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Thread: Curse of the .38-55

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Curse of the .38-55

    For a couple of years now I have wanted a medium weight single shot rifle in .38-55 but I'm starting to think the man upstairs is telling me stick with the .45-70's I've got or its a jinx. I've had 2 c.sharps 1875's and 2 original winchester hi walls. The first 75 wouldn't do better than 3" to 3 1/2" at 100 yds reguardless of the load the second 75 would do 1 1/2" to 2" but wouldn't hold its zero from one day to the next and the forearm kept coming loose even when properly loctited. The first hi wall was made in 1885 and had a 3 digit serial number it was ok but the bore was pitted infront of the chamber and it had a large bore with a tight chamber so it like the others went away and the fourth contestant never even made it to the range the second hi wall when I got home from the show saturday I took the wood off to get the rifle ready for a good cleaning only to find out some bubba had used a monkey wrench to turn an octagon barreled rifle into a round barreled rifle so it went back the next day and the seller grudgingly gave me my money back. I'm about ready to give up because I wanted an american made .38-55 but I'm starting to wonder about the Uberti's a while back I swore off the pasta guns because of soft steels and quality problems are they any better since covid reshaped the world or would I just be falling further down the rabbit hole?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    I bought an 1885 Traditional Hunter .38-55 new about twenty-five years ago, not long after they were introduced. It's the only .38-55 rifle I've had. Load development using about five cast bullet designs and several powders took well over a year. I guess I fired a thousand rounds doing that, but the rifle has always shot exceptionally well. Some complain about the triggers on these guns but I've never had a problem. It seems to hold zero well, not like Ruger #1s I've worked with. I know nothing about original Hi Walls or modern copies like Uberti, but I wouldn't be surprised to find varying bore diameters.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master gc45's Avatar
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    Sorry to read of your difficulty. My 1997-98 made C Sharps DST 1885 also in 38-55 is quite accurate with cast bullets. - .379 groove, 1 in 20 twist using a Hoch GC Mold dropping .380 bullets no sizing necessary @ 255 grains. 100yd groups are mostly 1.5 inch with Vernier tang site and globe front. My loads use AA5744 and 1/4 sheet toilet paper wads. Barrel measurements are all over the place in old cartridge rifles and new rifles unless having a custom match grade barrel of your choosing.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    A lot of time if you go to the star-line 2.125 long brass that will solve some of you problems it sure helped my browning hi-wall out I shoot the heavy's 320 to 375gr. but will shoot better than I can , 100 yds with a lead sled will hold 3/4 in groups .

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Oh I tried everything to get them to shoot both lenghts of brass, different bullets and powders and all bullets were sized the normal .001" over groove diameter. I thought the second 75 was going to be the one but between the wandering zero,loose forend, and the fact I had to put 3 firing pins in it. Well that was enough with that one. I have thought about a C sharps 1885 but I have had 5 different c sharps rifles including an 85 in .45-70 and none of the were very accurate if I had to I'd say they all would average a little over 3" at 100 yards. I have 4 shiloh 74's that even if I'm having a really bad day are still well under 2" at 100 yards.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    I have a '75 C.Sharps in 38-55. I have never shot it at 100 yds. I used it in sillywet competition. At 200 on pigs it would shot about 2 1/2 inches. We used plywood cutouts so this was easy to see. I could hit rams all day long. I wonder why you are having such bad luck. It's funny, a good friend of mione is a big shooter. He owns 1 30-06, a Garrand. He claims that 30-06 is the most inaccurate cartridge ever developed.
    I have found the Winchester high walls to be the same, tight chamber, big bore.
    I hope your luck gets better.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    If you were trying to purchase an American made single shot, then I think you missed the mark already. Weren't the Browning single shots made by Miroku in Japan?

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Yes but that wasn't the reason I passed on them. Several of the folks I shoot with have them and they are ok in the accuracy department but when that little trigger return spring breaks your out of the match and all the guys have had it happen at least once not to mention it's a pain in the neck to replace it. My understanding about the miroku's is that they are an 85 on the outside but very different on the inside.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Most of them are different than the original 1885's, and some massively ddifferent.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Yes they seem to like coil springs of all sizes. I'm about an hour away from Taylor &Co so I'm thinking about going up and looking at a couple of uberti's but it's going to get used alot and the ones I had in the past just didn't hold up.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master Rapier's Avatar
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    Seems like you would be mile ahead of the game to find a cobby XYZ gun that you like and have it re-barreled with exactly what you want, cut rifling, for cast, twist for your preferred weight bullets and chambered in 38-55.
    Before you buy what you do not want, build what you do want. Look for a doggy #3 or #1
    Except for the lever and lower tang cut for the lever lock they are the same action, designed to have the fore end free floated off the hanger. The extractors interchange and the barrels are mounted center of axis.
    You can build a real shooter on either action. E Arthur Brown does custom work on them, plus his own BF guns, falling blocks, match guns, with fine triggers.
    “There is a remedy for all things, save death.“
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  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rapier View Post
    Seems like you would be mile ahead of the game to find a cobby XYZ gun that you like and have it re-barreled with exactly what you want, cut rifling, for cast, twist for your preferred weight bullets and chambered in 38-55.
    Before you buy what you do not want, build what you do want. Look for a doggy #3 or #1
    Except for the lever and lower tang cut for the lever lock they are the same action, designed to have the fore end free floated off the hanger. The extractors interchange and the barrels are mounted center of axis.
    You can build a real shooter on either action. E Arthur Brown does custom work on them, plus his own BF guns, falling blocks, match guns, with fine triggers.
    I shoot in a couple of medium range offhand matches that to do well you need a tang sight and a ruger won't work because they don't have a tang to attach the sight on. I think if I don't like what I see at Taylor's I might see if i can find another Shiloh or see if I can get a look at the Lone Star rolling block I found on line thats local to me its a good looking rifle but it will need the sights replaced. The lone star is kinda pricey for what it is and I really don't want to tie up alot of time and money in getting an action built up.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    You could always try a CPA if you want an American built single shot in .38-55 but not a C. Sharps. I've had good luck with my C. Sharps 1885's but none of them have factory cut chambers.

