.38-55 Boolit

[mrtonegto]

I got my Lee Loader and RCBS Cowboy dies for Christmas, I already bought the Starline brass so next I need to decide on the right boolits.

Anyone have experience with these hard cast boolits as far a deer hunting?

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/2046270933/hunters-supply-hard-cast-bullets-38-55-wcf-381-diameter-260-grain-lead-flat-nose

[williamwaco]

I have bought and used two boxes of these bullets in my Winchester .38-55.

You can see more details here:

http://reloadingtips.com/reviews/huntersupplycastbullets.htm




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[mrtonegto]

Thanks for the info. I'd be using .381 since my rifle measures .380.

Any experience on game with them? Wondering how they are on penetration along with what type of entry and exit they make.

BTW, are you using Starline brass and what powder/weight are you loading?

[Mk42gunner]

The picture looks like a gas checked boolit without the gas check.

If I wanted to shoot non gas checked boolits, I think I would buy the Lee mold and cast a few from ACWW with maybe a little tin added for fillout, if needed.

I think that bullet should penetrate fine.

Robert

[williamwaco]

Thanks for the info. I'd be using .381 since my rifle measures .380.

Any experience on game with them? Wondering how they are on penetration along with what type of entry and exit they make.

BTW, are you using Starlin brass and what powder/weight are you loading?

Sorry, forgot to mention that. No, I have not hunted with them but there is no doubt in my mind they will kill the doe standing behind the buck you are shooting at. They are pretty hard. They will not expand significantly. Meat loss should be minimal.

The above observation is correct They are gas check bullets with out the check. Mine measure .376 on the drving bands and that base is .356 in diameter.


I use Starline brass in the .38-55 but WW in the .30-30.


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[mrtonegto]

Anyone have some loads that they use for deer with this 260 gr. boolit?

[runfiverun]

i can't pull up the pic just a link to midway.
if they are the ones i'm thinking of [from a magma mold] keep them under 1400 fps and use a filler.
i used h-322 powder, and dacron.

[marvelshooter]

I am new to shooting a 38-55 but so far I am very happy with bullets from my Lee mold. Bullets drop at just over .381 with range lead and I use them as cast with 10 grains of Unique. I don't have access to a chronograph but judging from the dent they put in 1/2" aluminum at 80 yards they would penetrate a deer just fine.

[mrtonegto]

They are: Hunters Supply Hard Cast Bullets 38-55 WCF (381 Diameter) 260 Grain Lead Flat Nose

[MtGun44]

Make up a dummy round and see if it will chamber with a .381 boolit in the case. MANY of
these .38-55s will NOT chamber a round loaded with a boolit large enough to shoot accurately
from these fat barrels. My very early 94 Win will chamber a .380 diam boolit, but not a .381
with the brass I have. My bore slugs at .3795, and so far .380 is working OK, but I have some
other issues with the gun that need to be resolved before I can go back to load development.

The old BP ammo was loaded with very soft undersized boolits that slugged up to fill the barrel.
You can duplicate this effect if needed with the faster rifle powders like 2400 and Unique (YES
Unique is a rifle powder, too) but are potentially limited in velocity with these faster powders.

Slightly excessive crimping can make a bulge in the case just below the crimp which will prevent
chambering and fool you about what diameter boolit you can actually use. Guess how I know
this? ;-)

Bill

[runfiverun]

i was speaking of the non g/c version of what popped up for me this time.
those will penetrate a deer fine, i am sure hunters supply uses the standard 2/6/92 alloy which is a bit brittle for me.
but will kill a deer fine with a good shot.
work yourself up an accurate load..

[mrtonegto]

Thanks for the input. From what I've read, the thinner Starline brass should avoid any issues with chambering the .381 boolits.

But I'll make up a dummy round as you suggest, to be certain.

BTW, my RCBS Cowboy sizer reads .379 and I'm wondering if it will properly size for the .381's. Seems like it wouldn't.

Right now I'm leaning toward 9-10 grains of Unique - seems the most popular powder for this caliber from what I've read.

[runfiverun]

sizer?
umm if thats inside diameter of your case you'll be fine.
if it's for your lube/sizer it is most likely too small.
i size to .379 for my 375 win's.

[mroliver77]

9 - 10 gr Unique should give around 1100 - 1200fps. Kinda slow in my opinion for this style boolit to reliably kill deer.

I use Unique for plinking loads but run 4895 for hunting loads. It gives a more gentle push to the boolit and is easy to get 1500ish fps loads without a bunch of pressure.

For myself these boolits are way harder than needed but might be ok if they fit well. They sure are expensive!

[mrtonegto]

I appreciate that info, I dont want a load thats going to cripple a deer and now that I think of it, most references to the Unique did not state for hunting loads.

