Does ANYONE know where all the .380 ammo went?

[Bullseye10x]

I recently acquired a Bersa 95, which is the only .380 in my collection. Getting ammo to test drive it though has been impossible. All the stores are out, all the online vendors are out, and now I can't even find brass or bullets to load my own. There are some boneheads selling Wolf on GB, etc... for $30 a box or more, but I'm not about to feed the price-gougers. Don't even get me started on that. My last conversation to an online sale ad went something like this:

(Seller advertises a .380 pistol and ammo for sale on well-known internet gun forum, so I PM him)

Me: If you're willing to sell the ammo separate, I might be interested

Him: I would take $30 for the ammo

Me: What kind is it, and how much do you have?

Him: I have over 1000 rounds available. It is Wolf and the price is $30 per box.

Me: I'll pass, but thanks (as if he's doing me a favor :hereyago: )

Him: That's one reason I am selling the gun, because ammo is so expensive

At this point I ended communications, but was thinking "you know &^$& well you didn't pay that much for the stuff"...


Anybody here got a line on some decent 9mm short for a reasonable price? Components are also of interest.

[AdamN]

I was really suprised at the 380 stuff. Cheaper Than Dirt was selling CCi Blaser for $69.00 a box, and sold out of it at that price..........

Unbelievable

[TwoShot]

Hell I'am not finding the gun. Those around here want the price of 3 of them for one.:confused:

[Jayhawker]

Who would of predicted the popularity of the .380 back in October? I sure wouldn't have. I have a Bersa Thunder and load for it, but it is far from being even in the top five guns/calibers that I shoot.

[TwoShot]

Wonder why it is so popular now.
I wanted one ,just cause i did not have one.
I have all of the reloading stuff ,but no gun. :(

[AlPackin]

I hate shooting my P3AT ... still got a WWB of .380 though ... maybe I should sell it as a package seein that I carry my J Frame instead...

[TwoShot]

I hate shooting my P3AT ... still got a WWB of .380 though ... maybe I should sell it as a package seein that I carry my J Frame instead...

talk to me

[Bullseye10x]

Hell I'am not finding the gun. Those around here want the price of 3 of them for one.:confused:

I got a good deal on the Bersa and just couldn't pass it up. Found it in a Gander Mountain (of all places) for $149 :yesnod: It was in the used case but looked brand new. If I could find some ammo I'd see if the danged thing was actually worth buying! Maybe I should just cut my losses and sell it for $350 like everyone else is doing :biggrinjester:

[jawjaboy]

I was really suprised at the 380 stuff. Cheaper Than Dirt was selling CCi Blaser for $69.00 a box, and sold out of it at that price..........

Unbelievable

:yesnod:

Unreal. :slick: Same down here from all of my locals.
.

[MakeMineaP99]

I forgot to pick up that box of 380 UMC from Tony for you Bullseye, busy and all, sorry. He's got one, wants $10 for it, I'll check and see if he still has it.

[BigSlick]

.380 ammo was sellin at Tulsa for up to $70/box. Best price in da show was $25/50 until some dealer bought it all an put it out on his table for $65/box. Looks like he sold most of it by Sunday morning, not sure if he sold out or not I had ta leave early.

Fired brass was runnin $65/500 very little to be found.

[MakeMineaP99]

Can you make 380 brass by cutting down 9x19?

[AdamN]

Probably not, 380 brass is .374 at the base, 9mm is .394.

A guy I know was crying about 380 stuff, I told him to get a 9mm and not worry about it

[TwoShot]

I dont think on account of the taper towards the rim.is bigger

[MONTEGOD7SS]

That is the big reason I want a PF9 instead of a P3AT, in addition to the fact that the .380 is anemic compared to almost anything else that's centerfire.

[Brass Nazi]

Can you make 380 brass by cutting down 9x19?

The rim and case head on the 9mm is larger. The 9mm is a tapered case and the .380 is a straight case. So it would not be possible or would be exceedingly difficult.

[JW6108]

That is the big reason I want a PF9 instead of a P3AT, in addition to the fact that the .380 is anemic compared to almost anything else that's centerfire.

Anemic is the word; this is how mine did with what I carry in it.

