38-40 and Trail Boss

[KCSO]

I have a slicked up 4 3/4" Cimarron P in 38-40 that I am working on and I thought I would try some Trail boss in the gun. I took the first book load I saw and put it in a few cases and since I didn't have any real 38-40 bullets I used some Le 40 cal tumble lubes. I fired it off at 20 yards on an indoor range and the first group went into 1 1/2" firing two handed off hand. I thought this was a fluke so I filed in the front sight and fried another group from a rest and got the following 1" group. Since then I have shot 5 more 3 shot groups filing in the sights and none has went over 2". This gun might be a keeper!

[9.3X62AL]

That shows promise, for sure!

I recall durng the early days of the 10mm/40 S&W quest that Guns & Ammo magazine cut off some 240 Weatherby brass to the desired length--added enough powder to give desired ballistics (I'm guessing they used a Powley Computer or similar method), and installed 38-40 bullets to make what I think they called the 40 G&A Magnum Pistol, or some such thing.

So we come full circle, now using 40 S&W boolits to reload the 38-40. The 10mm and 40 S&W are based on the 30/32 Remington head size, I believe. To extend this metaphor a bit further, the 10mm pistol does a pretty good imitation of ballistic performance of the 38-40 in a rifle, given the 1870's load intensity--while the 40 S&W is neck-and-neck with the 38-40 fired in a revolver. Yeah, that 40 S&W is as modern as all tomorrow, ain't it? 110 years of messing around, and all we really accomplished was a platform change and a pressure upgrade--yielding the same results we had 130 years ago. Kind of funny, when you think about it.

[DOUBLEJK]

Nice start there KSCO...
I am werkin' with a newly aquired Ruger Blackhawk in 38-40 and so far my results ain't near this good....
I have been using a RCBS 180 CM and my best results so far are about 3-1/2" at 25yds. for 5 shots....
Deputy Al's assesments right on....the further we go today the more it seems we get back right where we was yesterday....:mrgreen:

[KCSO]

Ruger
Check the cylinder throats for uniformity and size. I have to ream these alll the time as Ruger had undersized cylinders and over size bores.

[DOUBLEJK]

Ain't that the sorry truth...
Cylinder throats run as tight as .399 with a over size .402 barrel....:confused:

[9.3X62AL]

Love a duck, Lorenzo--Ruger's revolver dimensions are a disgrace sometimes. i did slug one in 44-40 a few years ago that was .430" grooves and .426"-.428" on the throats. They couldn't even be consistently WRONG, even their errors were variable.