38-55 for Elk or deer.

[45-70 Chevroner]

This was a few years ago. I was working up a load for a Marlin in 38-55, "this Rifle was originally a 35 Rem. I sent it to Marlin and they rebarrel it to 38-55, that included a new stock, forearm, new bolt, and feed tube". Anyway, my load was a charge 28gr of BW36, basically the same as BLC2 no longer made, that I know of. The boolit was the Lee 250gr PB. The BW36 was a military reclaimed powder sold by a Company in Phoenix.
The Corno showed a Velocity of around 1500 fps. To test it I set up a laminated beam 6 inches thick and 16 inches wide by 2 ft. high. I set it up 6 feet from the garage wall I stood back about 20 feet, surely it won't shoot through that 6 inch thick laminated chunk of wood. That boolit went through it and the wall, luckily there are no homes in the direction I shot. I think it will do well on Deer or Elk. My trip to the range was very good. 3 inch 5 shot groups at a hundred yards. I guess I need to never under estimate cast boolit loads.
BTW the barrel is not a micro grove. It has regular cut rifling.

[PositiveCaster]

It would be great to see a photo of your Marlin. I used my .38-55 for Kodiak Island blacktails several trips using the RCBS 250 in acww which I hollowpointed, traveling around 1600 fps (no chronograph back then). It worked just as any experienced hunter would expect. Yours will do just fine!





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[45-70 Chevroner]

It would be great to see a photo of your Marlin. I used my .38-55 for Kodiak Island blacktails several trips using the RCBS 250 in acww which I hollowpointed, traveling around 1600 fps (no chronograph back then). It worked just as any experienced hunter would expect. Yours will do just fine!





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Not very good at posting pictures. The only sure way is to text it to your phone #. PM me If you want. Superstition Mountains. You must live in Arizona. I live in Snowflake.

[Kylongrifle32]

I'm using the Lee 379-250 boolits in a 38-55 mini sharps by Chippia. Due to the light weight of the rifle and a steel butt plate I have reduced my speeds down to around 1200 fps. The deer I've shot with this rifle have been under 100 yards and average 100 - 120 pounds. All shots have been placed just behind the shoulders with one shot quartering thru to the opposite shoulder. No boolits have been recovered as they have all been pass thru hits.
So at your speeds with a good alloy you should be safe with any shot going thru the boiler room on animals the size of elks. Breaking both shoulders on an animal of that size my be a choir for the 250 grain bullet. Hopefully someone who has experience will chine in on that aspect.

[veeman]

Do your penetration test at 100 yards and see what you get. Tests at 20 feet dosn't, I think, tell you what that load will do way out there at real hunting distances.

[LWSTARKS]

Personally I haven’t spent the time regrettably to develop a good load for the round even though I’ve got three different molds for 38-55. All molds I have are flat nosed because mine is in a custom Winchester. The few times I shot it, I remember it not having too much kick.

[Dom]

My penetration test at 70yds. A custom LBT 260gr GC bullet at 1615 FPS. Shot into a log from a recently cut tree about a month previous.287456287457287458 BHN 10.5 & PC coated. Shot out of my Marlin CowBoy 38-55 with 24" bbl.

[quail4jake]

I guarantee that you can kill a deer or elk with your Marlin. Reasonable range, shot placement and quick followup shots if needed is a recipe for success, you get there by shooting, shooting and more shooting. Load something comfortable and know your ranging and wind deflection cold then shoot prone, sitting with cross sticks, offhand, rapid follow up shots, semi obstructed, elevated and if you can do it moving target. The key is more the mastery of the shooter than the rifle, that being said the first thing you need is a rifle that's adequate and reliable and you'll certainly have that in your .38-55 Marlin! My ratio of dead deer to shots fired must be in the many thousand to one zone, the truth be known I just plain love to shoot...Photos?;)

[missionary5155]

The 38-55 has been used in numerous northern states for over 100 years to harvest every critter that roamed the woods and swamps. Moose were and still are thwapped with authority sufficient to be good eating after cooked.
Arizona has also a long history of 38-55 use up in the high ground out in the junipers,pines and meadows providing good meat.
A 255 grain FN cast of 50/50 (WW- PB) shugging along at 1000 fps or faster at 100 yds will still do a rip-snorter on anything that gets in the way. Just hit that critter through the vitals or shoulders and it is only time till you will need your knife.

[pworley1]

It has been getting the job done for over a hundred years and it still will.

[Dan Cash]

If you are loading to black powder pressure/velocity, you have an excellent deer rifle but it is pretty light for elk. The old high velocity loading makes the .38-55 more useable for elk at under 100 yards. If you have a modern 30-30 with a 170 grain bullet, in my opinion, you have a better gun for the job. I have and use both.

[quilbilly]

Your load is almost exactly what I used for many years in my muzzleloader (a 429 cal 255 gr SWC with sabot in a 50 cal at an mv of 1600) for Roosevelt elk. It was devastating on elk. Where I was hunting in the rainforest (jungle) any shot over 75 yards was long range and most under 50 yards. None ever took more than a couple steps. One, a 600# old lead cow of the herd, was lifted clear off the ground by the impact with hooves pointing skyward. That was quite an image before the smoke filled the view and the whole herd scattered.

[Prodigal Son]

288251 this what a 5 groove is cable of, I think 3" group can be better with slower powder! Just saying, not putting your group down!

[HD.375]

288251 this what a 5 groove is cable of, I think 3" group can be better with slower powder! Just saying, not putting your group down!

So my rifle or load isnt super accurate, an i gave up on shooting small groups with it, instead i shoot for the vitals, or a small gong at various distances, leaning, unsupported, laying, etc,

i load my 375win with 20gr 4198 w 245gr hard cast FN, i treat it as the 38-55 per se,..... mabe 1500 fps in 20 inch model 94 XTR.

used to shoot them hotter but for 100m an under i dont need the wack or powder burn, or recoil, this is pleasant to shoot and seems to do the job on deer, mostly pass throughs so far, one DRT recently, most double lung follow up.

keen to follow this thread and hear or more 38-55 an 375 stories.
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