Which costs less 9mm or .38 Special rounds?

[Enter_Narne]

Hello,

Which is less expensive, 9mm rounds or .38 Special rounds?

Thanks

 

[Headless]

lol, you just changed the question totally from the title to your post text.
9mm rounds are cheaper than 38spl rounds in my experiences.

 

[Enter_Narne]

Ha I changed it to fit the post. And thanks for the info

 

[Headless]

Local wally world prices are 14.95 for 100 9mm and 23 something for 100 .38spl. I bought some georgia arms at the last gunshow, however, and their .38spl was ~9$/50 - ~160$ for cases of 1000. 9mm was only a buck cheaper per 50$...or 10$ cheaper per 1000.
Dunno why retail factory .38spl costs so much.

 

[Koos Custodiet]

Well, 9mm should be cheaper to make since there's less brass in the casing. And the bullets tend to be lighter too. With the current price of metals, that's significant.

But, that's cost price. Selling price would depend -- if there's suddenly a shortage of one, prices will go up, you know how it works.

 

[M1 Shooter]

<snip>
Dunno why retail factory .38spl costs so much.

It has to do with supply and demand. More people shoot 9mm than .38 Spl nowadays. Therefore, the factories produce more 9mm than .38Spl, the more that's available the cheaper it is, usually. That is one reason .22 LR ammo is so inexpensive, not just because it's a small round, but because so much is made, .22 LR ammo being the most produced ammo with something like 2 billion (thats right billion with a "B") rounds being produced annually. Back when .38Spl was more popular than 9mm it was the other way around, the .38Spl loads were a good deal less expensive than the 9mm loads. Times have changed with the 9mm being quite a bit more popular now, partly due to the surge of popularity of auto pistols over revolvers which started back in the 1980's.

 

[tubeshooter]

I think M1 Shooter is right. At one point (say, about 20 years ago) .38 was slightly cheaper in the US. Now it's the other way around.

 

[MaterDei]

As stated above the cost of ammo is much more tied to supply and demand than to manufacturing supply costs. For proof look at what 32ACP and 22MAG sell for. YIKES!

 

[DMK]

They are close. I've found .38 special on sale for cheaper than 9mm. However, on average 9mm is a bit cheaper.

 

[glockman19]

9mm IMHO

 

[BBQJOE]

What they said.
But if you reload, 9mm and .38spl cost the same.

 

[Alphazulu6]

At the moment you can find 38 cheaper than 9mm on the internet..... (hint)

 

[Black Adder LXX]

9mm is cheaper, except the surplus 38 on J&G right now...

 

[jaholder1971]

In my area, both run neck and neck within a couple bucks a box.

Usually I reload .38 special and buy 9mm of the shelf. I've got beau coup .38 special components and it's just easier right now.

 

[fletcher]

9mm is cheaper by far - a case of Wolf can be as low as $0.16 a round or so (last time I checked), and even the brass-cased stuff isn't significantly more.

 

[Smith357]

I reload .38 special for about 4 cents a round. The primers are the most expensive component. I cast my own bullets from wheel weights a mechanic friend gives me.

It only makes sense that factory 9mm would be cheaper than factory .38. there is less brass and less lead used in the manufacture.

 

[Ala Dan]

Cheapest 9m/m in my area is the Blazer Brass, priced at $9.88 per 50 rounds.

 

[JimmyN]

The amount of lead, brass, and powder doesn't seem to have anything to do with it.

If you compare .380, 9mm, and 38 Special the .380 uses the least materials by far, but is usually the most expensive of the three. If the price was actually based on the amount of metal and powder used the .380 should be the cheapest of the three rather than the more expensive.

 

[Deanimator]

That's one of those vague questions that doesn't really mean much as stated.

Factory? Reloads? Bargain? Premium defense? Target?

Bargain .38s and 9mms are pretty close in price, but that fluctuates with dealer and manufacturer sales specials.

Go to Walmart and compare the prices on Winchester White Box FMJs. That should give you an idea.

 

[Deanimator]

If you compare .380, 9mm, and 38 Special the .380 uses the least materials by far, but is usually the most expensive of the three. If the price was actually based on the amount of metal and powder used the .380 should be the cheapest of the three rather than the more expensive.

Demand for .380s is however much lower. That means that what they make doesn't have the economies of scale that the 9x19 and .38 Special does.

 

[MinnMooney]

I shoot both and find that 9mm is slightly cheaper across the boards for cheap or mid-priced or self-defense rounds.

My question to you is why are you worried about that when you should first pick whether you like wheel-guns or semi-autos. The price of the ammo is so close as to be irrelevent.

 

[Dorryn]

Im planning on buying a 9mm firearm at some point simply to take advantage of the cheap ammo. Not only is the .38 SPL more expensive, I had no idea when I bought my S&W 637 how frustratingly annoying it is to clean a wheelgun vs. a semi-auto... the ammo prices are insult to injury.

 

[evan price]

If you are buying new factory ammo the 9mm is cheaper.
If you reload the .38 is the winner, if only for the fact that you will pretty darn near for sure get back 100% of your brass without effort or bruising your knees pawing through the grass looking for shells.
It seems whenever I shoot semiautos I only get back about 90% of my brass. Some days more, some less.

 

[Average Joe]

9mm is cheaper.

 

[another okie]

What Evan Price said matches my own experience. 9mm is cheaper at the store, but .38 is cheaper to reload. That's partly because I reload 9mm with jacketed bullets, which are more expensive than lead bullets.