3850

[3850 longrange]

i have a remington rolling block chambered in 3850 .the case is made by blowing out 303 brit case.i have a 330 gr x 380 bullet,i also have 4lb of sr4756.can you suggest a load for me please.ps i live in new zealand

 

[DocRock]

welcome aboard!

Interesting.

So, the closest cartridge that comes to mind is the 35-303, also known as the 35 Territorian. This is very much a Commonwealth wildcat and there's not much data available in the US. The 35 Krag is pretty much the same thing and there might be SR4756 data for that somewhere.

But 4756 is a little fast and 330 grs is a bit heavy. 4759 is the real star for cast bullet rifle loads - and that 330 grs bullet needs to be cast lead for any hope of a load with 4756. The best I've come up with is here:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?62158-IMR-SR-4756-and-cast-boolits

Someone has older data for 4756 (again as opposed to 4759) reduced in 30-30 (11.5 grs with 170 grs bullet) and the 30-06 (18.5 grs with 180 grs bullet) for fairly sedate velocities.

I'm not sure that you can interpolate from there to your 38-50. It would certainly be easier if you could get hold of something a bit slower like 4759 or IMR 4227.

I know this isn't as helpful as you would like but I'm not comfortable offering a guess on 4756 with a heavy bullet in an unknown cartridge...

Hopefully someone will pop along with better info.

 

[Jim Watson]

A .38-50 Remington is quite uncommon and it would be a shame to wreck it by experimenting with shotshell powder.
I can offer no recommendation.
My .38-55 Winchester (a smaller case in spite of nomenclature) gets strictly Swiss No 1 1/2.

 

[DocRock]

So, you put the bit between my teeth on this one now. Been looking around the BPCR and Single Shot Rifle fora and there is a small following for the 38-50 Remington-Hepburn which is in fact larger that the 38-55 Win case. No news to the OP, but for the benefit of those of us among the unwashed masses.



Based on my digging 330 grs is at the lighter end of the 38-50 scale with several molds extant at .380" dropping in the 375 - 400 grs range. Most of the the 38-50 threads seem to be about Sharps Shilohs rather than RB, but they all seem to be Black Powder users. There is one post I found where a chap is talking about using a 330 grs bullet and 54 grs Swiss to win matches:

"
It is an original Hepburn cartridge, can be formed from 30-40 Krag or 303 Brit brass. I prefer the Krag. Brother Steve Garbe has had more then some success with this cartridge, Good Friends Steve Rhoades and Chip Mate have also had excellent luck with the cartridge, along with Friend Rick Moritz. Chip and Rick have won Multiple National Mid-Range Championships with the 38-50. Brother Steve Won a National Silhouette title a few years back with his also.

Mine, and Brother Jimbo's are both chambered with Brother Steve's Reamer. Jimbo's has a 1-12 Twist, mine a 1-14. Steve Rhoades and Chip's Rifles have 1-14 like mine. Rick Moritz has the 1-12 barrel.

Jimbo and I both Run 54 grs of 1 1/2 Swiss Jimbo uses a 348 gr bullet, Myself along with Chip and Steve use the lowly Lyman Postell at 330 Grs mine are 334 with 1-20 alloy."
I.