Posted on 03/24/2010 6:44:03 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
I plan on more time at the range this summer. I'd prefer to do so with reduced ammunition costs (I'm a large caliber guy). I know nothing of any caliber smaller than .40cal. I assume that something of the .38 types, or a .357mag might be cheaper, yes?
So here's the deal, here are my required specs:
semi-automaticI just want to have some fun burning-through a lot of ammo. Are there some smaller calibers I should consider? I don't want to plink with a .22--I'm not an interior designer.
9mm, .38, 8mm, .32, .357mag (or something I don't know about)
magazine capacity not important
concealed-carry suitability not important (I live in Illinois)
.38 super
I love the CZ 82.
I just didn’t recommend it here as rudeboy specifically asked for the cheapest ammo in a non girly caliber and also specified concealability and capacity were nonissues
Ah! I have the same, except with a ported 6” barrel. Shoots both .38 and .357. Love it (but it is hard to carry concealed)!
well gosh...who shoots it only once?
That’s my least shot Pistol.
The darn thing is brutal, but accurate.
To be fair the SW 442 using 138 gr target loads also has brutal recoil with a crappy trigger pull.
But it conceals nice at is manageable with 110 gr defensive loads
If you really want to reduce your ammo costs, make a large up-front investment on reloading equipment (*IF* you are going to shoot a lot). Dillon XL650 is the way to go.
Get a few books as well, of course. Reloading is an awesome hobby.
Large caliber? .45 ACP is sweet. The 1911 crowd will flame me, but try out the Glock G-21 and G-30. They have large mag capacities and, thus, people say you need really big hands for them to feel comfortable. I have just average sized hands, but both models are a very great fit for me.
I have friends who complain that their 1911s are “finicky.” I’ve never owned a 1911, so I can’t say.
But I’ve run every kind of ammo you can imagine (retail and my own reloads, of various weights and charges) through the Glocks with NO problems, ever. (Although I did mix a batch of “soft” target loads that would jam shooting one-handed, but that probably would have been the case with a 1911 as well.)
If you don’t like .45 ACP, check out the S&W .357 revolver. It’s a workhorse that has done me well through many an ICORE competition. It can also shoot .38 and so, if you go the reload route, you can get an .357/.38 dye and reload both calibers.
Let us know what you decide.
I get reloads for $16/50, factory target loads $20/50, and JHP’s for $26/50. Or I have my friend reload them for me for around $.10 each, until I can get all of my reloading gear.
9mm is not that cheap. I have a G27 that I love and is my fav handgun.
I also have a Ar15 and got the .22 conversion kit and that thing rocks. Best 199 I ever spent gun stuff wise.
I replaced it with the release and pivot pin found here: .gunpartswarehouse.com
Ive never had an issue.
I love the Romanian ammo
The sights are narrow. But I can still hit a tennis ball at 50 yds fast.
I know it's a great weapon but it requires some effort. I think an 82 would be a good economy/ease of use compromise.
9mm factory loads are currently going for 12-14 bucks a box(sometimes less if they aren’t sold out).
40 cal is about 16bucks/box.
38special about 18bucks/box.
9mm makarov is under 10bucks/box
If you buy bulk military surplus you get much better prices. There is no such thing as military surplus 357sig or 40S&W.
357sig is one of the most expensive calibers you can buy.
see post95 for typical ammo prices.
S&W, Taurus and others make 1911’s or 1911 variants in .38 Super.
The .38 Super got something of a bad rap due to headspacing issues decades ago - it is a semi-rimmed cartridge, but some manufactures didn’t hold tolerances correctly and it would end up headspacing off the cartridge mouth, resulting in some failures to fire.
Nowadays, you find a lot of race guns (in IPSC or USPSA, for example) that are .38 Supers. They’re hot-hot-hot loads, pushing a lot of pressure to light up a compensator. Top competitors like the .38 Super because it can be loaded to make a light pill make “major” power factors in IPSC, meaning that they’re getting the same points multipliers as a .45ACP. The advantage of the .38 Super over the .45 ACP is that you can fit a more ammo into a double-stack mag with a .38 Super than a .45ACP. A competitor to the .38 Super is the 9x21mm round. My race gun mag holds 21 rounds and merely has an extended base plate.
I rarely read of someone owning a .38 Super or 9x21 for CCW use.
Factory load 38super sucks real bad compared to those handloads you are talking about. 9mm luger +P+ meets or exceeds factory 38super. If you are going with factory loads and you want the kind of performance you are describing you better go with 9x23winchester.
9x23 Winchester is really a reloading proposition. I have one and I bought the equivalent of 1K rounds in loaded ammo and brass. Ammo is hard to find except via the internet. This ammo is not normally found in local gun shops. Winchester and Corbon make ammo. Starline makes brass that’s OK for reloading lower power practice rounds, but only use Winchester brass for full power ammo, it’s thicker. Full power load chamber pressures are in excess of 40,000 psi. One other thing, you will loose brass when firing the gun; spent brass is flung 10-15 feet away. It should be a great defensive round; 125 gr hollow point bullets @ 1450 ft/sec!
That's really a great round. Here's a quick price check:
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