Uberti 1885, 38/55

[ktw]

I picked up an Cimarron/Uberti 1885 Highwall in 38-55 recently. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. I ordered some Starline brass. I will try fireforming out some 30-30 brass later in the week. I tapped out the buckhorn rear sight and screwed on a Marbles tang sight.

I did an impact chamber slug today. The chamber is ~2.130" long to the beginning of the throat. Bore is .374". Grooves are .382".

No questions yet. Just sharing the chamber dimension information in the event someone else was considering one of these.

-ktw

[cabezaverde]

I have one in 30-40 Krag, and just ordered the sight from Midway.

[Jon K]

ktw,

I have a Uberti 38-55 also. The gun is very pleasant to shoot.

Fireforming brass from 30-30 will come out to 2.010 after forming. A tad too short if you're going to shoot BP.

The sight will work to just over 200m, unless you get the new sight with 2 posts. I have a Shaver Premium Mid Range Tang sight on mine.

The twist is 1:18, so watch out you don't get too long of a boolit.

Have fun Shooting,

Jon

[Buckshot]

................HEek, I thought the new Hi-Walls from Italy were only in a couple 45 cals and 40-65? I'd really like to have one in 38-55. I sure don't like to hear about a .382" groove though

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

[ktw]

Uberti's catalog currently only lists highwalls in 45-70, 45-90 and 45-100.
Cimmaron Arms and Buffalo Arms have them in several other calibers.

Now on the hunt for a suitable mold.

I did get in on Boomer Mikey's 381-268-RF group buy. Worst case I should have one in 6 months or so.

Garandsrus sent me some samples from the earlier Buckshot group buy that measured in the 384-385 range. Those would work but I would really prefer a plain based version. If someone has one of these as surplus, let me know. Could always have the gas check shank reamed out.

I would be interested in pursuing a custom iron mold; plain based, in the range of 255-290 grains. I would be satisfied with something along the lines of the NEI #191 (380-236-BB), with the bevel base removed and stretched a little longer/heavier, or their #291D (380-290-Gunn). Something that will get me to an as-cast diameter of 382+ in a soft alloy.

Is there enough interest here for a custom cherry, NEI group buy if I were to honcho? I am willing to pursue it on my own of there is not.

-ktw

[Boz330]

[QUOTE=Buckshot;217333]................HEek, I thought the new Hi-Walls from Italy were only in a couple 45 cals and 40-65? I'd really like to have one in 38-55. I sure don't like to hear about a .382" groove though

I was thinking the same thing about the groove diameter. With BP the Lee 250 might bump up ok. I think that NEI offers some over size molds and maybe some of the older Lymans might get close to that. It should be pleasant to shoot and a lot of fun as well.
I sure do like that Highwall action. Old John Browning has to be one of the most prolific gun designers ever. Just think how many of his guns are still being manufactured after a hundred or more years.

Bob

[Baron von Trollwhack]

I've only seen a round barrel Uberti highwall in 38-55 for sale in these parts. Greatly overpriced it was. It was very nicely made though. I found one in 45 Colt at a great price and bought a 45-60 reamer and had the chamber recut and the barrel shortened to suit. It has tight bore and groove dimensions and is a great lead boolit shooter. It has a 1/18 twist and shoots the 250 grain Colt pistol bullet and the .451 Whitworth bullet very well. My shooting buddy here shoots one in 45-70 and it is a great shooter too. They have very good reputationd for accuracy. With respect to the 38-55 chamber dinensions noted above, I have a J.W. Van Patten rebore of a Model 94 NRA musket commemorative with a .382 groove and I use thinner necked WW brass and a softer lead .bullet sized to .379/.380 with good results at roughly 1350 fps to overcome the tight chamber/large groove problem. Be careful on molds. the newer RCBS 37-250-FN are not like the old ones in that they throw a larger diameter and have shallower round bottom GG. I have one of each kind and the new one is useless for me. A new Lyman FB is pretty big too. BvT

[Jon K]

Buckshot,

Not so with my 38-55, chambe end slugs .3785-.379 groove diameter/.374 bore.
BTW, that's the one that I let Glen shoot at the range, and I sometimes think about selling it.

ktw,

If the GB 381-268 mold is BIG, I will sell mine when it gets here.

In my High Wall, using BA streched Win brass, the largest boolit it will chamber is .380, and the last bit has to be crunched in with the lever.


Jon

[ktw]

In my High Wall, using BA streched Win brass, the largest boolit it will chamber is .380, and the last bit has to be crunched in with the lever.

I understand the implications of this...

I sent off a polite email to Cimarron inquiring about their listed .379" groove spec.

I fire formed 15 30-30 cases.

I only have a couple of boolits at hand that exceed .382 as cast, and nothing larger than a .379 sizer. However, I fiddled with it a bit tonight and it appears I may be able to seat a cartridge with a .382 boolit. I seated a .385 boolit in a sized case then used a taper crimp die to size it down a bit more (to .401-.402" outside the case at the top of the neck). These chamber fairly easily and when I kinetic pull the boolit they still measure .3825"-.3830" on the base band.

I will play with it some more when I secure a mold that throws .382+ and a larger sizing die. I am still confident I can make this work. If not with fixed ammunition, then there's always breach seating, paper patching and Green Mtn Barrels

-ktw

[Jon K]

ktw,

Buckshot may be able to help you, he had made some sizing dies, I don't know if he has any left.

There was a GB .382 which dropped @.385. You may be able to get someone to sell one here.

Lee has said that the GB molds will be -.000 to +.003 so .380-.383, so I will probably sell mine because I want a .379-.380.