    My CPA's are my most accurate short range rifles ( 100m & 200m ), but I've only ever shot them with breech seated bullets which can be a big advantage. I've never tried fixed ammo in them.

    I have a new CPA coming, with a .38-50 Remington Hepburn barrel. It'll be interesting to see if it'll be able to keep up with my silhouette rifle which is a Shiloh in .40-65.

    Chris.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    I thought about the CPA's because alot of the guys I shoot with have them but they are usually shooting something else because the CPA is back at the factory getting an issue corrected and the Shiloh's have a lower price tag.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master marlinman93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rapier View Post
    Seems like you would be mile ahead of the game to find a cobby XYZ gun that you like and have it re-barreled with exactly what you want, cut rifling, for cast, twist for your preferred weight bullets and chambered in 38-55.
    Before you buy what you do not want, build what you do want. Look for a doggy #3 or #1
    Except for the lever and lower tang cut for the lever lock they are the same action, designed to have the fore end free floated off the hanger. The extractors interchange and the barrels are mounted center of axis.
    You can build a real shooter on either action. E Arthur Brown does custom work on them, plus his own BF guns, falling blocks, match guns, with fine triggers.
    The fly in the ointment for a #1 or #3 is no hammer, so most BPCR events don't allow them. The other issue is no tangs, so can't use a long range tang sight for shooting very far.
    A better choice would be a Rolling Block action, or donor rifle built into a nice .38-55 for shooting.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1Hawkeye View Post
    I thought about the CPA's because alot of the guys I shoot with have them but they are usually shooting something else because the CPA is back at the factory getting an issue corrected and the Shiloh's have a lower price tag.
    My CPA's did have a few issues when I got them, mostly due to loose screws, and not enough clearance on the wood inletting around the hammer spring. After fixing that up, neither rifle has had a hiccup the following years I've had them.

    I am also a big fan of the Shiloh Sharps rifles. I don't think anyone out there can touch them as far as quality goes, and they do shoot extremely well and are very reliable. They do offer the .38-55 chambering too, although I believe that their reamer is for the short version of the brass.

    Chris.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gunlaker View Post
    My CPA's did have a few issues when I got them, mostly due to loose screws, and not enough clearance on the wood inletting around the hammer spring. After fixing that up, neither rifle has had a hiccup the following years I've had them.

    I am also a big fan of the Shiloh Sharps rifles. I don't think anyone out there can touch them as far as quality goes, and they do shoot extremely well and are very reliable. They do offer the .38-55 chambering too, although I believe that their reamer is for the short version of the brass.

    Chris.
    Your right about the Shiloh's Kirk uses the short reamer when chambering the .38-55's I think I'm going up to Taylor's today and if I don't like what I see I'll be on the hunt for Shiloh #5.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1Hawkeye View Post
    For a couple of years now I have wanted a medium weight single shot rifle in .38-55 but I'm starting to think the man upstairs is telling me stick with the .45-70's I've got or its a jinx. I've had 2 c.sharps 1875's and 2 original winchester hi walls. The first 75 wouldn't do better than 3" to 3 1/2" at 100 yds regardless of the load the second 75 would do 1 1/2" to 2" but wouldn't hold its zero from one day to the next and the forearm kept coming loose even when properly Loctite. The first hi wall was made in 1885 and had a 3 digit serial number it was ok but the bore was pitted infront of the chamber and it had a large bore with a tight chamber so it like the others went away and the fourth contestant never even made it to the range the second hi wall when I got home from the show saturday I took the wood off to get the rifle ready for a good cleaning only to find out some bubba had used a monkey wrench to turn an octagon barreled rifle into a round barreled rifle so it went back the next day and the seller grudgingly gave me my money back. I'm about ready to give up because I wanted an american made .38-55 but I'm starting to wonder about the Uberti's a while back I swore off the pasta guns because of soft steels and quality problems are they any better since covid reshaped the world or would I just be falling further down the rabbit hole?
    my pasta gun will do 1.5 inches at 100 yards. the skill level of making these cartridges shoot is not like a modern rifle especially if you use a flat base bullet. alloy is always key.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check