Good target ammo for first time .38S and .30-06 shooter?

**amkjud** · April 17th, 2009, 07:51 AM

I'm new to shooting. I have a .38S S&W and a Springfield .30-06. I had some trouble finding .38S ammo (no mail order where I live) but today found a store that sells Bullseye Remanufactured Ammunition (Semi Wadcutter Lead). I bought a few boxes, but now I'm wondering if I should have waited.
1) What is "remanufactured"? (Is this the same as reloads?)
2) Is SWC a good bullet to practice on?
3) Does the grain of the bullet matter when target shooting with either gun?
Thanks in advance for any help.

**JoeWilliams** · April 17th, 2009, 08:07 AM

Remanufactured ammo is basically a "factory reload." Some is good, some not so much.

Semi-wadcutter is generally a target load. Wadcutters are pure target loads. FMJ should be reserved for target and range use. Hollowpoints are for defensive purposes, and if your gun can handle it you should use +P for defense. Try the Bullseye ammo, and post a report so the rest of us know if it's any good or not! Everybody is buying ammo as fast as it hits the shelves, so right now you just take what you can get. If you are wanting to get a little stocked up, a good idea to do it a bit at a time is to buy two boxes, shoot one. I'm finding it easier to find ammo lately, though it still involves some looking around. Don't stick to just big name stores like Walmart, Cabellas, Gander Mountain, etc. As referenced elsewhere, in another thread on this board, some of us are having better luck finding ammo at smaller gun stores.

I'm assuming that by ".38S S&W" you mean .38 Special. .38 Special (sometimes called .38 S&W Special or .38 Special S&W) is NOT the same thing as .38 S&W.

Congrats on your new guns, and welcome to the sport!!! Seek some training if you haven't already, and have fun

Edit: for target shooting, bullet weight makes a bit of difference as to where the bullet will hit. In terms of most targetloads, the difference will not matter much at this point for you. You will learn to either aim a little high or a little low as you become familiar with specific loads. If you have adjustable sights, when you pick a favorite load or weight, you can set the sights for that load.

**Pete D.** · April 17th, 2009, 08:10 AM

Yes, "remanufactured" means loaded again. The choice you have made is perfectly satisfactory for training/practice. It is close to what I was going to suggest - .38Spl. 148 gr WC would have been my choice.
The weight of the bullet is not super important. All other things being equal, heavier bullets will have more recoil. The WC design differs from the semi-wadcutter in that it is a pure cylinder in shape and is seated so that it is completely flush with the case mouth when loaded. Very accurate. Light load.
For .30-06 practice - I suggest a 147/150 grain bullet from a reputable manufacturer. UMC from Remington or USA from Winchester are examples. There are others. The can be some good deals in less expensive "surplus" ammo but you can also find yourself with ammo that just does not shoot well.
Pete

**amkjud** · April 19th, 2009, 03:13 AM

JOE and PETE:

thanks for the detailed information.

yes, it is a .38 special.
there are *very* few options of where i can buy ammo locally. (i'm not in a gun-friendly city.)
the .30-06 does have adjustable sights.
i'm going to the range tomorrow with the bullseye ammo, although i'm not sure what my report will mean considering that i am new to this.