.38 vs .38 special?

[Ebola]

Im thinking of picking up a revolver. I havn't decided between a .38 or a .357 magnum. Price of ammo probaly be my deciding factor. Im curious as to the price of ammo and where to purchase it. Specificaly im looking for .38 versus .38 special. I would be looking to buy in bulk. I took a quick look around the site sponsors but i couldnt see much. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dudley2112]

what do you mean 38 ? do you mean a 38 smith and wesson because thats a totaly different round.... all 357 magnums can shoot 38 special most people shoot 38 special out of theyre 357s cause its cheaper and has less recoil. Other then some small revolvers that are prohib here i dont think you will find a new 38 special, most are chambered in 357 because of the ability to use both rounds.....

 

[Walter Hornby]

you have three types of "38" ammo. 38 S&W is a short revolver round. probably under and inch long (i am not at home so i can't get the exact dimensions right now.) hen you have 38 special which is over an inch long and is mainly a revolver round. then you have 38 super which is again just over an inch round but it is a rimmed round designed mainly for semi automatic firearms.

A 357 magnum is a lengthen 38 special by about a 1/4 of an inch. you can shot 38 special out of a 357 magnum but you cannot shot 357 out of a special.

 

[sunray]

"...you have three types of "38" ammo...by about a 1/4 of an inch..." More than that. The .357 is 1/10" longer in case length.
"...looking for .38 versus .38 Special..." You have an RPAL?

 

[dudley2112]

"...you have three types of "38" ammo...by about a 1/4 of an inch..." More than that. The .357 is 1/10" longer in case length.
"...looking for .38 versus .38 Special..." You have an RPAL?

clearly you havent been to an RPAL course recently when i did mine just over a year ago the instructor wwas trying to tell us hollow points were illegal and that 357 was a biger diameter then 38 special and thats why it wouldnt work 38 special he wouldnt belive me when i said it was a longer case..

 

[Grizzlypeg]

The most probably target revolver will be 357 magnum which will also fire 38sp and some 38sp only revolvers. A S&W 586 blued or 686 stainless is a nice revolver with a 6" (?) barrel and adjustable sights, and shoots both 357 and 38spl. There are also nice older K frame revolvers that are 357 or 38 spl only and can be quite nice guns. I shoot a model 10 with a 4" bull barrel and fixed sights. I love the gun, it shoots very accurately and is cheap to reload for. You can probably reload for around $8.00 per 50 shots.

 

[Walter Hornby]

"...you have three types of "38" ammo...by about a 1/4 of an inch..." More than that. The .357 is 1/10" longer in case length.
"...looking for .38 versus .38 Special..." You have an RPAL?

you obviously missed the part where i said i was on holidays and did not have reference books handy to give exact dimensions.

 

[Ebola]

Akk sorry I should have been more specific in my original posting. Sorry for the confusion. I should have specified .38S&W vs .38 Special. I had the pleasure of sqeezing off 20 or so rounds of .38S&W on the weekend from a older S&W revolver, im not sure the model number. It was a absolute blast for me shoot. I know .38S&W revolvers arnt being sold as new today and i have no problem of looking for a used one. If I decide to shoot .38 Special instead I would ofcourse choose a .357 magnum for its versatility as i am well aware what it can fire. So my original question still stands does anyone sell bulk .38S&W or .38 Special ammo?

 

[dudley2112]

nope not cheap bulk reloads like you will find for 38 special, you can still get factory 38 S&W which ive seen for around 25-30 bucks a box but if you reload your own it wont be as bad.

 

[t-star]

clearly you havent been to an RPAL course recently when i did mine just over a year ago the instructor wwas trying to tell us hollow points were illegal and that 357 was a biger diameter then 38 special and thats why it wouldnt work 38 special he wouldnt belive me when i said it was a longer case..

clearly your "instructor " needs to re-take the course himself- or he's a legend in his own mind- the 38 spcl and 357 have EXACTLY the same bullet diamter- .357- and hollowponts are legal( you just can't get loaded ammo) - no doubt he saw that on a us police show-or he's talking about the geneva convention, which prohibits military use of hollow point or hunting ammunition- it has no validity in civilian life- they've been preaching that one for years- and the case of a 357 is .1,290 inch tip to tail, the 38 spcl is 1.155 tip to tail, so that gives a difference of .135- and i get that right out of my speer 11

