Revolver ammo prices...

[Martinjmpr]

I've always been a revolver guy. Love my S&W revolvers and even have a couple of Rugers.

But man, the price that .38 Spl ammo is going for is nuts! It's literally 3x as much as 9mm.

I get that 9mm is much more popular and so you get economies of scale but has anyone found a good place to get less-crazy priced .38 range ammo?

(before you all say it - reloading isn't an option. BTDT. Not interested in getting back into it because I just don't have the time.)

I may have to switch my pistol shooting to all semi-autos just to be able to afford ammo.

Makes me wish I bought one of those S&W K frame 9mm revolvers back in the 80s when they first came out! Now they sell for nosebleed prices if you can even find one.

[gnihcraes]

Have a friend to reload for you?

[MarkCO]

Have a friend to reload for you?

As long as the friend does it for free.

9mm Revolver is an option.

Or just bite the bullet and get a Lee Pro-1000 for $200.

[ray1970]

Maybe you need a more affordable hobby?

Or bite the bullet (no pun intended) and buy a 9mm revolver.

Or possibly start enjoying some rimfire therapy?

[Martinjmpr]

Or bite the bullet (no pun intended) and buy a 9mm revolver.

I was on GB yesterday looking and I guess S&W makes a version of the 686 in 9mm. But it's a big honkin' thing with a 6" barrel and fugly as hell.

https://www.smga.com/smith-and-wesso...-revolver-1126

OK, Googling I came across this: A company that will convert a .38/.357 S&W to 9mm for $350:

https://tkcustom.com/pages/9mm-rechambering

Might have to give this one some thought. Apparently even a converted gun can still shoot .38 or .357. I'm wondering if I might want to do this with my S&W M64.

Or possibly start enjoying some rimfire therapy?

Well, yeah, that goes without saying. Happy to see that .22LR is now pretty widely available at semi-reasonable prices (price seems to have stabilized around $0.07/round which is not the pre-panic price but still not awful.)

On Ammoseek I see .22LR selling for as little as $0.048/round but by the time you factor in shipping it's back up to $0.07 round so I might as well buy locally. Local Wally World has 325 rd boxes for $22.50 which works out to just under 7 cents/round.

[Scanker19]

You can find aluminum cases 38 for about $19 a box sometimes, online. Or a dual cylinder revolver so you can shoot 9mm. Also just search around for good deals. It sucks, I shoot silhouette and paying $30 a box for a match is nonsense.


Edit: Cabelas has Herter?s 38 for about 25-26 a box. It?s repackaged Winchester. Head stamps and all.

[.455_Hunter]

The best OTC deals I have seen are mid-$20's, with 9mm being about 1/2 that at the same location, but yes, it's unfortunately frequently approaching 3X. I could definitely see a convertible Blackhawk in my future.

[Erni]

Ammo cost and or lack of time is why I switched from revolver to 9mm pistol.

Sell some spare revolvers and get a 9mm moon clip revolver.
Or find a friend with a reloading machine.

[BREATHER]

The manufacturers are as bad as the f&#(!)g gubment. And like the gubment WE THE PEOPLE allow them to get away with if

[eddiememphis]

I realize you said no reloading because you don't have the time. Lee makes a progressive press that is relatively inexpensive. I have one for 9 mm and am able to put out 200+ rounds in an hour. Depending on how much you shoot, it may be worth looking into.

Another option is to use ammo seek, and keep your eye out for sales. Distributors often offer flat rate shipping and waive hazmat fees.

If you buy in bulk, it often helps the price of shipping.

I haven't been to a gun show in years. Gun show reloads used to be an affordable option to factory ammo. I do not know if that is still the case.