Best Brands of .38sp and .357 ammo?

Help Support Ruger Forum:

misybailey1

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
11
Location
Orange County, CA
Can someone offer an opinion on what brands of .38 special and .357 ammo are the cleanest and best to put through my Ruger GP100?

Thank You In Advance,
Amber Bailey
 

Yosemite Sam

Hunter
Joined
Mar 18, 2002
Messages
2,113
Location
Cape Cod, MA, USA
Hi Amber,

At this time, it's really more a question of availability, and price, than "best", unfortunately. Ammo is starting to reappear on store shelves, but the choice is usually limited. You can find some mailorder, but again, it's more about what's available.

Another factor is price. There's "plinking ammo", like Remington UMC or Winchester "White Box" (WWB) at say $18/50 (current price of .38 UMC at a local store), and then there's premium ammo, which is considerably more expensive. Then there's purpose specific personal protection ammo, which is even more, usually about $1/round here.

Usually the plinking ammo is dirtier than the premium ammo, but no one wants to pay premium ammo prices for a day at the range.

I find WWB is generally cleaner than UMC, but they use different powders in different calibers, so that is not a hard and fast rule.

Winchester WinClean is pretty good, but is pricey. They use a special ultra clean primer designed for use at indoor ranges. Then again, I haven't seen any of this stuff in the last year or so, since the current ammo shortage really took hold.

-- Sam
 

misybailey1

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
11
Location
Orange County, CA
Thanks for your input Sam. I am looking at "plinking ammo" for the range right now, and maybe a box of the good stuff, pers. protection, to keep at home.

Amber
 

Rick Courtright

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Messages
7,897
Location
Redlands CA USA
misybailey1":1b7p6y8t said:
Thanks for your input Sam. I am looking at "plinking ammo" for the range right now, and maybe a box of the good stuff, pers. protection, to keep at home.

Hi, Amber

If you hang out here long enough, we're gonna turn you into a handloader (if you're not already?) and you can join us searching for components instead of ammo! ;)

In the meantime, Sam's spot on about availability: whatever you can find at a price you're willing to pay is gonna work "for now." For example, a buddy just got a GP earlier in the summer, and when he went looking for ammo, all he could find was one box of .38s and two of .357s. He bought 'em all, and came home almost a benjie shy of what he had in his pocket when he left home that afternoon! I almost fell over when he told me what he'd had to pay. His Dad lives about halfway between us, so his house is a good meeting place. Dad doesn't know it yet, but I think his garage is gonna be a "classroom" soon, w/ "Beginning reloading" as our first course offering!

But in the meantime, watch all of your local sources (Wal-Mart, Turner's, Big 5, ???) for the Winchester white box stuff, Federal American Eagle, and Remington UMC. Sometimes you might find Fiocchi and possibly one or two others, as well. They're all good .38s for plinking/target use. Usually the prices aren't TOO bad. Don't expect any bargains in .357 quite yet. Any of these sources seem to be getting some ammo in now, but it's out as soon as it's unpacked from the back room, so it's kinda hit or miss.

Also, watch online vendors. The two I use most are MidwayUSA and Graf's. Others that are popular include Widener's, MidSouth, Natchez and probably as many I've forgotten. Some of them will accept backorders, so you can get "on the list."

Asking where you shoot might be helpful, too. The buddy I mentioned above has used an indoor range on occasion, and he said they have a couple of guys who load for the range, so sometimes they have "range ammo" available at reasonable prices. Again, it's catch as catch can.

Dunno how long it's gonna be before this settles out... so, as Sam already said, don't be too picky if you see something on the shelf for now!

Rick C
 

45flattop

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
392
Location
Jackson, MS USA
For plinking ammo if you can't locate W-W WB or UMC, I;ve
had great luck with Sellier & Bellot. The stuff shoots great and
they even lacquer seal the primer pockets and the brass is
good to go for a ton of reloads in plinking levels too.
I find it at gun shows even when the panic buying of
other stuff has made it scarcer than hen's teeth
 

misybailey1

Bearcat
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
11
Location
Orange County, CA
Thank you Rick and Flattop!

Hubby and I are starting to think about reloading. (We have been saving our 9mm brass.) The GP100's I am getting are new and I would like to keep them as clean as possible. Currently, I am in Phoenix caring for my MIL, but I reside in the Peoples Republik of California!

I do like Remington and Winchester, as well as Federal in .22LR and 9mm, but am not too familiar w/ other brands, except I have heard that Wolf is very dirty and my indoor range in CA does not allow their ammo.

Do you think that .34/pc is a high price to pay for .38special?
What about .357 mag. at .50/pc?

Amber
 

Rick Courtright

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Messages
7,897
Location
Redlands CA USA
misybailey1":1q7wja5s said:
very dirty and my indoor range in CA does not allow their ammo.

Do you think that .34/pc is a high price to pay for .38special?
What about .357 mag. at .50/pc?

Hi, Amber

Those prices seem reasonable considering how the market is right now, 'specially the .357s. At least judging by what I've seen lately!

Once you get hubby convinced you guys want to start reloading (don't hurt him twisting his arm: he's gonna need it to pull the handle on the press, ok? ;) ), you can expect your ammo costs SHOULD run about half of what good prices on commercial ammo are for similar loads.

Just remember the "mandatory disclaimer" about reloading: you're not gonna save ANYTHING once you start; you're just gonna get to shoot more for the same outlay!

Also, since you mentioned your range, be sure to check w/ any range, but 'specially indoor ranges, for their "approved" types of ammo. Indoor ranges often prohibit bullets w/ any exposed lead, magnum loads, certain calibers, things like that which adversely affect their ventilation systems and/or backstops.

Outdoor ranges are usually much more tolerant of handgun ammo, but don't be surprised if you see a SoCal range official take a magnet to someone's bullets. This is primarily a problem when shooting certain milsurp rifle ammo: the steel cores are prohibited at most of our local ranges cuz of fire hazard considerations (they just don't seem to like sparks flying off rocks.)

Rick C
 

Ruger Packer

Buckeye
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
1,557
Location
Grand Lake Oklahoma
I several boxes of .357 Mag WWB (Winchester White Box) "WINCLEAN". This is range ammo loaded with a special powder formulated to burn cleaner than the regular stuff. What I have shot leaves the cases looking brand new! And the bore of my Ruger Security-Six looks like it was as clean as when I started shooting.

As one poster says, with the ammo situation being what it is right now, you just about have to take what you can get. But if you see any Winchester ammo labeled "WINCLEAN", grab it.

I normally reload. But 2 years ago I was in Walmart and they were closing out this ammo at $8.50 a box (50) and I bought the last 6 boxes they had in stock. I do like to keep some factory ammo around. I hate to think what the price is for .357 now.... last I saw at Walmart was about $30 for a box of 50, and that was last spring.
 
Top