Slugged my Buffalo classic 38-55

[Tom-ADC]

Tapped a few 3 pure lead boolits down my Buffalo classic barrel and to my surprise I come up with .375, I was expecting something larger?
Any body else slug theirs? How about another brand barrel in the same calliber?

[NickSS]

I never slugged mine but it only shoots bullets sized to 379 or larger. Smaller bullets like .375s print about a six foot patern at 100 yards

[John Boy]

Any body else slug theirs?

Specifications ... Model CR3855 - Target Model Rifle
• Barrel - 28" with a 1:18 rifling twist
• Bore – 0.373 and 0.379 grooves ... factory specifications
• Actual: 0.374 and 0.378 of mine
Bore using a certified plug gauge
Groove using dead soft lead balls

Tom, are you sure the 375 is the groove diameter? Sounds more like the dimension of the lands. There is no issue shooting 380-381 lead cast bullets in the rifle except for the chamber cut on this barrel. It was reamed by Green Mountain, specified by H&R, to shoot jacket smokeless rounds. In fact, was told directly that the test rounds used at the factory were Winchester smokeless.

For 38-55 reloads using nominal mold cuts of 379 to 380 diameter bullets, unless you want very pregnant cases, the chamber must be reamed out to 400 for the cases to fit. If you only plan to shoot jacket ammunition - no issues


How about another brand barrel in the same calliber?
Totally impractical! Why? Look at the rifle's barrel configuration. It is based on a hinged barrel found on shotguns. Another brand barrel, BTW not needed, would require substantial expense to fit it to the H&R frame, plus barrel cost

If you are not happy with what it is - sell it. There's many folks looking for the Target Model and would buy it in a heart beat

[rockrat]

Mine came out .373/.380"

[Tom-ADC]

Yep got that wrong mine is .375/.380 a tad toward the large size, but my boolits as cast are running .383 ?
Oh I'm happy with it been looking a long time to get one, just asking questions as a learning process.
I was misunderstood I meant other brand rifles in 38-55 like Browning 1885 etc. Not interested in another barrel for mine.
I loaded up 20 rounds each using 255 gr boolits sized to .379 as a starter 20 with a light load of Unique & 20 with 2400 also a light load. My brass on had is the Starline short but I do have an order of the longer brass coming but its on back order at Starline.

[Tom-ADC]

Surprise surprise, as noted I loaded some rounds using both Unique and 2400 powder, I checked the first five rounds that I did using Unique and they chambered just fine, then I switched to 2400 making no other adjustments to the press and these are tight they will chamber using thumb pressure I can close the rifle and it will eject the round okay, that same round will chamber okay after that, maybe I need to adjust the crimp better? I'm using Lyman cowboy dies.

[OBXPilgrim]

It's well documented the H&R changed the bore size of their 38-55 just before they stopped making it (try the Greybeards site).

There were many complaints about overbore barrels for this caliber, but if you do a search on the 38-55 here, you'll find just as many complaints made about other brands as well (Winchesters, Marlins, etc).

I've seen many write that the 38-55 should be loaded with soft boolits, so that it will expand under pressure to fill the bore.

[EOD3]

I slugged mine and got "roughly" .3785-ish depending on where you looked. I also did a chamber cast and lo-and-behold there is rifling in the chamber. Not enough to mess up the brass but... Both the chamber and bore are larger than the "last half inch or so" of the chamber. If I load .380 boolits, the cartridge will not fit into the chamber. Anything small enough to fit the chamber will not stabilize, full-on keyhole at 25 yards. Some of the guys have tried to help but I think the rifle is beyond help.

Anybody need RCBS Cowboy dies, about 800+ bullets from .375 to .379 and a couple hundred 38/55 Winchester cases? :(

[garandsrus]

EOD3,

People have been reaming the chamber larger to accept .380 boolits and it has been fixing the problem. Check out Greybeards site as suggested. There is a lot of info about this.

If you still want to get rid of your components, I would be interested in the brass :)

John

[Tom-ADC]

At Greybeards lots of good info between both the boards.

[EOD3]

Thanks John. Here in the PRK getting help from a "good" gunsmith is something you need to plan farther ahead than your annual vacation. Once I land in Indiana, I'll see if Dirt Farmer will share the short-list with me.

At this point, I really don't know what to think. With the .380 boolit seated normally, the outside diameter of the brass in the boolit shank area runs .398 as apposed to the .392 indicated in the Lyman cast book. I don't know what the chamber tolerance is but I'd WAG about +.002 for a modified chamber dimension of .400 or a tad less at the cartridge mouth.

Would reaming begin where the chamber diameter drops under .400 or would the entire chamber be reamed to maintain a "straight line" taper from case-head to case mouth?

[Urny]

My very early Wesson and Harrington version measures .374x.377, and will not chamber Winchester brass loaded with boolits larger than .379". I have not tried reaming brass to accept larger boolits, nor has Starline brass been tried. My rifle likes gascheck boolits much better than plain base. It seems to do it's best work with the RCBS gas check boolit.

[Doc Highwall]

Urny, the Starline brass is thinner and is available in two lengths.

[kcajeel]

Urny....The gas check bullets you are shooting. Are you shooting them with or without the gas checks installed?
Thanks Kcajel

[garandsrus]

EOD,

I don't know the specs for the reamer, but many folks have done it sucessfully. My Buffalo Classic is one of the later ones that accepts .380 boolits. Greybeard's site will have the details on the reamer and how it's done.

John

[EOD3]

EOD,

I don't know the specs for the reamer, but many folks have done it sucessfully. My Buffalo Classic is one of the later ones that accepts .380 boolits. Greybeard's site will have the details on the reamer and how it's done.

John

Thanks John, I drove another lead ball down the barrel today (memory test). The bore is actually .3801/2 and across the lands is about .372/3. Assuming I ream it to accept .380 softish or a medium BHN skirted boolit, all should be well (I hope).

I'll check out GBO and see what I can find out. In your opinion, is reaming the throat something a redneck country boy might get away with?

[excess650]

Its a break-open rifle, so recutting the chamber is easy. You'll only be taking a few thousandths out of the last inch or so, and this is easily done with a tap wrench and reamer.

[Urny]

Urny, the Starline brass is thinner and is available in two lengths.

Thanks, Doc. I'm going to try the Starline brass one day, but right now there's a new to me Colt New Frontier in .44 Special to absorb time and money, and my every year or two reborn fascination with the 1903 service rifle, Springfield or Rock Island.

[Urny]

Urny....The gas check bullets you are shooting. Are you shooting them with or without the gas checks installed?
Thanks Kcajel

I don't remember ever using this boolit without the Hornady gas check. I have others for plain base shooting.

[peerlesscowboy]

............. I meant other brand rifles in 38-55 like Browning 1885 etc.
My Browning 1885 Traditional Hunter slugs .375" groove diam, my Marlin 336 CB slugs .379" groove diam.

John C. Saubak

[garandsrus]

Urny,

Here is a link where you can rent a chamber reamer:

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,133419.msg1098504429.html#msg1098504429

John

[Tom-ADC]

I'm not sure enough of my skills at this age, hands don't always work exactly like they should, I'll see if there is a gunsmith locally that can do it, but only after I shoot it this coming week.