another 38/55 question's

[bigted]

well it so happens that i got an unexpected small fortune that demands another rifle so thought id give a holler about a couple questions i have.

the 38-55 has always intrigued me but the numbers dont add up for anything but paper punching that i see. ive found a good to exelent buy on a winchester hunter 1885 with aa 28 inch barrel but im so hung up on the BIG FAT boolits that i cant hardly see around them. 45 cal of course. i comfort myself in the knowledge that if push comes to shove...i can and have used the 45 cal boolits to put humpy [moose]on the table with taters n onions. not so sure that the smaller 375 cal lead will do the same job.

does the 38-55 recoil that much less to be able to shoot more at the range? is the power there to use in a serious alaska hunt? [ i live here so its not as romantic as it sounds] is this a two hundred yard hunting cart or is it rather anemik like the numbers indicate?

just givin a holler here to round up some info before i plunk down me cash in the wrong dyrection

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I have been a 38 fan for many years. The 255 grainers have killed every know critter on our sdie of the planet north & south of the hot sun line.
Step that up to 285 and they will really thump.
I have a Browning 28" (jap) 38-55. One of the finest 38´s I have ever owned. Barrels are cut to .377 and so molds are real easy to come by. Put a GC on a 275+ grainer and you can push it to 375 winchester speed with slower powders.
I would hunt any critter with mine... but being a single shot I would want to have under 50 yard and optimal shot placement on a BIG bitting critter.
Recoil is nothing.. but then I shoot modern 45-70´s and .685 round ball at 1500 + fps for fun.
Would I buy one having owned (still do) one ? YES !!!!!! One fine shooting tool well built and able to take the pressure of modern loading.

[August]

I have a Marlin and a Miroku High Wall in 38-55 (which is really two different calibers in those two guns).

It is a very accurate cartridge. Load development is complicated by the different bore and chamber dimensions used by different manufacturers.

It was relatively simple to get the Winchester to shoot consistently when compared to the Marlin.

4759 is my powder of choice and will serve the full range of intensities.

The case holds a marginal amount of black powder and, therefore, it is difficult to get black powder rounds to work at 300 yards. Smokeless, on the other hand, will knock down the 300 pigs every time for as long as you have boolits to fly at 'em.

I wouldn't hesitate to use this caliber at 200 yards. A .375 hole, all the way through an Elk, can put 'em down in a hurry.

[Kraschenbirn]

Haven't tried hunting with my .38-55 (Uberti) Highwall but it's sure fun to shoot...mild recoil and good accuracy. If I do my part...and swab the bore now and then...with iron sights the gun will print 6" (or better) 10-shot groups at 200M using 280-grain RNFPs over 55 grains of FFg.

Personally, though...even with faster smokeless loads...in the field, I'd probably limit shots on whitetail to 150yards. For anything bigger...like moose...I believe I'd go with "a bit more gun." Just my nickel's worth.

Bill

[358wcf]

In April this year I took my Win 1885 in 38-55, with MVA schuetzen sight, afield for Belding ground squirrels in Northern CA. After learning to use the largest possible hole in the Hadley eyecup for hunting purposes, it was great fun to reach out and touch those tiny targets of opportunity- If they would give me just a moment, a squirrel within 100yds was toast- imagine a lumbering 38cal boolit at 1200fps colliding with a 6-8oz squirrel. Say no more! Lots of misses, but what fun!!!
My backup rifle on this trip was a Martini Cadet rifle rebarreled to 30-30. With a Lyman receiver sight and cast boolits, its flatter trajectory made the longer shots much easier.
Take those fine old rifles afield. Give them the use and care they deserve. Your friends and partners will know you to be a true sportsman-

Enjoy! 358wcf [smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[bigted]

thankyou for these cool posts. keep em coming pls

[NickSS]

I have four rifles in that caliber both lever action and single shot and shoot them quite a bit. Most of my shooting has been at targets and the 38-55 is a great target round both with black powder and smokeless. I would not hesitate to hunt deer with this caliber and if I were to jack up the velocity and use either GC boolits or Jacketed bullets I would be happy to use it on anything up to moose at closer ranges say 150 yards max. anything further away and I would hesitate on anything larger than deer. If you are talking about busting Brown Bear or something like that I would want more cartridge myself, though I once backed a guy up who killed a Kodiak Bear with a 50 cal flintlock muzzle loader (took two shots to do it and boy did he reload fast) but I had a 338 Win Mag so I felt fairly well armed.

