No Revolver Ammo in the Store

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I was in one of the larger shops in my area, looking for shotgun ammo for Trap. Yes, I found some, and the price was not too bad for these days, considering.

When ever I am in a gun shop I like to pick up some 38 Special ammo, just to have some around. I can load my own 38 Special, but being lazy I prefer to buy factory ammo.

Anyway, this shop was very well stocked with ammo for every semi-auto caliber cartridge you could think of, but nothing for revolvers.

Nothing.

I asked one of the clerks if the ammo companies are supplying semi-auto ammo these days instead of revolver ammo, because semi-auto pistols are more popular than revolvers and there is more demand for semi-auto ammunition.

He said yes.

Good thing I stocked up on 38 Sp bullets, small pistol primers, and Unique back before the Pandemic. The same thing with 45 Colt and 44-40 bullets, and large pistol primers.

I don't have a whole lot of Black Powder though, probably just enough to get through the Cowboy Action Shooting season this year.

 

[tubeshooter]

As a revolver fan who does not reload, I am always keeping an eye on availability. Especially for .38 Special.


It has been hard to come by for the last 30 months or so. Actually just now seems to be getting better in the last couple of months. Or at least it was... with recent events, who knows anymore.

 

[shoebox1.1]

I just got an order from American reloading 500 rds of 158gr fmj FP for 209 shipped. About the best deal going that I’ve seen. Just range ammo..

 

[NeroM]

just finished loading a batch of 38Spl a few minutes ago.
except for 22 mag and some .410 - cannot recall purchasing any factory ammo in over 5 years.
in a LGS last week, Agree - centerfire revolver cartridges did seen to be in comparatively shorter supply
than auto pistol loads. Also seeing a few more on-line ads for pistol loads.
happy i have components for probably a couple years of loading [except perhaps BP].

 

[KenW.]

I bought my local Sportsman’s Warehouse out of all five boxes of .38 Special target loads today. Now searching for .357 Magnum.

 

[ontarget]

Just starting to see some revolver ammo showing up in my area. It's been a long time.
22lr is even coming in a bit more readily lately. Prices are still high here but coming down a little.
Now, where do I get small pistol primers???

 

[Old Dog]

I find it almost insane that one can almost never find .38 Special or .44 Special in retail stores these days.

Apparently, the world revolves around those who own and shoot 9mm handguns these days.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Revolves are rarely used by the new generations who buy the most ammo.

Tactical/combat/defense is what they care about, and there may be good reasons for that. The old obsolete revolvers and the ammo they fire do not interest them. It doesn’t move off the shelves when it’s fully stocked. 9mm and 5.56mm is what sells, and that’s what the ammo companies are funneling all available resources towards as they are tremendously better sellers.

 

[Riomouse911]

I saw .38 Spl on a lgs shelf last week.

I am glad I don’t have to buy factory ammo for mine anymore, those loads were expensive.

Stay safe.

 

[Pat Riot]

I saw .38 and .357 in an ammo store recently. The prices weren’t great, but they were there.

 

[Tallball]

Lately the local big box stores will occasionally have 38 special.

For a long time you could just get 9mm or 22lr.

 

[alfsauve]

I've hoarded my Federal Primers and have used factory ammo for the last 2 years. Have found enough 130gr for IDPA, but finding the "approved" 158gr for ICORE has been touch and go. I feel guilty about not reloading so I'm thinking I might do up a 1,000 rounds of 38 just for old times sake.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

My thinking, nowadays, if someone buys a revolver; it's generally a woods gun, in a heavy Magnum or "super" Magnum cartridge. Think .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, etc. Bear, predator, and heavy animal defense. I hate to say it, but I firmly believe it will only get worse. When you can't tell Tactical Tim that even his hottest 10mm can't hold a candle to a properly loaded .45 Colt or .44 Magnum, let alone the Super Magnums. Quality over quantity. When it comes to stuff that looks at me and thinks "Mmm. Here comes lunch.", I want a revolver in the biggest, heaviest cartridge I can put a round on target with.

