Irascible
07-09-2011, 02:05 PM
I love the 38-55 cartridge. I currently have two lever guns and two single shots in that caliber. AND EVERY DARNED ONE HAS A DIFFERENT BORE SIZE AND SEATING DEPTH! I don't care, I just have different cartridge boxes for each gun.
The latest project is A Marlin 336CB. I began using old issue full length 38-55 cases from Win and Rem, they fit fine. I was annoyed that W-W came out with that short case length, but overjoyed when Starline came out with the long ones. they also fit fine. I could have done without the thin necks as I had already re-throated my Ruger #1 to chamber fat bullets. It will help others though, including my M94 SRC which can now chamber .380 bullets for its .379 bore. I didn't want to modify that rifle.
Back to the 336CB. Bore size is .378 and I had a deuce of a time finding a proper mould until I read an article by Mike Venturino wherein he mentioned that RCBS had a custom/oversize mould available for their 37-250 GC bullet. Now this bullet is extremely accurate out of my 1885 Browning Traditional Hunter at .378 so I ordered the custom one. It casts a .383-.384 bullet depending on the alloy. Too big I thought. I ordered a pair of Lee push through dies in .380 and .382, slick as Goose **** through a funnel. The .382 works great in my Ruger #1 with a .3805 bore and starts the sizing process for the Marlin. I pan lubed the bullets, then passed them through the .382 die and then the .380 die. Going directly through the .380 did not work well at all. Perfect bullets resulted after a pass through both dies. Using a starting load of 20gr/5744 (another M.V. recommendation), I proceeded to sight in and then produce three, three shot groups under 2 1/4" at 100yds with iron sights. WOW. The velocity was just over 1400 and recoil was very mild. I did let the barrel cool after every three shot group. This rifle WAS shooting about 2 foot groups with a .378 dia bullet!
The only problem I encountered was that when crimped in the proper groove, the shoulder ran into the chamber with about 1" of lever travel to go. I shortened the cases from 2.125 to 2.110 and everything is Peachy! The case length is NOT the problem. The location of the crimping groove on my mould IS. To prove that, I expanded a full length case, but did not bell the neck, and proceeded to easily chamber it. I keep telling everybody that no manufacturer chambered a 38-55 to only take the shorter case length propagated by Winchester. It was only a bean counter thing.
The latest project is A Marlin 336CB. I began using old issue full length 38-55 cases from Win and Rem, they fit fine. I was annoyed that W-W came out with that short case length, but overjoyed when Starline came out with the long ones. they also fit fine. I could have done without the thin necks as I had already re-throated my Ruger #1 to chamber fat bullets. It will help others though, including my M94 SRC which can now chamber .380 bullets for its .379 bore. I didn't want to modify that rifle.
Back to the 336CB. Bore size is .378 and I had a deuce of a time finding a proper mould until I read an article by Mike Venturino wherein he mentioned that RCBS had a custom/oversize mould available for their 37-250 GC bullet. Now this bullet is extremely accurate out of my 1885 Browning Traditional Hunter at .378 so I ordered the custom one. It casts a .383-.384 bullet depending on the alloy. Too big I thought. I ordered a pair of Lee push through dies in .380 and .382, slick as Goose **** through a funnel. The .382 works great in my Ruger #1 with a .3805 bore and starts the sizing process for the Marlin. I pan lubed the bullets, then passed them through the .382 die and then the .380 die. Going directly through the .380 did not work well at all. Perfect bullets resulted after a pass through both dies. Using a starting load of 20gr/5744 (another M.V. recommendation), I proceeded to sight in and then produce three, three shot groups under 2 1/4" at 100yds with iron sights. WOW. The velocity was just over 1400 and recoil was very mild. I did let the barrel cool after every three shot group. This rifle WAS shooting about 2 foot groups with a .378 dia bullet!
The only problem I encountered was that when crimped in the proper groove, the shoulder ran into the chamber with about 1" of lever travel to go. I shortened the cases from 2.125 to 2.110 and everything is Peachy! The case length is NOT the problem. The location of the crimping groove on my mould IS. To prove that, I expanded a full length case, but did not bell the neck, and proceeded to easily chamber it. I keep telling everybody that no manufacturer chambered a 38-55 to only take the shorter case length propagated by Winchester. It was only a bean counter thing.