KEL-TEC P3AT
Load: .380 - Federal American Eagle 95 gr. factory load
Average velocity: 795 fps
Comments: 135 fpe

Still, for around the house/yard and as a BUG for a G27, it will do; beats running (I ain't so fast) or throwing rocks. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone with a PF9.

As for the shortage, I doubt the companies have ever loaded the quantities of .380 that they did other things, and the increased demand has caught them flat-footed as with most everything else. I think (hope) it will all loosen up in a few months and return to something like a state of normality; we may not see prices as low as what we are used to for anything ammo/components related, but most of us would be willing to pay a little more as opposed to not being able to get it at all.

.380 is the only centerfire I don't load for; I just don't shoot the KT enough to justify it.

[MONTEGOD7SS]

Kind of related, but AR prices seem to get coming down quite a bit. Gunbroker is full of stripped AR lowers for Buy It Now of $130. Granted that isn't quite the $100-$110 of before Barama, but it's definitely better than $250-$300.

[io_joe]

I just checked Starline for a different caliber and recall that 380 was listed as available. You should be able to get cast boolits from one of the main vendors.

[mnhogrider]

I went into the local Fleet Farm yesterday over lunch just to hopefully buy some .22 Mini-Mags. Suprise! they had a bunch so I grabbed a sleeve of 5.

Just for the heck of it, I looked behind the counter where they keep the pistol ammo. Bigger supprise! There sits about 50 boxes of .380 Blazer and 50 boxes of 9MM Blazer. Aluminum.

People are coming up to the counter that found out about it all wild-eyed and I thought, I'm just gonna buy it all and re-sell it to fund my reloading habit.

Didn't do it. Didn't think it was fair. I've got plenty of .380 reloading components now.

I DID buy 6 boxes of the .380 though. I don't know if I just want to save them or sell it. I'll kick myself if I sell and then run short. I also like that with the Blazer aluminum, I don't have to chase those damn .380 cases around to reload. I can just let em' fly!

[dougader]

Components are also of interest.

I need to go check and see how much 380 brass I have tucked away. I don't think I have much but if you want it, its yours. I won't be buying another 380. The G26 is as small as I'll ever go again.

[Mogollon]

Worst case, you could cut down .223 brass, and neck-ream it to accept .355" bullets.

[JW6108]

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=8884

[VN350X10]

Since Ruger brought out their Kel-Tec clone, .380 has gotten scarce all over.
At our local show last weekend, 380 was going for $75.00/50 & the guy sold out in about an hour. Had at least 48 boxes on his table when the show opend to dlrs. @ 6:00 AM, opened to public @ 8:00 & was out by about 9:00.
Remember, ammo production is based upon known sales averages & the recent extreme buying isn't helping.
Folks that bought 2 boxes of a given calibre a year are now hoarding & buying 10-20 at a time.
This times how many shooters ?
The entire supply chain has been sucked dry, going all the way back to the chemical mfgr's. that make the raw material for powder !
2 years for supplies to catch back up, minimum, by my judgement.
For reloaders, primers are the weak link, saw those going for $80.00-$100.00 per K, with no end in sight unless everybody comes to their senses & just quits buying at such obscene prices. Let the folks that have drained the primer supply sit on them for a while & sooner or later the prices will come down again.

uncle albert

[CZ93X62]

I'm in agreement with Uncle Albert on the panic buying making things tough for shooters and reloaders. I'm doing my best to NOT feed these predators that are pricing ammo and components through the roof. I'm not happy about slowing down my shooting activities to weather the storm, but that is what I'm doing to some extent.

One thing I AM doing is taking note of who the predators are--and who is doing their best to treat their customers fairly during these strange times. The good guys will get my business both now and later, while the profiteers can go "G.I. Jane" as far as I'm concerned. I'm very lucky in this small town I'm in to have two dealerships that are busting their humps to do the right thing for their customers.

[TwoShot]

local gun store has a box of 50 .380 reloads for 9 skins. dont know what grain. would dump powder any how.

[Glooooock]

No deal just another site .

Link .380 (http://www.blue-star-inc.com/catalog/ammo.htm)