Colt Official Police .38 Special

The old ammo is more accurate than the stuff they make now.  I also want to shoot the old guns with the ammo they were made for.  In particular I want to benchmark "pre lawyer" classic loads to have a target velocity to approximate with my handloads.

When I acquire these old boxes at estate sales, etc. they don't sell for collector ammo prices.  Cost per box is less than new ammo, or else I won't buy it. The lots I buy are usually less expensive and of better quality than current production.  I picked up 950 rounds of Rem-UMC headstamped 148-grain Targetmaster wadcutter from the 1940s for $400 shipped.  I then sold the vintage wooden crate it came in, with the antique Railway Express shipping label to its WW2 destination for $100.  Made the ammo much cheaper.

When I am done I auction off the collectible empty boxes or take them to gun shows where people are usually happy to pay $10 for a vintage box to put on their shelf.  Makes the net cost on the old ammo quite affordable.

And how else are you going to find .38 Special cases with large primer pockets for experiments?