38=55 255gr noGC??help

[montana mike]

I have aMarlin 93 smokeless powder I shoot a 255 cast where can I get a lube sizer and GC's to fit these puppies they are 379 dia bevel base.Also w/o GC's till I can get them how fast can I run them w/o leading my options in powder for now are 2400,REL=7, and 4895 I want to end up Gcing them but want to play NOW.Mike OH bytheby 28" oct bbl

[Old Goat Keeper]

Mike I'm not one of the expurts here but isn't a bevel based bullet ment to be shot without a gas check? So I'm thinking that you can't put a GC on those bullets. And since I have a new Little sharps in 38-55 that i want to reload for I'm interested in this thread.

Tom

[NickSS]

First off a bevel base bullet does not take a GC Second you gan get a lubrisizer from Midway or most other suppliers. You need to slug your bore as most marlins of that date and time run oversized and a .379 bullet may or may not be fat enough. You can try the bullet you have as cast without a sizer lubricator. Either pan lube them or get some lee liquid allox and lube them that way. look up a starting load for any of the powders you have and go shoot your rifle and see if it shoots well or not.

[excess650]

The 38-55 is one of the very best cast bullet cartridges. Like anything else, fit is everythig. I recommend shooting as large diameter bullet as you can chamber without resistance. In the case of that old Marlin, groove diameter may run as large as .382". If you try shooting undersize bullets, you will get lead from the gas blowby.

Reloader 7 is a pretty good powder for this application. I used up to 26gr behind a 280gr GC bullet in my Savage 1899. I switched to AA2015 as pressure seemed more linear with really accurate loads in the 28-30gr range. I also like 30-32gr AA2200. These are 1700fps loads, and not meant for weak BP actions.

For lighter bullets without gas checks you might want to switch to another powder. I would try AA5744, or even Unique. 2400 should work, but I don't have data in front of me.

[Catshooter]

Some good advice here.

Slug your bore. I have a Marlin 93 barrel marked 'For Black Powder' that is .375, so you don't know unit you measure.

In my Winchester 94 I had to go to a gas checked mould to avoid leading with the load I wanted. It is over 1800 fps.

The only way to find out what yours will do is to try it.

Have fun! It's a great caliber.


Cat

[excess650]

Do you have the complete rifle or just the barrel? Those barrels were on "Grade B" guns, and had blued receivers rather than CC, as I recall. I had one of those 38-55s about 20 years ago. Those barrels are soft, and will wear quickly if shot with jacketed bullets.





Some good advice here.

Slug your bore. I have a Marlin 93 barrel marked 'For Black Powder' that is .375, so you don't know unit you measure.

In my Winchester 94 I had to go to a gas checked mould to avoid leading with the load I wanted. It is over 1800 fps.

The only way to find out what yours will do is to try it.

Have fun! It's a great caliber.


Cat

[Deputy Dog]

hey 650 tried your 32 grs of 2200 getting 1775 fps and around 1 1/2 groups at 75 yds loaded some at 33 grs but have not tried them yet.

[excess650]

hey 650 tried your 32 grs of 2200 getting 1775 fps and around 1 1/2 groups at 75 yds loaded some at 33 grs but have not tried them yet.

That's faster than I expected, but still pretty mild in my rifle. I bought AA2200 fully expecting it to be a "go fast" powder for 38-55, 35 Rem, 45-70, etc.

[Franklin Zeman]

Someone posted a 16 grain load with 2400 and the 250 cast. It looks promising in my rig so far. Will have to fine tune it yet. Not sure if that was a 38-55 load or .375 Win load when it was suggested. Have not chronographed it yet.

[seawolfjack]

Size is the most important factor I believe. I have a H&R and it takes a .376 dia 250 gr. cast bullet also have a Winchester made back in 1903 that takes a .382 dia cast bullet, 250 gr. Somewhere here I have read that the 38-55 does best with the 250 gr bullet. I have another bullet that is heavier but I haven't tried that yet.
Have Fun

[Catshooter]

excess,

I and a friend of mine just recently put that barrel on a 1969 vintage action. Thanks for the tip on it's softness. It will never see a jacketed bullet, not as long as I own it anyway.


Cat

[Yellowhouse]

The 1893 Safety Smokeless model does not have modern steels and is not designed for a constant diet of hot rod loads. Oh, it'll take em for a while but then you'll gradually start seeing primers back out. No reflection on the Marlin cause the same goes for Winchester 1894's. The older loadings were held to about 1900 fps for the 30-30 and nowadays they run around 2300. Quite a jump in pressure.

Do the old rifle a favor and stay around 1400-1500 fps. It'll kill most anything walking anyway with the right alloy and bullet design.

Mine (third one I've owned) slugs out at .381 as most do. Stick with a bullet in the hardness range of about 20:1 lead/tin for best results. Luckily, the Lee mold I have throws a bullet .381 and has decent accuracy. A .379 bullet patterns and anything smaller tumbles. One day I may get a custom mold with more and deeper grease grooves.

Final suggestion. Get you a copy of Ken Waters Pet Loads on the 38-55 and do some homework on your brass thickness. The only way I can chamber a .381 bullet is with Starline brass...anything else that is of recent manufacture is too thick. And you'll need a .379 expander too.

YMMV and good shootin.

[missionary5155]

Good morning and a BIG howdy to ya Montana Mike !
Fill the throat and you will not need a gas check until yoiu get to the higher velocities. And there are not to many critters out there that can receive a 255 grainer at 1500 FPS through the chest and raise much of a fuss.
I shoot all sorts of 38´s and the throat area diameter is the key.
Mike in Peru