[eharri3]

Still barely any out there, like they completely stopped making it last year and haven’t done another run yet.

Stuff is so scarce, I’m tempted to dump my S&W airweight I got brand new for cheap over the Summer last year when everybody wanted semiautos and ARs and put another 9mm Sig or glock in the inventory instead. I’m not sure I want a caliber that slips this far down the priority list for the manufacturers in a shortage. It’s the only thing I can barely find, only a few places online for well over a dollar per round. Nothing in any store as 9, 556, 223 and 45 have appeared and disappeared for months.

I’m lucky I at least snapped up a few hundred rounds when I got this thing and only took it out and shot one box. If I’d have known it would be this bad I’d have bought way more. Figured it would come back when everything else did.

 

[Old Grey Hare]

30-06 feels the same way, last I had any new 150gr ball was June or July of last year. Dry since.

 

[mdell49]

Gentlemen please learn a lesson from the current drought. When it ends, and it will, STOP buying factory ammo and start reloading so you will have ammo whenever you want it. An 8lb keg of 4895 will load roughly 1200 rounds of 06 ammo. An 8lb Keg of Bullseye will load nearly 19,000 rounds of .38spl ammo. Both represent more than an average shooter will go through in a few years of serious shooting.

 

[flechero]

Well it sucks, but I'm willing to bet that when it comes available again... you'll keep this in mind and buy enough to last a while.

 

[Old Grey Hare]

Well it sucks, but I'm willing to bet that when it comes available again... you'll keep this in mind and buy enough to last a while.

Definitely. My pinch with 30-06 was all down to bad timing.. I got the M1 in Feb, got it range-ready in March.. I ordered my first 30-06 cases from sgammo on March 12. Literally the next day, sgammo put up their notice that orders were gonna be delayed and shelves empty. As March bled into April, May, June, July, I bought a case or two here and there, until I built a good stock. But after July? crickets

Gentlemen please learn a lesson from the current drought. When it ends, and it will, STOP buying factory ammo and start reloading so you will have ammo whenever you want it. An 8lb keg of 4895 will load roughly 1200 rounds of 06 ammo. An 8lb Keg of Bullseye will load nearly 19,000 rounds of .38spl ammo. Both represent more than an average shooter will go through in a few years of serious shooting.

I've literally never loaded a single round. I'd be starting from scratch, on everything, including learning how to do it. I'm not saying it isn't gonna happen, what I"m saying is it'd be a new skill to learn, one that if gotten wrong... to learn this one will take time.

Well, at least on video, every single M1 kaboom I've ever seen were reloads, either jimbob's at the 3rd table at the gunshow, or their own homebrews. Always the same thing -- head of the case fails, then all the energy goes down the magazine and now you have two pieces of walnut instead of one, and if you're lucky you've not lost body parts, and you're not wearing rifle parts.

It is my understanding the vast majority of these were primers not seated fully, and a rare few were people putting rifle powder contaminated by pistol powder.... and in one, I think, it was 100% pistol powder.

As far as I can tell, all of them were out-of-battery ignitions. (which isnt' supposed to happen with an M1, but I can see a too-far-out primer being struck by that floating firing pin as the bolt closes.. even tho the pin isn't free to move 'til it actually closes. It's held back by a piece of metal on the receiver until the bolt snaps closed.

You may understand, then, how a rank newb like myself is a bit hesitant..

 

[USMM guy]

I just loaded up a bunch of .38 special ammo the other day. I probably have enough to last for a very long time. My current carry piece runs on it.

 

[Old Grumpy]

Well, at least on video, every single M1 kaboom I've ever seen were reloads, either jimbob's at the 3rd table at the gunshow, or their own homebrews. Always the same thing -- head of the case fails, then all the energy goes down the magazine and now you have two pieces of walnut instead of one, and if you're lucky you've not lost body parts, and you're not wearing rifle parts.

You may understand, then, how a rank newb like myself is a bit hesitant..

Starting anything new always tightens the shorts. However it is possible, heck I learned to reload safely. Do not let internet videos turn you off. Starting off is easier when your goal is a single caliber.

