

SW still had new Model 10s in the line last I checked... did they drop it? I think all the current J frames are beefed up for .357 mag (but .38 is a lot easier to shoot for many people). Plus the used .38 market... must be a kazillion old K frames out there for sale.

.38 spec is the .22 lr of centerfire revolvers... it aint fading away for years

[Kansas Ed]

Plenty of 38 spec. revolvers new at Sportsman's Whorehouse...er Warehouse. I was in there a few weeks back, picked up a box of 130gr. FMJ's..and they had several cases of 38 spec laying on a pallet...two weeks later they were out of 38 spec, and I had to wait another week for them to get another shipment in. I think there has been a resurgence in ..38's since CCH got popular.

Ed

[Griff]

Just a poorly supplied store...

Or givin' them the benefit of doubt, they reflect the puchasing habits of their customers. Nah, I don't buy that excuse; Hobie's right! .38 Special is probably as popular today as when the vast majority of PDs used 'em for duty ammo.

[Hillbilly]

bullet choices are my only beef with most retailers. Seems like all you can find on the shelf is 158 RN (UMC) or Whitebox Winchesters.
The local Walmart here keeps a few boxes of +P and some 110grainers,
I have not found a box of wadcutters in a long time.

Jeff

[336A]

bullet choices are my only beef with most retailers. Seems like all you can find on the shelf is 158 RN (UMC) or Whitebox Winchesters.
The local Walmart here keeps a few boxes of +P and some 110grainers,
I have not found a box of wadcutters in a long time.

I agree, but I can't even fing the 158gr LRN ammo around here most times. Seems that the only ammo most retailers stock is ammo that is on the light end of the spectrum. I don't like light for caliber bullets. When I found that one retailer actually had the Rem 158gr +P LSWCHP I quickly purchased a box. A couple of friends like to load a 148gr DEWC over a good charge of Unique as per the Speer #13 manual. They are getting performance that actually matches or slightly exceeds the Buffalo Bore version. I'm going to tinker around with this load a bit in the future, as it appears to be a really good load and it operates at standard pressure.

[El Chivo]

Been a while since I checked the gun stores for it. I do see mostly automatics at the range.

I would get a .38 special for home except I also want something to take hunting/hiking, so that would be a job for a .357. But if it was for human defense only that's what I would pick.

[RIHMFIRE]

for 158 grain SWC I am using 4.5 grains of unique and CCI 500 primers, winchester brass.

I do that exact same loading an love it. I wouldn't know about new or store-bought .38's - it has been a couple decades since I had to buy any factory stuff!!!
DITTOS on that .......but lately I have been buying the truncated cone bullets..pretty cheap too!

Over the last month or so I think I've loaded up 600-700 rounds of .38 Special. Just cleaned and deprimed about 800 more cases as well!!!

Geezs...I need to catch up to you!