H&r 38/55

[kirb]

Hello guys I am a first time owner of a new H&R rifle. I got the 38/55 for a good price. I want to use a tang sight and I think I know how I want to mount the sight, but don’t know what sight I want. So I have a couple questions, do I have to get a sight that matches the stock angle to be right with the front sight what sight is need for a range of say 500 yards or am I dreaming. Still looking for the cast bullet I want to shoot. The barrel slugged @ .3815. I will start out with smokeless powder but want to shoot BP after accuracy has been checked all loads will be with cast bullets. Any information you have to guide me a long will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kirb

[garandsrus]

Kirb,

Here's a link to a link from another forum with H&R sight information (http://www.go2gbo.com/forums//index.php/topic,96466.msg1098240225.html#msg1098240225)...

You will want to check your chamber to make sure that you can load a .382 boolit... There are several links on the site talking about the rifle and chamber sizes. Starline brass is thinner than some others which allows for a larger boolit diameter to chamber.

John

[Mallard57]

If your chamber is like mine you'll need the thinner brass the Starline offers. After firing .380 sized bullets in my rifle you can't start the same bullet in a fired case. I'll be interested in your results with .382 bullets. Good Luck
Jeff

[lonewolf5347]

I tried the .382 the other day they won't chamber in my 2007 barrel.
I slug my bore and came up with .3785
Winchester brass and .379 will chamber but .380 cast bullet will not.
Starline brass will go as high as .381 with out any problems in the 38-55 barrel.

[leftiye]

You guys who have chamber necks in 38 55 guns that are too tight for correctly sized boolits could ream the chamber neck out with a chucking reamer. It might remove the square shoulder at the front of the neck is the only problem I can see. But there's nothing that says the step from neck to freebore has to be abrupt anyhoo. I've got one of them H&R 38-55 barrels, but haven't yet cast the chamber. May have to take my own advise.

[rockrat]

I just picked one up this week. Was going to use the group buy mould, but mine only casts out at around .380", so will beagle it and try and go with .382 or .383" boolits. Course, have to wait for the throating reamer that Dave Manson is making for me, so I can try .383" boolits. Have some of the long Starline brass to go with it. Hopefully, will get to the range with it next month!

[twotrees]

I don't know what the problems is?? My wife's 38-55 Target model H&R slugs .379. I have been casting 244 gr boolits out of a Lee mold and sizing .379
With Black powder they shoot better than any $350 gun should.

No Leading at 20-1 and very consistant results.

Why would you try and drive a .382 boolit down a .379 bore??

That makes no sense to me.

Am I missing something??

TwoTrees

[felix]

Not a function of the bore, but groove depth. Boolit must be big enough to fill the leade-in completely when using smokeless. Black powder tends to bump the boolit up better to seal the system from gas escape. ... felix

[garandsrus]

Twotrees,

There seems to be quite a variation in the diameter of the H&R 38-55 bores and chambers. Your bore is on the small side of the range.

John

[twotrees]

""I tried the .382 the other day they won't chamber in my 2007 barrel.
I slug my bore and came up with .3785
Winchester brass and .379 will chamber but .380 cast bullet will not.
Starline brass will go as high as .381 with out any problems in the 38-55 barrel.""


This is the quote from above that got me asking.

If the bore (which is the bottom of the grooves when you measure it, is this small (Like Mine) Why would you try to stuff a size 11 foot in a size 8 shoe??

I have shot .309 sized boolits in a .310 Springfield and a .309 carbine for years with smokeless (Both gas checked)with out any sign of leading and as accurate as one could expect from our projectiles.

I know some folks get good results from over sized boolits, but I have yet to find that necessary.

With the proper mix and good lube I get N.o to very little leading in any of my rifles or pistols.

I have a real feeling that too much tin is more of a problem than we give it credit for. When you get close to 60-30 60-40 lead tin you get solder. That melts at 350F and likes to stick to metal.

For most shooting a boolit that fits the throat of the rifle and is ROUND and the case is resized ROUND (I neck size ALL cast boolit cases) I don't seem to have all these problems.

I'm just one GOF and you can take what I'm saying for what it's worth. (It's Free).

If the plains were cleared by GOF's with lead boolits, in guns that varried +-.003".

They would POUND black powder into the case, over wad with a chunk of harness leather and boolits cast on a campfire in soapstone molds. I think I have it plenty good.

My methods are good enough to shoot a 6" steel gong at 135 yards off hand , with boolits cast by Urny over a 40 gr charge of 3F with a fast powder kicker, in that H&R 38-55 .

My Lee 458 500R sized .458 (Makes it round)(casts right at .458 but only 455 gr of 20-1) will smack the Creedmore Buff at 1000 meters, at the Breckinridge Tx.


I know that BP will bump up better and that is saving me, but my smokeless loads seem to shoot well too. Not as good as BP, but I sure wouldn't want to be down range of anyone shooting at me with them.

I'll get off, but Just maybe we are trying too hard to make this fun game Much harder than it should be.

(Putting on Flame Proof Suit)

TwoTrees.

[rockrat]

As said, bore diameters on these guns vary quite a bit. Mine slugs out closer to .381" and the one I had and rechambered to 38-72, was .3802 bore. That is why I want to try a .382" boolit in these guns.

[kirb]

Thanks for the imformation guys have my dies starline longer showed up on Friday. A local friend and a friend from the board are getting me a couple different boolits to try. still looking for the right tang sight should be a fun project.Thanks again

kirb

[Boz330]

Kirb,
Most of the vernier sights are adjustable for stock angle. You can fasten it to the wood but be careful with it. If you bump that thing with the sight up it might dent the wood and throw the sight off.
What I did with one rifle was to inlay a piece of flat stock and then mounted the sight to that. Gives a good stable base.

Bob

[garandsrus]

Kirb,

I pretty much ran out of elevation at 100 yds on my 38-55. I switched to a lower front sight and the rear peep is now at the bottom of the base instead of the top. It moved the point of impact by about 18" at 100 yds.

John

[stillhunter]

I Sincerely hope you didn't get mine!! I sold it and bought a Ruger No1 in 45-70. Theres no magic in making good loads there. I Still have my 38-55 stuff, but nobody can decide what is right for it. I should have stuck with my original Win 94. But it financed the original indescretion.

[Bluehawk]

MIne slugs at 3795. Could not chamber any round with bullet over 377 using Winchester brass . I would shoot the Barnes 377 JSP bullets well but I wanted to shoot cast only . Finally got the Starline brass and now I load 380 bullets with ease and it shoots VERY WELL. Took a doe with it last year and I love the gun for off hand shooting .

[lonewolf5347]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a380/lonewolf5347/38-55002.jpg
I been working on load testing with my H@R 38-55 with IMR 3031 the above is 26.5 grains using sarco mould 255 grain cast boolet at a BHN of 12 .379
and correct with winchester brass the best i could load was .379 going with starline I been as high as .381 with out any problems
I just added a few more grains if IMR 3031 to 30.0 grains and will print the same group at 60 yards from the bench with peep sights.I did remove the factory front globe and replaced it with a t/c fiber optic .404 front sight.
I really like the 38-55 and will be out this year deer hunting with the above load
I would think the FPs should be around 1600

[kirb]

I went with the Saeco #738 and #571 with a little help from Lumpie and a sight from Mr Chase starline long brass shooting pretty good. Have only shot unique loads so far but could hit the gong a 300 yards loaded up some 3031 tonight hope to try tomorrow.

Kirb