Jon

[Bullshop]

We had a group of fellas shooting these rifles ask us to design a mold for them. They are not only generous with bore/groove dimensions but also use a rather slow twist. If I recall correctly it was 1/18" The bullet we designed in ww is about 265gn and .385" diameter. Using the program at Mt Molds we made the longest boolit that would be stable with the 1/18" twist. We had Buckshot make up a set of dies so we could offer it from .375" up to .385" in .001" increments. I tried them in my Roller with a 1/14" twist and .380" groove and shot a 100 yard screamer. The group looks like a 45 cal hole. This was shot bench rest with a 15x Unertal installed. I normally shoot it with the Parts Unkown long range sights but use the scope for testing loads. It would do for 40 rod shooting but for long range the wind will drive ya nuts with that light a boolit in 38 cal. Too bad them imports are limited to this weight boolit. A fun gun sure nuf but not for long range.
With a 1/12" twist and well shapped boolits in the 320 to 350gn range the 38/55 will shoot long range as good as any other caliber.
BIC/BS

[Kraschenbirn]

The bore of my Uberti .38-55 High-Wall slugs at .379 and I've had good success with a 265 gr FP loaded "as-cast" from 30:1. Haven't installed a tang sight yet but, if I'm having a good day, get consistent 1 1/2-2 inch groups (100-yd) using the factory buckhorn rear.

Bill

[John F.]

Hi, folks,
Great thread!! I have been interested in these Hi-Walls for some time, and
was wondering what the trigger pulls on them are like? Can they be adjusted
to (ideally) about 2 or so lbs? Even 3 lbs would be ok if it's crisp.

Any information on durability, etc. would be very helpful.

Thanks much,
John

[ktw]

...was wondering what the trigger pulls on them are like?

I bought the standard straight grip, single trigger model. I have not measured it but am very satisfied with the stock trigger; not heavy, fairly crisp. No complaints on that aspect of the rifle.

-ktw

[ktw]

Got some Starline brass in a while back This has thinner necks (.008) than the 30-30 cases I fire-formed to 38-55 (.0090-.0105, depending on headstamp).

The impact chamber slug measures .3985" outside diameter at the end of the chamber.

.3985 - (.008 x 2) = .3825", leaving room for a .382 boolit in the chamber with a little slack left over.

I have a single cavity Lee .379-250-RF mold that I was able to beagle out to .3810-.3815 with straight ACWW tonight. One of those seated as cast to the crimp groove in a Starline case gives me an outside neck measurement of .3960", chambers easily in the rifle and gives me a small amount of land engraving.

While I am not thrilled with the .382 groove diameter in the barrel of this rifle, it does not appear to have the corresponding small chamber problem others have spoken of. I think the rifle is going to be satisfactory as is, provided I can find a couple of molds that will throw a bullet as large as .382+.

-ktw

[Jon K]

John F,

I'm not sure what you mean by adjusted, the single trigger does not have a mechanical adjustment like the double set trigger. The single trigger can easily be reworked, I got mine at a clean 1 lb 12 oz, probably could be lighter, but it's pleasant as is.

Jon

[calaloo]

I want to add my two cents to this discussion. I have a Uberti 1885 38-55 with straight grip and double set triggers. The groove diameter measures .383 the bore is .374. Furthermore the chamber is tight. A fired case, at the mouth, measues .399. The chamber where the mouth of the case would be is.401. I am shooting a paper patched swaged bullet that is .375 bare at a current weight of 285 gn. Patched the bullet is .382 (I am shooting smokeless powder) Which is a tad small. The patched bullet will slip into the fired case with no resizing but belling the mouth very slightly helps to get it started. After the bullet is seated and a very slight taper crimp applied the case mouth is .398. I have pushed one of the patched bullets into the rifling just ahead of the chamber and fired a primer behind it. There is definately some leakage between the paper and the bottom of the grooves as shown by the discoloring made by the primer gasses. Accuracy is pretty decent with 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards using a Marbles tang rear and a Lyman no. 17 front. I have ordered a .376 die from Corbins that I hope will improve the accuracy by sealing better. I am determined to get this rifle to shoot. I realize that with a twist of 1-18 I am limited to range but 200 yards is all I'm interested in. By the way my bullets are swaged from pure lead wire and I have no leading.

Bill

[Bullshop]

Calaloo
I have designed a boolit specially for the Uberty with .383" groove and 1/18" twist.
In ww alloy they weigh about 265gn. I have tried them in my roller and they were extreamly accurate. There is a bragging target hanging in my shop fired with these. The aimpoint was a 45 cal boolit hole and all shots are in it although widening it a bit. I must admit that this was done with a 15X Unertal scope mounted.
My rifle has a 1/14" twist which is somewhat faster than the design was intended for.
If I were to send you a sample of this boolit would you be willing to try them in your Uberti? I am interested to find out if they work for thier intended purpose. Its rather a risk to market something for a spasific purpose if unproven for that purpose.
If yes let me know what alloy or if pure lead, and what type of lube ,smokless or black powder. You could pm me or email me your shipping address. You should find that info for me in my profile. Thanks for your help!
BIC/BS

[stillhunter]

I can't understand why you would have to fireforn 30-30 brass as they will come up a bit short. Remington is making 38-55 and I have had no problems with it. I am shooting an H&R 1871 with a Leupold M8 4X on it. I have about 4 in groups and am trying different bullets.

[Boz330]

Stillhunter, certain times a year it is hard to find 38-55 brass since they don't run a lot of it. With so many BPCR becoming popular that might change.

Bob