.38 Special ammo?

[Aught Six]

Anybody besides me finding it nearly impossible to buy plain ole 158 gr RNL ammo these days?

I can't find any retail around here, and I just looked on MidwayUSA.  They have 9 pages of .38 Spl ammo.  NONE of them are in stock.

What gives?  Is everybody hoarding because they think Hussein is gonna take it away?  Or perhaps manufacturers are shunting more production to military rounds instead?  Doesn't seem to be any shortage of rifle ammo though...

Sorry in advance if this may have already been discussed here--I haven't been on the board in a while.

[Skunk]

What gives?  Is everybody hoarding because they think Hussein is gonna take it away?

In a nut shell, I think that pretty much covers it.

[mjh]

My local cabelas had some last week, I bought a box.   As said here and elsewhere the supplies are come and go, hit and miss.  I have noticed somewhat better stocks as I was in three different retailers last week not completely bare shelves, some limited amounts and some calibers more than you could shoot in a day. Some prices ok most high.

[kiddekop]

I went to Bass Pro in Rancho Cucamonga and found some 22 ammo,I spoke to another customer who was able to get some 22 bricks on a Saturday,I had been there on a Thursday and obtained 300 rounds of Rem 22's.I presume they aren't releasing all of their shipments so other customers can purchase some.

[Wishoot]

I  scored a few boxes at Cabela's in Richfield, WI last week, but that's about it.  I have not seen it anywhere else for some time. 

[Mohawk]

 Sportsmen's Guide has them in stock, at least they say they do.

[BIGDAVE54]

A lot of the catalog suppliers tell lil fibs when they say they have ammo in stock and they back order it for a few weeks wait....then some are horrendous liars that have had peoples money tied up for months. I am surprised that people are so complacent about this issue. It is a round about way of denying people their 2nd Ammendment Rights if the production of ammunition is stopped. I believe for all practical purposes the production of ammunition HAS STOPPED. I would like an honest answer soon. I would say today ,but I believe Congress is going to have to bring the CEOs of the major ammunition producing factories in and put the threat of prison on them to find out the truth. It could be that the military is stock piling for WW3 in the Middle East and just don't want to upset the public. I know the government for years has been shutting down and laying off at arsenals across the country. A few years back there was a dire need of .223 Nato or .556 NATO (I get that screwed up) so they bought about $30 million worth off Taiwan. It was junk. It jammed up weapons and I am betting caused innocent soldiers to die because they would not buy it here . I am not at all thrilled about the antigun crowd in DC now,but I was even less thrilled about the line our pockets deadbeats in DC land at the time. I do not want to wander off on a political tangent,but someway,somehow we need an answer to the ammo question. I have been in 4 completely seperate areas of the country this past year(SC,NEV,PITTSBURGH,NASHVILLE), and just hung out at Wal Mart sporting goods in all those areas and a few gun shops. Wal mart on a good week averages getting 4 boxes of handgun ammo across the board.  People ar not  hoarding...That is a lie and a feeble attempt at misinformation. In the next two weeks I will be meeting with two Congressmn and making a formal request to answer the question. I have sat at home long enough. I have a new(bought March 09) FNP .45 ACP and my target trigger finger has been itching for months now. I am afraid to fire any of the 200 rds. I have set back for my home defense.  If you can and the spirit moves you please ask your representatives to look into this matter for real.

[texagun]

Cabella's in Ft. Worth TX has a ton of it.  It's Magtech 158 gr. RNL and is $17.95 for 50 rounds.  You can special order it on the web and they will ship it to you.  They are currently running a special of $5.00 shipping for any order.

[His lordship.]

I saw lots of handgun ammo at McBride's in Austin, TX yesterday, there was even an abundance of .38 specials, the hardest of them all to find.  But, the last time I had been in there about 2 months ago, they had very little.  The Sellier and Bellot brand of .38 special at McBride's was priced at $24.00 a box, not counting tax.  That may explain why they were fully stocked!  I have limits on what I will spend.

I am still waiting on one box of .38 specials from Cabelas that I ordered over two months ago (backordered), not sure when I will see that!  I know what BIGDAVE is saying, I have cut down quite alot on my centerfire ammo consumption, when basic stuff like .45 ACP and .38 special become collector items, it makes one rethink using it up.  I shoot mostly .22 RF and pellet ammo these days.  I had been under the idea until recently that .38 special was becoming less and less used, not nearly as popular as 9 MM and .45 ACP, but there are alot of people out there who buy .38's.

[greener]

The prices quoted are a bit of a shock.     .38 special of any kind seems to be limited supply at WalMart or my favorite gun pushers. I reload and have found bullets in good supply.  Primers have been a bit of a problem.

[His lordship.]

I had to cancel the back order on my one box of Sellier and Bellot .38 specials from Cabelas yesterday.  After 3.5 months of waiting, I felt that is enough, their website says 1-2 weeks of wait on back ordered ammo 38 specials can be purchased locally if I want to visit enough ammo retailers.  I did get the 9 MM ammo that I also ordered after about a month.

I never thought I would see the day when plain jane 38s would become as rare as some of the old exotic African big game hunting cartridges!