The perfect 38-55 bullet

[Whit Spurzon]

I'm thinking about having a custom mold made for my 38-55. I've had the best luck with the Lee 379-250 as it drops the fattest bullet of the bullets I've tried - Ranch Dog, Lyman and RCBS. The thing I like least about the Lee bullet is the radiused bottom edge which makes pan lubing messy - a square edge push out nice and neat.

http://www.myhostedpics.com/images/Pathfinder/lee379250.jpg

I like the look of the Lyman 265 grain bullet but it just won't drop big enough to shoot well in my 38-55 Marlin Cowboy.

Here's what I'm thinking.
265 grains
plain base
driving band forward of the crimp groove (sensible Keith style?)

I'm hoping some of the experts frequenting this site will lend their expertise and guidance.

Thanks in advance!

[BigRix]

I hear it is a snap to remove the bevel base from a Lee mold. Someone here did it with a pocket knife.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I removed the bevel base from a Lee double cavity mold with a dowel that I cut a very thin slot just thin enough for the sand paper, but only about a 1/2" deep and a piece of 60 grit sand paper then used a 100 grit to kind of polish it. You just have to be carefull while doing it.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Yep.. fill the throat of any firearm and you are likely to have found the perfect boolit.. or one of many. Winchester 44-40 SRC´s are a case in point. I have bought 3 over the years. All shoot a .432+ boolit far better than any smaller size although the barrels are .429 + or - .
All my lever guns get fed fat boolits... If it will chamber I will always load a fat boolit.. Old Marlins, ballards, Winchesters.. up to new Rossi´s... any rifle... fill the throats. Sometimes fat is far better in life but not in a kayak.
All aluminum BB molds are easy to straighten out. I have used the knife method and there are better ways. the dowel/emery cloth works well. Far better if you have a drill press as the tool will not wobble (deflect) side to side. A boolit smeard with fine lap compound inserted base first into mold also works very well.
Mike in Peru

[KirkD]

I recently received a custom 38-55/38-72 mould from Accurate Molds and was very impressed. Mine is a gas check, but if you are looking for a plain base, I would recommend this one http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=38-255B-D.png

If you want 265 grains, tweak on of the measurements to give you a wee bit more lead.

[McLintock]

You didn't say at what size your Marlin started shooting good, but for my 38-55's, I got .381 bullets, like the Lyman 375449 gas check from Hunter Supply in Texas and .380" sized 250 gr plain base bulllets from Meister and Western Nevada, now X-Treme Bullets up near Reno. Both shot well in my Browning 85 and Winchester '94's. If you want to make your own, then sounds like just modifing the Lee would do the trick.
McLintock

[Whit Spurzon]

KirkD - Thanks that is just what I'm looking for.

[Buckshot]

...............Saeco makes 3 nice slugs for the 38-55. All are the same design, just longer. They're 225gr, 255gr and a 300gr slug. The design is a tapered FNPB with a wide base band. I have all 3 moulds, with the heavier 2 being fairly recent purchases. I have a nice old Marlin M93 in 38-55 and it just loves the 225gr slug over 16.0grs of 2400. I bought the 2 heavier slugs to give the Marlin a heavier boolit and the 300gr to use in my Hi-Wall fooling around with BP. All 3 drop at just about .382" on the base band.

.............Buckshot

[Whit Spurzon]

Thanks Buckshot. I'll take a look at those.

[ammohead]

Whit,

It is no great feat to remove the bevel base on the lee boolit mould. Just take a sharp knife with a narrow tip, or a xacto and slowly shave the aluminum off the mouth of the mould. It may sound iffy but it works quite well. If you go a little too far it will clean up nicely in the lubrisizer. I was advised of this method to tighten up a loose gas check on a LBT mould by Veral hisself.

ammohead

[Hal]

Buckshot... those Sacos are you using wheelweights?

[williamwaco]

I hear a lot about modern Lyman molds casting undersized so when I got my .38-55, I looked around and bought two very old Lyman molds. They both drop .379 with air cooled wheel weights.

I really like that Lee bullet. I size it .377 and load it over 9 gr Unique and get .75 to 1.25 inch groups at 100yd from my 1885 Winchester made in Japan replica.


What do I do about the bevel base and the extra lube? I ignore it. Load'em and shoot'em.

If I was going to store them for six months, I might worry about it but my .38-55 cast bullet loads have a life expectancy of about three weeks.

Doesn't it ruin the powder? Extreme spread on those Unique loads varies from about 15fps to 35fps.

If it works, use it.

[TNFrank]

Seems like the BB would make it load a bit easier into the case, still, if you don't like it you can just remove it, just be careful and take off a little at a time.
I had a Winchester Legendary Frontiersman in 38-55 that I played with around 20 or so years ago. Now that I think about it I kind of miss that rifle. 38-55 is a heck of a nice ctg. to use to play around with cast boolits in and it's still a good one for woods range deer or hogs.

[Buckshot]

Buckshot... those Sacos are you using wheelweights?

..............Soft lead. Can't call it pure, but it's probably close.

.............Buckshot

[Hal]

Thanks

[smithywess]

[QUOTE If it will chamber I will always load a fat boolit.. [/QUOTE]



Missionary 5155,

And if it won't chamber then I hand ream the chamber throat until it does!! It's a little expensive to get the reamer cut (about $65.00 and $25.00 for a 'T' handle) but I agree completely with you that fat cast bullets two or even three thousandths of an inch overbore will solve two major problems, inaccuracy and leading. I like the Lee bullet too and I can live with the bevel base as long as the diameter is 'fat'.

thanks.