I am certainly open to any other ideas as this is my first reloading experience.

How many grains of 4895 would be a good place to start off?

These were the only .381 boolits I could find - would you know of any other sources?

[mrtonegto]

Looks like Rim Rock has some "Premium Bullets" that would do the job and at $80./500

Got a Lyman #12 coming from Amazon to get this all figured out...................

[mroliver77]

I quit posting loads as I made a mistake in typing once and it scared me that it could have hurt somebody.

Having your own manuals is the only way to go! I have many and compare loads before deciding on where to START.

There is nothing wrong with the Midway boolits. I just figured at 1000-1200fps they needed more speed to work well for killing. Around here you want to anchor an animal quickly as if it runs far it is on somebody else's land and could easily be lost!

I take it casting your own is out of the question?
J

[mrtonegto]

I can understand your concern. I'm hoping that I find enough load data on the .38-55 - we'll see.

I wouldnt say out of the question, but I want to avoid that additional complication since I'm just getting into reloading. I've been watching some YouTube videos and it looks like melting WW's isnt that difficult.

Now that my 11 yo grandson is interested in hunting and shooting I'm sure I'll expand my reloading endeavors.

[mroliver77]

I will try to scan my manuals and post for you.

I slipped and fell on the deck.Something in my neck (That had 5 disks removed, C3 -C7fixed solid and now the next in line has crushed!) went SNAP! I am moving slowly and have a hissing going on in my head!
At least it drowns out the voices!! har har

[mrtonegto]

Wow, that dont sound like fun, might want to get that checked out.

I hear you on the voices, kind of like my tinitus - always there.

Thanks for the help.

[45-70 Chevroner]

A ten gr load of unique with the Lee 38-55 250 gr boolit will shoot all the way through a dear. Just think about how many deer have been killed with a muzzloading round ball at 1100 fps, or a 1100 fps 44 mag 250 gr boolit. I got my last dear with a 30-30 cal190 gr RCBS sil. boolit. at about 1500 fps at 80 yards and it went all the way through. That 250 gr 38-55 at 1100 will drive deaper and impart more energy than the 30 cal boolit.

[Light attack]

Any of you guys ever use the online manuals like this one? http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[mroliver77]

A ten gr load of unique with the Lee 38-55 250 gr boolit will shoot all the way through a dear. Just think about how many deer have been killed with a muzzloading round ball at 1100 fps, or a 1100 fps 44 mag 250 gr boolit. I got my last dear with a 30-30 cal190 gr RCBS sil. boolit. at about 1500 fps at 80 yards and it went all the way through. That 250 gr 38-55 at 1100 will drive deaper and impart more energy than the 30 cal boolit.
I have no doubt that boolit would get decent penetration at 1100-1200 fps. My concern is with the rather small meplat. The permanent wound channel would be insufficient to drop the animal quickly and/or leave a good blood trail.

I shot a deer with a hard 311284 Lyman boolit at 1600ish fps. It poked right through leaving a small wound channel. Same boolit at 2000+fps left a 1" plus wound channel in another deer. My 311440 boolit with a nose like a boxing glove will leave a massive wound channel at 1500 fps! Same with a 429421 at 1000fps. It will leave a grand wound channel while the 454190 in a 45 Colt leaves a smaller channel and does not have a good reputation as a dependable killer. Speed up that 454190 and it will do massive damage!
So even though the weight and power is there, without the meplat balanced to the correct boolit speed we can get deep penetration with little overall tissue damage. Sometimes this works out but I prefer a 1" wound channel.
My two cents worth.

[captaint]

mrt - I can second the notion of 4895 powder working well in the 38-55 with 250 ish grain boolits. I was shooting an LBT gas check 250 grain model - shot real well. You might do a search on just 38-55 and find some good loads. That's where I found my loads. Right here. enjoy Mike

[Hogpost]

I've had good luck with the RCBS 375-250 GC on hogs. Crimped into the top of the top grease groove, the OAL with standard-length brass cycles perfectly in my Win 1894. Mold drops them at max .378, so I have the same problem as you 'cause my barrel is notably larger. Fortunately, I use black powder, so with soft lead they slug up OK; and this boolit gives me maximum powder capacity compared to anything else I've used. Can't give you any hints on that yuppie smokeless stuff; it's just a passing fad anyway ;)

If you want to try them before buying a mold, Montana Bullet Supply makes excellent quality; but they are around 18-21 BHN and .378 max. I'm working on making a mold for this boolit that will drop a larger diameter, and will let you know if successful.

By the way, you may already know this, but StarLine brass is thinner, and will let you chamber a fatter boolit than the Win brass.