Winchester 38-55 Issues

As long as the base will bump up to seal the bore and the bullet is not going so fast that it stripps the lead in the rifiling it should work OK. Just do not exceed the speed for the lead hardness.

The better the fit to the barrel the more accurate though.
 
Ok, so I am reviving this thread rather than starting a new one, as I am exploring more options for the 38-55. I purchased some 225 grain bullets some time ago, sized at .380 to try to get a better seal. After getting a set of rcbs dies that allow me to load larger rounds, it seems that these bullets are a tad short. I believe this is because they are made for the original 2.125" casing, not the modern 2.080" casing. Now, Starline did offer a 2.125" thin wall casing, but they are unobtainable nowadays. My questions are: will the .380 lead slug be good in the .379 slugged bore? And will the exposed lube ring present a problem? See attached picture.

Thanks all!
 

Attachments

  • 20220919_094144.jpg
    20220919_094144.jpg
    77.3 KB · Views: 14
RowdyReid said:
Ok, so I am reviving this thread rather than starting a new one, as I am exploring more options for the 38-55. I purchased some 225 grain bullets some time ago, sized at .380 to try to get a better seal. After getting a set of rcbs dies that allow me to load larger rounds, it seems that these bullets are a tad short. I believe this is because they are made for the original 2.125" casing, not the modern 2.080" casing. Now, Starline did offer a 2.125" thin wall casing, but they are unobtainable nowadays. My questions are: will the .380 lead slug be good in the .379 slugged bore? And will the exposed lube ring present a problem? See attached picture.

Thanks all!
Click to expand...
The goal for most is to size .001 over Grove diameter. You should be in a good place, as a small amount of sizing in the lands is good. The lube groove shouldn't be an issue as long as it functions.
 
AJC1 said:
The goal for most is to size .001 over Grove diameter. You should be in a good place, as a small amount of sizing in the lands is good. The lube groove shouldn't be an issue as long as it functions.
Click to expand...
That is what I was guessing, but I am more comfortable hearing someone else confirm it. The mockup round is all within SAAMI spec, and it feeds and ejects with no issues.
 
was looking at the Lyman Cast Boolet book for 38/55
all the powder is between red dot to unique
with the .001 over bore using #2 lead mix should tighten up your grouping
I use Unique for my 32/40 with 200 gr cast and it shoots great

Mike
 
Yooper Smoker said:
was looking at the Lyman Cast Boolet book for 38/55
all the powder is between red dot to unique
with the .001 over bore using #2 lead mix should tighten up your grouping
I use Unique for my 32/40 with 200 gr cast and it shoots great

Mike
Click to expand...
I am looking at the 4th edition and it shows all the classic lead powders, 4198, r7 and 30-31. If your striking out on those n130 or n133 are right there. N135 would also work as imr 4895 is also listed.
 

Attachments

  • 16636905530526400511869853560568.jpg
    16636905530526400511869853560568.jpg
    79.8 KB · Views: 4
Thank you for the replies. I have a limited selection of powder, as the story has been going for however long now, but I have 3031 and IMR 4198. I do not have unique, but ill keep an eye peeled. I just picked up a pound of H4350 for my .270 the other day too. Supplies seem to be coming back, slowly.

I am confident in 3031 being a decent powder to use for the round. It is great in the 30-30 crowd, and 38-55 is a cousin to 30-30. 4198 is great for the 45-70, again a close relative. I think my biggest issue before was undersized rounds, not necessarily the powder.
 
RowdyReid said:
Thank you for the replies. I have a limited selection of powder, as the story has been going for however long now, but I have 3031 and IMR 4198. I do not have unique, but ill keep an eye peeled. I just picked up a pound of H4350 for my .270 the other day too. Supplies seem to be coming back, slowly.

I am confident in 3031 being a decent powder to use for the round. It is great in the 30-30 crowd, and 38-55 is a cousin to 30-30. 4198 is great for the 45-70, again a close relative. I think my biggest issue before was undersized rounds, not necessarily the powder.
Click to expand...
I believe your assessment is dead on....
 
RowdyReid said:
Hello everyone! I am fairly new to reloading, especially compared to a lot of you veterans, and I need some advice. I have been reloading for a couple of years, and I have continually been stumped by a Henry H024 38-55. I slugged the Henry bore and found it to be exactly at SAAMI specs.

As I'm sure a lot of you are aware, the 38-55 is pretty illusive when it comes to finding load data. I have been sticking with a load that I found written by my uncle who used to hand load a lot. It's a hard cast 255 grain flat nose (acme) .378, Starline Brass case and CCI large rifle primers with 28 grains of IMR3031.

Now, it shoots, but not well. It won't group and velocities are around 900 feet per second. I have tried 26.5 grains of powder up to 30. There is no difference in accuracy and velocity doesn't change more than 50 or 100 fps.

Is 3031 too slow for this application? Should I size up the cast bullet to .379 to fill the grooves completely?

Thanks for any input.
Click to expand...
I am going to purchase a Henry 38-55 soon. How is the Starline shorter brass-2.080 working for you? I was wondering if I should buy the longer or shorter brass from Starline. thanks
 
larry7293 said:
I am going to purchase a Henry 38-55 soon. How is the Starline shorter brass-2.080 working for you? I was wondering if I should buy the longer or shorter brass from Starline. thanks
Click to expand...
Sorry for the ultra late reply. I'm answering more for search function at this point. The 2.080 works well in my rifle, but I did get confrimation from Henry and they stated the rifle's chamber is made to modern SAAMI specs. This means that the rifle is chambered for the modern 2.080 case length. Older rifles may not be the same.

With how hard the brass has been to find, I would cast the chamber and measure your specific rifle. If it's a modern henry, 2.080 will work fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Cast Bullets in a .375 Winchester
Replies
2
Views
687
rcmodel
R
M
  • Locked
38/55 in a modern lever
Replies
5
Views
4K
Glamdring
G
JustsayMo
  • Locked
QuickLoad and 38-55 Win
Replies
4
Views
1K
Kernel
K
D
  • Locked
45-70 load
Replies
20
Views
930
Dead Eye Duck
D
bear166
  • Locked
Loading 38-55 with IMR 3031 and 260 grain cast bullets
Replies
9
Views
2K
GooseGestapo
GooseGestapo
Back
Top