 

[ThomasT]

I was just telling someone if they wanted a gun now is the time to get it. But check ammo availability first. I don't look at ammo in the stores very often because I reload what I shoot. But for fun I do sometimes look to see whats on the shelves at Academy Sports. I rarely ever see 38 or 357 on the shelf. I'm glad I started reloadimg way back when I got my first centerfire handgun. I bought two boxes of factory ammo for it. Some 38 WC loads and a box of Remington 357. That was around 1982. Then I bought a press and dies and never looked back.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I haven't seen 38/ 357 or 41/ 44 anything around here for over 2 years now.
I have somewhere between 10k-11k of small pistol primers left as of now, so I am buying 9mm factory loads every time I go to the range, to squander out my SPP I have left.
I can buy the 9mm practice ammo for $15/50. I go through a metric but ton of it. I get them at the indoor range I belong to right now, club prices
It frosts my bullets that they have 25 Auto and 32 Auto and 32-20 on the shelf right now and no 38 or .41 or .44 anything.
Who the heck uses 25 Auto any more, Yeah, I know, that's why its on the shelf.

 

[Speedo66]

You can buy directly from Norma, they have some .38Spl. in stock.

They also currently have free shipping on ALL orders.

 

[ThomasT]

Here is the page from Midway with the 38 sp that is available. It looks like the cheapest is $.64 cents a round. Not great but doable if you just need a box or two for a day at the range. But sure not the less than $10 a box the stuff used to sell for or the 100 round count baggies of reloads you could buy at the gunshow for $15 or so way back in the early 1980s.

https://www.midwayusa.com/s?searchTerm=38+special+ammunition&Availability=Available

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

No 38 special around here and very little 357 and then only by Remington (two types of their SD ammo). I suspect Remington recently did their only run of 357 for the year.
Boxes and boxes of various makes of 9mm, 45acp, 223, and 308 seem to be what fills all the shelves here.
The last few years have pushed revolvers faster to the side than I would have believed, and I don't think that course is going to reverse, rather I think it will accelerate. Current/recent buyers want semi-autos and makers of those arms and ammo for them have seen this clearly and obliged.
I don't think revolvers will totally go away; the DA models in snubbie format will probably stay around for awhile, but SAs, outside of 22s, are especially going to get alot more rare from now on, in my opinion.

 

[alfsauve]

Not great but doable if you just need a box or two for a day at the range.

Cute Thomas, but think more of case lots. Four indoor leagues and one outdoor match is about 500 without any practice.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Plenty available here.... but at $.75 a round.

 

[aaaaa]

38 Special right here in 5 varieties:
https://cavalryammunition.com/products/38-special

Oops, the OP was looking for it in stores. When I bought my first revolver, May 2021, the guy said they had no 38 Special ammo. Then another worker went in the back room and came up with a box of Black Hills Honeybadgers. So the supply was short enough that they did not have any on the shelf. I have not asked for 38 Special anywhere else, but bought the last two boxes of .357 Magnum from my local GS a couple months ago. 44 Special was not to be had at two gun shops I contacted yesterday.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

Mmm. Revolver in .357 Magnum moonclipped for 9x19mm anyone ?

 

[Barbaroja]

I saw 45 colt for $72 per box of 50 at sportsman’s warehouse today.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

Just for the fun of it, I went to Starline Brass to see what the situation is for a bunch of different calibers.

Revolver:
32 S&W Long Back ordered
32-20 Out of stock, no back orders at this time.
357 Mag Back ordered
38 Sp Back ordered
38-40 Back ordered
44 Russian Back ordered
44 Special Back ordered
44 Mag Out of stock, no back orders at this time.
44-40 Out of stock, no back orders at this time.
45 Colt Back ordered

Semi-Auto:
9mm Back ordered
45ACP Back ordered

As far as I can tell, Back Ordered means they will be making them, they just don't know when the shipping date will be.


Sure glad I have a few hundred shiny new 44-40s that I bought a few years ago.

 

[Big_Al]

Lots of 38 special on gb if you can't find it locally.