[Catshooter]

My silhouette rifle is a 26 inch Winchester 94 in .38-55. My load is the Lyman 375449 which as it leaves the muzzle weighs 285 grains and is going a bit under 1800 fps. This is not a full load and this is with .30-30 brass blown out. That boolit will load safely to over 2100 fps in some rifles.


Cat

[Yellowhouse]

Check out Ken Waters Pet Loads for the 38-55. They are all smokeless but the material is well worth reading. Properly loaded, and I don't mean top end, with careful selection of bullet alloy and shape, I don't know why anyone would feel undergunned on even moose sized animals. It is no wimp in any form or fashion unless you're talking about current factory loads by W-W.

[mbk]

Is anyone shooting the .38-55 in a short barrel? I recently picked up a 15" .38-55 Encore barrel and figured it would be a fun plinker/plunker round. Not sure why I bought it as I already have a .375 Win the same length, but need has nothing to do with it, right? Also recently got a .44-40, so thought maybe these would be the ones to start using all the casting stuff I have aquired over the last 10 - 15 years and never touched.

Any insight is appreciated.
Mike

[bigted]

thanks again for all the time taken in these replys. i enjoy every word written here and like the fact that there are always several diff opinions to draw from. this is a very good site and i never tire nor regret joining here,,,unlike other super opinionated sites where ive read written replys where the writer actually called several people "stupid"! like granny said...if it aint nice...keep yer mouth shut...lol. wish i still had her around to give me her wize and wisdomy advise tho.

thanks again..keep em coming.

[gee-gaw]

Well bigted,
If all else fails then just get two rifles. I just bought a G-2 Contender carbine in 38-55 and at some point I'm gonna get me a 47-70. After-all variety is the spice of life!!!
Wayne

[Buckshot]

..............The 38-55 was originally a TARGET cartridge and a superbly balanced cartridge with the original propellant. If you check it out, the 38-55 is basically a baby 45-90. In a modern rifle you can load it up to some respectable ballistics, but way back when, it was (and is now) a very respectable deer cartridge.

http://www.fototime.com/47DD87E404FADAE/standard.jpg

This was my first 38-55. A 1893 Marlin made in 1906. It's a joy to handle and shoot. An excellent plinker load I like is the Saeco 225gr FNPB over 16 grs of 2400.

http://www.fototime.com/4A79DE95D6DA51F/standard.jpg

Several years later I bought the above Uberti Hi-Wall, and after almost a year mucking about getting them to put a new (good) barrel on it, it too is a superb shooter.

http://www.fototime.com/60E6988607F591E/standard.jpg

In fact it now shoots so well I made myself a set of swage dies to produce slugs for paper patching. I can make them either with a small FN or with HP's of varying depth. The slugs in the photo are 292grs. With it's 16" twist it won't do well with slugs much over 300grs.

If I ever find the time (or live long enough:-)) I have 2 octagon barrel blanks just right for the 38-55 and a Martini action to use with one of'em. The other? I would like to find a decent 1893 or 36 action to put it on, but who knows?

.................Buckshot

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I recently bought a Pedersoli 38/55 with a 1:12" twist that will shoot a 370gn .380 boolit from Paul Jones. Mated with the long Starline brass a full charge od 50gn 3F and this rifle is starting to shoot. I would not hesitate to hunt with it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Picture007-3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/Ped38_2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/38001.jpg

[Bret4207]

Where I grew up (central Adirondacks) the 38-55 was considered a fine deer and bear cartridge. Back in the day before lawyers and idiots populated the earth they used to make some nice "hi-speed" loads for the 38-55. I have no wish to stand in front of a 255 gr bullet or boolit at close to 2000fps. In a strong modern gun with the right load you should be good for moose, caribou, black bear and deer. It wouldn't be my first choice for Grizz and Brown bear but it'd be a lot better than a 243 or 22-250.

Do some research in the older manuals and books. Phil Sharpe, JH Mattern, the older Lyman manuals.

[lotech]

If you can locate a copy of HANDLOADER #210 (April, 2001), there is an article with a good bit of cast bullet data for the .38-55.

[bigted]

very cool and i really like the ped 85 photo. wallace...can i ask what model it is and its barrel length as well as weight? i found a miroku 85 with a shorter 24 inch barrel for around $1000.00 but i already blew my bucks for awhile on its brother...a traditional hunter 28 inch barrel in 45/70 so i have my hands full for awhile but this thread is still a temptation to me and another 85 is not outta the question.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

It's a Pedersoli Model S807 "Classic. They also make an S806 "Sporting" with a Schutzen style lever. Weight 11lbs with a 30" barrel

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/?item=ArmiCategoriaDettaglio&CategoriaId=300&lang=en