Chiappa Mini Sharps, 38-55

[Boz330]

I don't know how anyone can claim BP is easier to clean than smokeless with lead bullets.

With smokeless there are not cases to clean up and the rifle does not really need cleaning at all. When the bullets are lube with Alox you have a premier rust preventative in the bullet lube.
My cleaning method is a couple of patches wet with Hoppe's, then a dry patch and then a patch lightly moist with Hoppe's. And there is not rush for that.
For the most part the cleaning is about as demanding as a .22 LR

Easy, 2 wet and 2 dry at the range. Wet turpentine patch when I get home, let sit till the next evening. Clean any lead that might be in the barrel and finish with a Balistol patch.
Brass goes in the wet tumbler just like my smokeless brass would. I do the same with smokeless and lead except it takes way more that 5 or 6 patches with Hoppes to get a clean patch. I have left guns with just a wet and dry patch for as much as week while hunting with no ill results. I sure wouldn't leave them like I do a 22 which I clean good once a year whether they need it or not. Just oil the outside.

Bob

[John Boy]

I have decided to use IMR 3031 as a starting powder but curious if anyone has tried something else with good results??

Have started using 17.0gr of Accurate Power Pro 300-MP with a 310gr Ideal 375272, LR Magnum primer and cast at 1:16. Accuracy has been very good at 100 and 200yds with a vernier. Next week, plan to determine it's accuracy on silhouettes out to 500m with the Ideal 37584, 322gr bullet and 17.2gr of the 300-MP
37584. This is a popular series of bullets for both short and long range. The shape of point is standard. They seat all right in the regular tools. (PB, FN, 156, 176, 187, 218, 238, 259, 280, 301, 322, Peerless – TP 449)

[cwheel]

I guess it depends on what you intend to do with this rifle, target or hunting. I load a 265 gr. gas checked Ideal #375296 over 29 gr. of 3031. This is intended to be a hunting round, just a little to much for target use. It sends the bullet through the chrony @about 1600 fps + or - 35 fps with good accuracy in a 20" barrel. Bullet is sized to .381. Accuracy in this old Winchester is about 3" with the first 3 shots ( 100 yards, open sights ) from a cold fouled bore. As usual, bore heats up, groups spread out. Old eyes here, and I'm sure others will do better with some different loads.
Chris

[EDG]

Not so fast.
I don't clean my brass and it is not necessary with your smokeless brass either.
For everyone on the planet that is not a black powder shooter cleaning brass is not a strict necessity. For black powder shooters it is a necessity.
After all none of us cleaned brass with a tumbler until about 45 years ago.
I still don't clean my brass with a tumbler except as a process to rehab fired brass purchased from other shooters especially black powder shooters.
I simply wipe my bores s noted in the previous post to remove the bulk of the soot and bullet lube while it is warm. There is no need for a clean patch since it is not going to corrode anyway.
In the mean time my inspection and handling of black powder arms says that most owners still wind up with rusty rifles eventually.

Easy, 2 wet and 2 dry at the range. Wet turpentine patch when I get home, let sit till the next evening. Clean any lead that might be in the barrel and finish with a Balistol patch.
Brass goes in the wet tumbler just like my smokeless brass would. I do the same with smokeless and lead except it takes way more that 5 or 6 patches with Hoppes to get a clean patch. I have left guns with just a wet and dry patch for as much as week while hunting with no ill results. I sure wouldn't leave them like I do a 22 which I clean good once a year whether they need it or not. Just oil the outside.

Bob

[Boz330]

You got me there, but I clean all of my brass after shooting it. Even back when I was shooting 20,000 rounds of 45 a year, it went into the tumbler to keep wear and tear on the progressive loader to a minimum.
I have shot ML since the early 70s and have some of those guns till this day and haven't had any rusting issues with my cleaning methods. I do admit that the ML are definitely more hassle to clean than smokeless rifles. I just don't think that the BPCRs are that much trouble for the enjoyment of shooting them.

Bob

Not so fast.
I don't clean my brass and it is not necessary with your smokeless brass either.
For everyone on the planet that is not a black powder shooter cleaning brass is not a strict necessity. For black powder shooters it is a necessity.
After all none of us cleaned brass with a tumbler until about 45 years ago.
I still don't clean my brass with a tumbler except as a process to rehab fired brass purchased from other shooters especially black powder shooters.
I simply wipe my bores s noted in the previous post to remove the bulk of the soot and bullet lube while it is warm. There is no need for a clean patch since it is not going to corrode anyway.
In the mean time my inspection and handling of black powder arms says that most owners still wind up with rusty rifles eventually.

[rfd]

the .38-55 can be notorious when it comes to both bore and land sizing - case length, too. slugging and cerosafing are the preferred preliminaries before selecting a bullet diameter and mould.

aa5744 would be my preferred white powder choice - worked extremely well for me with .40-65 and .45-70, back in my foolish white powder dayze.

my current favorite bullet lube is paper, so cleanup after loading the brass with real black powder takes exactly three patches - one moose milk wet, one dry, one with a light oil - there is no such thing as "barrel leading" with ppb's. holy black brass is SO difficult and time consuming to clean - it takes a whopping long 30 minutes with the ultra-sonic and comes out like brand new both outside and in (not to mention the u/s is quiet compared to vibrating or rotating tumblers). loading the black requires no press, no dies, just a drop tube, and so brass lasts literally forever as it doesn't get as worked as with smokeless. powder compress is accomplished with a dowel - the only "die" required, and is used by hand. yes, there is fouling control needed for ppb's by wiping between shots, bore wipes to the rescue. yes, a wad should be used over the powder - just more useless work. oh the drudgeries of dealing with black powder.

geez, i only wish something better/faster/cheaper/quicker/easier, and more prone to pressure spikes and double loads, was invented .... not.

