Titan ReloadingInline FabricationWidenersReloading Everything
RepackboxLoad DataPBcastcoRotoMetals2
MidSouth Shooters Supply Lee Precision
Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Making progress on an overdue project - 38-55

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
    flyin brian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Calaveras County, CA
    Posts
    63

    Making progress on an overdue project - 38-55

    I've been casting for a few years now but I feel like a neophyte compared to most of the posters here. I know just enough to get some decent looking bullets but I seem to struggle with getting the whole show put together into a real production

    I bought this old Marlin around 5 years ago and I've been shooting it with Meister cast bullets sized to .380 in both starline and winchester brass. I've done well at the cowboy silhouette matches with it and I'm headed to new Mexico next month for the NRA nationals!

    I was running low on Meisters and it kills me to buy something I can make myself so I purchased a new mold from accurate molds. It is a 38-250B 3 cavity aluminum. I ordered it with a request to drop .382 with Lyman #2 and that's exactly what I got.

    So I made 200 of these on Saturday and then I realized I only have a .378 size die for my Saeco lube sizer. I don't remember what my bore slugged at- it was a while back but I know I chose the 380s for a reason. Anyhow...

    I loaded up 20 of these with my usual load: all sized to .378 in winchester brass with lyman gold lube and met my friends at the range yesterday.

    These were shot offhand at 50 yards with an old lyman #1 tang sight on the rear and a 17A up front.

    I got a little bit of leading, but I failed to clean the bore from my last match, so it could have been from the prior 65+ rounds. I'm now trying to figure out what to do. I can order a 380 site from buffalo arms, but it is a special order item. I have a neighbor with a lyman 450 so I am considering ordering a 380 lyman die since they are on sale at midway. Then I could size and lube them to 380, at least enough to get me past the big match next month.

    Today I started wondering about shooting these as cast so just went out in the shop and loaded a dummy round with the as-cast .382 and it actually fell into the chamber when I tried it in the rifle. I guess that means I could pan lube them? I've never tried that before.

    What say the experts here? I'm thinking maybe I should load another 20 @ .378 and shoot them with a clean bore and see if they lead up?

    TIA

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  2. #2
    Boolit Master OldBearHair's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Conroe TEXAS
    Posts
    671
    I am no expert but the guys will answer with questions like these I think.....1. What mix of lead are you using? 2. Shoot some as cast and check results. 3. Sand your sizer up to .380 with a dowel slitted on the end with Wet or Dry Silicone Carbide paper
    wrapped around it. / with oil on it. Maybe use some thin rubber under the sandpaper to apply even pressure. 4. May ask what powder and grains used. 5, measure throat on barrel. 6. etc. and so on.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master OldBearHair's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Conroe TEXAS
    Posts
    671
    "What say the experts here? I'm thinking maybe I should load another 20 @ .378 and shoot them with a clean bore and see if they lead up? " Yes on this for sure.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Posts
    3,683
    Quote Originally Posted by OldBearHair View Post
    "What say the experts here? I'm thinking maybe I should load another 20 @ .378 and shoot them with a clean bore and see if they lead up? " Yes on this for sure.
    No expert here either .......sometimes think you fellers north of the equator suffer from gadgetitis ......pan lubing is easy once you get over the idea you have to have a machine to do everything! - cut some tin can bases so they hold about 20 - pour yr lube in - make a cookie cutter a bit oversize to take the lubed boolits out and if ya wanna make this real easy get a heat gun and for the next lot just put em in the holes inna lube where ya cookied the last ones from - half a minute with the heat gun melting the lube back around the new lot an yr done - once ya get the first lot done that double boiler caper is for the birds!! can have one or several tin cans as ya please.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy jugulater's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    237
    Im an expert by no means, but i load for more than a couple of 100+ year old rifles, so i have a couple ideas that may help.

    First i think that reslugging that bore is a must so that you Know for certain what its like. Possibly even just slugging right infront of the chamber to see what size that throat is considering it chambers a cartridge with a .382 Boolit.

    Do you have any fired cases sitting around? if so will a .382 fit loosely in one? that will give you a decent idea of what your chamber will fit.

    if you already had leading you may find that your barrel is larger than you thought. Clean it well and slug it then you can be certain of everything.