 

[dudley2112]

clearly your "instructor " needs to re-take the course himself- or he's a legend in his own mind- the 38 spcl and 357 have EXACTLY the same bullet diamter- .357- and hollowponts are legal( you just can't get loaded ammo) - no doubt he saw that on a us police show-or he's talking about the geneva convention, which prohibits military use of hollow point or hunting ammunition- it has no validity in civilian life- they've been preaching that one for years- and the case of a 357 is .1,290 inch tip to tail, the 38 spcl is 1.155 tip to tail, so that gives a difference of .135- and i get that right out of my speer 11

actualy that you can t get loaded ammo thing isnt even true anymore

 

[bollox]

clearly your "instructor " needs to re-take the course himself- or he's a legend in his own mind- the 38 spcl and 357 have EXACTLY the same bullet diamter- .357- and hollowponts are legal( you just can't get loaded ammo) - no doubt he saw that on a us police show-or he's talking about the geneva convention, which prohibits military use of hollow point or hunting ammunition- it has no validity in civilian life- they've been preaching that one for years- and the case of a 357 is .1,290 inch tip to tail, the 38 spcl is 1.155 tip to tail, so that gives a difference of .135- and i get that right out of my speer 11

What are you talking about that you can't get loaded HP ammo?

 

[curtmg]

geneva convention, which prohibits military use of hollow point or hunting ammunition-

Hague Convention, actually, governing laws of war, is what prohibits the use of hollowpoints by warring militaries.


Geneva Convention is governing the treatment of prisoners of war. Or as the a member of the US supreme court calls it, a quint piece of legislation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PXPDZGFJqU

 

[SandRoad]

So my original question still stands does anyone sell bulk .38S&W or .38 Special ammo?

38 S&W, no "bulk" it is considered an obsolete cartridge with no new commercial revolvers chambered for it (that I know of).

38 Special, there is some "bulk" but there is also commercially reloaded ammo which would be your best bet. See SFRC, site sponsor at top of page, bottom right corner. Then click on Wolf Bullets. Wolf Ammo is commercially reloaded ammo.

BTW, for most people/suppliers on here, a definition of "buying in bulk", usually means a number with 5 figures.

 

[Squamch]

clearly your "instructor " needs to re-take the course himself- or he's a legend in his own mind- the 38 spcl and 357 have EXACTLY the same bullet diamter- .357- and hollowponts are legal( you just can't get loaded ammo) - no doubt he saw that on a us police show-or he's talking about the geneva convention, which prohibits military use of hollow point or hunting ammunition- it has no validity in civilian life- they've been preaching that one for years- and the case of a 357 is .1,290 inch tip to tail, the 38 spcl is 1.155 tip to tail, so that gives a difference of .135- and i get that right out of my speer 11

I bought 100 rounds of federal 9mm HP's last weekend from a reputable gun shop.

 

[t-star]

What are you talking about that you can't get loaded HP ammo?

it's more of a supply problem than a legal one-i've never seen a box on the shelf unless it's in the 20 round RIFLE configuration- i was told by the guys at guncraft years ago it wasn't worth the hassel

 

[bollox]

humm, maybe it's a regional thing as I have TONNES of factory hp's for all my handguns,(9mm,.40 and .44mag) all bought off the shelf.

 

[springfisher]

P&D in Edmonton has loads of 9mm HP rounds, pick them up anytime

 

[guess_kto]

what do you mean 38 ? do you mean a 38 smith and wesson because thats a totaly different round.... all 357 magnums can shoot 38 special most people shoot 38 special out of theyre 357s cause its cheaper and has less recoil. Other then some small revolvers that are prohib here i dont think you will find a new 38 special, most are chambered in 357 because of the ability to use both rounds.....

 

[(((Echo)))]

Probably the cheapest place for 38Spl ammo I've seen is a gunshow selling reloads. Had the stores beat, but no fancy packaging. Hit and miss on availability.
The little 38 S&W can be hard to find at the best of times, let alone in bulk. Prepare to pay dearly. I reload for mine. Properly sized bullets can be a pain to source out.

(E)