[Blackwater]

I've only handled a single specimen of this rifle, and didn't get to shoot it, but I'll say I was very impressed with it. It was as slick as grease on a window pane. And tight, too. It was a .22 LR and I knew the guy who owned it. He's a really fine shot, and said he only head shoots squirrels. He runs with a bunch who are always trying to "one-up" each other, all in good fun, of course, and he said that at least for that time being, he was "king of the hill" with his mini-Sharps when they sought squirrels for the hunting camp pot.

He really whet my appetite for one! Please give us a report on it, if you don't mind. I think there must be a number of us who'd be very interested in it. The one I saw sure had excellent wood to metal fit!

[HeavyMetal]

picked up the Mini this afternoon and have been checking it out since dinner was over, everything seems to be nicely fitted.

Now I need to find out how to protect the case coloring? any ideas?

This week end I will get some cerrosafe, if my local guy has any, and run a casting of the muzzle end of the barrel so I can order a size die for my Star.

as soon as I get the chance it will see some range time and I'll post more then.

HM

[OlDeuce]

picked up the Mini this afternoon and have been checking it out since dinner was over, everything seems to be nicely fitted.

Now I need to find out how to protect the case coloring? any ideas?






This week end I will get some cerrosafe, if my local guy has any, and run a casting of the muzzle end of the barrel so I can order a size die for my Star.

as soon as I get the chance it will see some range time and I'll post more then.

HM

What I've been told on the case color you can use a paste wax on the whole gun wood and all ! wax on dry wax off ..........If ya get a chance snap
a few photos ..........Thanks......Happy for ya !! Ol Deuce

[arlon]

I really like the 38-55. I have an old single shot Stevens in 38-55. I keep it's load light but they are still pretty accurate. I'm stuck on 20g of IMR 4198 and any 250ish grain bullet.

My old Stevens is over 100 years old and case colors look great. Nothing has been done other than keeping it in a case when not being used..

[50target]

Have a Stevens 44 in 38-55 and keep loads in 1250-1300 fps in deference to her age. The Uberti High Wall not so much. Still in load development so I'm no help. Seems I read somewhere that sunlight is biggest enemy case hardening colors. Enjoy.
Bob

[Wayne Smith]

FWIW Taylor's in Winchester, VA has them.

[HeavyMetal]

First problem:

Front site disappeared! Have no idea where it went but since I haven't shot it yet I'm a little bummed!

Already called Chiappa and had to send copy of invoice and a picture of the missing part new part should be here 7 to 10 days.

Gave them some flak in the E mail the front site is a dovetail piece with a slot milled in it to hold the site blade, no obvious means of retaining it other than a press fit?? I asked what Genius thought this would hold for more than one shot??

I also advised them they needed to supply a better site, suspect I'll get a replacement blade and it will be my problem, we'll see.

HM

[OlDeuce]

HM you ready to give her a test fire????? Tobad the front sight was gone!!!! thats a Bummer for sure Ol Deuce

[HeavyMetal]

Need to load some ammo first, got brass and a mold as well as some 3031 so I just need a size die, will hit lathesmith up this weekend

[OlDeuce]

Need to load some ammo first, got brass and a mold as well as some 3031 so I just need a size die, will hit lathesmith up this weekend

Cool.....Good Luck! Ol Deuce

[OlDeuce]

HM ......................How is the 38-55 coming?????????? Ol Deuce

[HeavyMetal]

well I cast a few of the Lee 38-55 boolits and pan lubed them, got the dies set up and looks like I'll fire form the brass here shortly, seems the Winchester brass is a bit tight?

I seated a .381 diameter boolit in an empty case, after expanding the neck, and got a real show on off set case expansion from the boolit!

Figure the case will need to be fired then neck sized but need to load and shoot them before I make any more guess's, LOL!

I did find that the chamber has minimal lead the boolits have to be seated to the crimp groove before the action will close, but the .381 diameter may have something to do with that.

I'll be loading a 100 rounds this week end and plan to shoot this thing come the second weekend in June at my family get together between work and Chemo I haven't had a minute to myself, LOL!

On another note I am still waiting for Chiappa to get me my missing front site! Seems they shipped it, USPS, and it's bee sitting in a PO in Bell Gardens since the Friday before this one. The tracking number shows delayed in transit when I run the tracking number provided.

Called the postal inspector Thursday and was told I'd get a response in 48 hours but of course it's a holiday.

Come Tuesday I'll go by the PO shown on the tracking system and speak to the Post Master about my package, odds are my next post will be from Gitmo, LOL!

HM

[OlDeuce]

Gitmo........................Hahaha Have a Great weekend Ol Deuce

[Lance Boyle]

I would have carved a temporary wooden front sight by now!

Keep us posted on how she shoots !