    If you already got those .378 Boolits sitting around it wouldnt hurt to shoot another 20 For Science of course.

  6. #6
    Boolit Bub
    flyin brian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Calaveras County, CA
    Posts
    63
    Quote Originally Posted by OldBearHair View Post
    I am no expert but the guys will answer with questions like these I think.....1. What mix of lead are you using? 2. Shoot some as cast and check results. 3. Sand your sizer up to .380 with a dowel slitted on the end with Wet or Dry Silicone Carbide paper
    wrapped around it. / with oil on it. Maybe use some thin rubber under the sandpaper to apply even pressure. 4. May ask what powder and grains used. 5, measure throat on barrel. 6. etc. and so on.
    I agree that info should have been in my post... I buy all my alloy from Rotometals so I don't have to guess what the ratios are. I'm currently using their "Hardball" alloy which they call the modern update of Lyman #2 and has a hardness of 16.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub
    flyin brian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Calaveras County, CA
    Posts
    63
    Quote Originally Posted by jugulater View Post
    Im an expert by no means, but i load for more than a couple of 100+ year old rifles, so i have a couple ideas that may help.

    First i think that reslugging that bore is a must so that you Know for certain what its like. Possibly even just slugging right infront of the chamber to see what size that throat is considering it chambers a cartridge with a .382 Boolit.

    Do you have any fired cases sitting around? if so will a .382 fit loosely in one? that will give you a decent idea of what your chamber will fit.

    if you already had leading you may find that your barrel is larger than you thought. Clean it well and slug it then you can be certain of everything.

    If you already got those .378 Boolits sitting around it wouldnt hurt to shoot another 20 For Science of course.
    I'm trying to recall what it was, and I believe it was .381 which is why I ended up buying .380s as that was the largest I could find.
    It really does a great job with those meisters but I do end up cleaning a few silver slivers out of the bore after the match. I'll try to slug it again this week and see what I find.

    When I made up my dummy round there's no way the fired case would take the as-cast bullet but I ran the neck expander through and then seated the bullet and I can barely turn it in the case since the is very little neck tension... but it does have a roll crimp so I'm probably just guessing at this point.


    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master

    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Northwest Ohio
    Posts
    14,420
    I would try them as cast if a bullet enters the fired cases easily. also you might try a different lube for a simple test. I shoot my 38-55 with 20-1 alloy but its over black powder. I pan lube all my bullets. For a simple small test run you can finger lube the bullets, work lube into the grooves with your fingers then cut excess off with a fired case. Or dip lube them in a small pan of molten lube let set up cut lube from body with fired case and from base with a razor blade. You might give spg lube a try. or a simple beeswax Crisco oil lube mix similar to emmerts improved.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy jugulater's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    237
    If it does Slug .381 i believe youll be much happier shooting those boolits As-Cast. Load up a few and see what they do.

    i pan lube everything, theres many different methods you just got to find what way works for you.

    Once you slug everything youll have a much better idea of what the rifle will like.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master northmn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Northern MN
    Posts
    2,407
    As an alternative to pan lubing get some Lee Liquid Alox and coat the bullets. I have used it with good results and its simple, you just put some in the bottom of a can or plastic container and roll them around and let them dry. In your case I would look at maybe 2 coats. I use the stuff in my 32-20 where I use a 30 cal mold and the bullets are very close or slightly undersized.

    DEP

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
    flyin brian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Calaveras County, CA
    Posts
    63
    I never intended to take this long for an update, so I hope I didn't miss too much while I was gone.

    I decided to load some of these bullets as-cast and try 2 different lubes while I am at it. I pan lubed 20 rounds of Saeco green lube and 20 of Ben's red. I got out to the range and realized that my test cartridge was some kind of fluke, and my rifle does not like to chamber the .382" bullets. I was able to get the lever to close but it took more pressure to close than I am happy with.

    I now am the proud owner of a Lyman LS and I have a .380" sizing die here on my desk. I will load these up this week and do more testing.

    Here are the pics from the range; shot offhand at 50yds in 90 deg weather. The group on the bottom is my 1894 marlin in 25-20 that i just added a tang sight to.

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check