.38 specal +p question

[Diggers]

Hey folks,

I'm looking to get a sp 101 .357 soon for easy packing on fishing outings.

I was kinda looking forward to shooting cheaper ammo at the range than I can with my .44 and sure there is a lot of cheaper .38 special ammo of certain sorts.
However I was suprised to see the cost of alot of +P ammo. Some of the 158 grain HP was basically the same price as .44 mags for a box of 50 rounds!!
What gives? Has the price always been that high or has it gone up? I was pretty suprised.

 

[Doug.38PR]

I don't know if it has always been the same as the 44 special, but I do know .38 Special of every type has gone up from a minimum of 7.99 to 12.99. (and that's cheap junk like Blazer) Remington and Windchester has gone from something like $9.99 to $14.00. Ammunition has almost doubled over the last year.

 

[Diggers]

Ya its kinda crazy. Some of the ammo that I would really want use as SD load in .38 special, like the 158 gr lead HP, is going for 20+ bucks a box (50). I can get .44 mag for that price. Not cool at all.

Oh here is one..
winchester .38 sp +P 158 gr swc-hp $38.00 for box of 50 (MSRP)

Are they kidding???

 

[TomG160]

at a local store, I just purchased a box of UMC .357 125gr JSP. The box had price tagS upon price tagS.... I payed 18.99. After scratching off the top 5 or so when i got home, the bottom price tag said 13.99. I feel ripped off................ Not quite what you were asking about but it seems they're charging more for something they've had in stock and initially purchased at a price where selling for 13.99 would've turned an acceptable profit. Darnit.

 

[Hal]

+P = +price = the high cost of *marketing*.

The two simplest solutions are:

1.) Take up reloading. You can churn out all the .38spl you want, in any flavor you can think of - from "mild" to "wild" for a fraction of the cost of factory ammo.

2.) Stick with standard pressure loads, not +P for typical range use.
AFAIK, all +P and +P+ .38spl is for serious defensive use and priced accordingly.
( I may be wrong here - but I believe all the +P stuff on the market these days is hyped as "premium defesive ammo" - feel free to correct me if that's not right)

Some of the 158 grain HP was basically the same price as .44 mags for a box of 50 rounds!!

In a way, that's not an apples to apples comparison.
Check out the price tag for a box of 20 Federal .44mag Hydra Shoks.
Ammoman dot com lists a box of 20 for $19.00 vs a box of 50 .38spl +P for $29.
That's a whopping $.95 per round of .44mag vs $.58 per round of .38spl +P.
Typical UMC and/or American Eagle brand .44mag isn't what's considered "premium defensive" ammunition.

FWIW - for some cheap "shoot em up" .38spl - ammoman.com has 130 gr .38spl. ball ammo for $109 per 500 - ~ $.21 a round.
You might check WalMart also for some Winchester White Box - again 130 gr ball ammo.

BTW - By reloading I can easily cut any price in half even using new brass. More if I use fired brass that's been resized. IIRC, my per cost round for even the .44mag is ~ $.10 or so. I believe someone else posted one time that they have the per round price of .38spl down to about $.03 per round by casting their own bullets and buying primers/powder in bulk.

 

[skipjack]

38 is not a cheap ammo to shoot. Fewer people are shooting revolvers, and the price of everything is going up. I handload, and also cast for shooting outdoors, so it is not a big issue with me.

Unless you are willing to handload, you should probably consider going with standard pressure ammo for general shooting. Or, an alternative would be looking for a 9mm revolver. 9mm still seems to be the most economical cf ammo available.

I don't know if it is still made, but ruger used to make a blackhawk with a 9mm cylinder and a 357 cylinder. That may be something to check out.

 

[sanson]

FYI on the blackhawk convertable 9mm+357.. budsgunshop.com has this gun on closeout for $390.. I was looking for a birdshead grip model, no luck

 

[Z_Infidel]

IMO, Federal's 158 gr LSWCHP+P rounds are a good value for defensive ammo. Ammoman has them for $149 per 500. Probably best with at least a 3" barrel.

 

[Diggers]

Humm, seems like I need to get into hand loading. (like I need another hobby )
I have been thinking about it for the .44, I would like to shoot it more and would do so if it wasn't .50 cents + a shot. I actually would like to load my own for the .44 to get ammo that is basically colt .45 level of power with with a swc bullet. More shootable and all I would usually need where I live.

I guess this is a good reason to buy reloading equipment......always look at the bright side of things.