Grumpy

 

[markwell]

Reloading aint rocket science. Heck, the Buffalo Hunters did it around the campfire. Using black powder they probably had a few "incidents" while loading those big old straight walled cases, but they still put the hurt on 10 million Buffalo. Most, I'm sure, could not even read the directions that came with their tong tools. You are way ahead of that curve so go for it.

 

[Longone]

My LGS recently got in a PALLET of 38 special. And just to spread the love the store owner is charging only $50 a box. Quite a guy!!!!

 

[scubadad]

My LGS recently got in a PALLET of 38 special. And just to spread the love the store owner is charging only $50 a box. Quite a guy!!!!

Make sure to send him a Christmas card with a turd in it.

 

[The War Wagon]

If EVERY demtard fell off the earth TONIGHT, prices will REMAIN unobtanium for at LEAST 5 years to come, as EVERYONE stockpiles as FAST as it's produced... JUST in case!

 

[Reloader]

Perhaps not a great time to try to start reloading, you can start learning. Get a reloading manual, say Speer, Hornady, Lyman or Sierra and read through it to learn the steps and precautions. Interesting to read about the various cartridges as well.

Once you've read through it (or them), you can make a better decision on whether or not you want to get into reloading. And, maybe, components will start reappearing.

 

[dsk]

My LGS recently got in a PALLET of 38 special. And just to spread the love the store owner is charging only $50 a box. Quite a guy!!!!

Did the thought ever occur to you that HIS price on ammo also went way, way up?

 

[mkk41]

I remember when gun shops stocked several shelves with .38 Special Ammo in everything from blanks , shot loads , 95 ~ 200gr bullets in JSP , JHP , LRN , LSWC and WC from CCI-Speer , Hornady , Federal , Remington-Peters and Winchester-Western, and 2-3 brands of reloads.

Now all ya find is that anemic 130gr FMJ and high-tech hollow-points.

 

[dsk]

You're talking about the days when revolvers were king and the .38 Special cartridge was by far the most popular police, target and personal defense caliber. Kinda like how the 9mm is today. Prior to the plannedemic I could usually find .38s in various flavors, but the cheapest range ammo was rarely less than $18 a box. Considering the fact that 9mm range ammo is approaching $50/box in places it doesn't surprise me at all that .38 Special is $50 as well.

 

[USMM guy]

As far as I can tell, all of them were out-of-battery ignitions. (which isnt' supposed to happen with an M1, but I can see a too-far-out primer being struck by that floating firing pin as the bolt closes.. even tho the pin isn't free to move 'til it actually closes. It's held back by a piece of metal on the receiver until the bolt snaps closed.

You may understand, then, how a rank newb like myself is a bit hesitant..

I am pretty sure that it is possible for an M1 Garand rifle to go off out of battery. Not positive, but pretty sure. I think that I got the last case of that PPU Garand specific 30-06 that sgammo had. I was on their notify list. They pinged me, I bought it and it has been out of stock ever since.

 

[hal copple]

I make sure to use the special "hardened" primers in all of my loads for my semi-auto rifles. And make my rifle ammo carefully on a single stage, not my progressive. NV

 

[dsk]

Gentlemen please learn a lesson from the current drought. When it ends, and it will, STOP buying factory ammo and start reloading so you will have ammo whenever you want it. An 8lb keg of 4895 will load roughly 1200 rounds of 06 ammo. An 8lb Keg of Bullseye will load nearly 19,000 rounds of .38spl ammo. Both represent more than an average shooter will go through in a few years of serious shooting.

Reloading doesn't help much unless you have an ample supply of all the components, and for all the calibers you shoot. The weak link as we've all seen has been with primers. You can cast your own bullets from wheel weights, re-use your fired cases and stock up on kegs full of powder... but without that little spark plug at the bottom your bullets are going nowhere.

 

[jjfitch]

OH-MY! I just sent a "brother" 2 cases (1K rounds) of 38 HBWC for $20 a box! Shipping was $101.50! We split that cost....Smiles,

 

[g26s239]

Apparently you have at least one 38 Special and you have a few hundred rounds of ammunition for it. How would not having your Airweight and and not having a few hundred rounds of ammunition stashed for it make your life better?