Concern over 38-55

[Bridger]

I currently own two Winchester 94s and am a big fan. Was thinking about picking up a third one I found, but it is chambered for the 38-55. I have no concerns regarding the efficacy of this cartridge, for my intended use, but am very concerned about being able to obtain any ammunition. I do handload but I have noticed that it seems just as difficult to find brass and bullets.

Anyone out there have any words of advice/wisdom to offer on this?

Thanks,
Mike

[Moleman-]

You can make brass from 30-30 cases. Sierra has a nice 200gr, Fury and Vollmer sell or will make whatever you want for a bullet if jackets, if not there's always a cast boolit.

[Bridger]

Thanks. I have also noticed that Barnes makes a jacketed bullet. Problem is every thing is listed as 'sold out'. I have heard that it is a bit of a pain to make the brass from 30-30 as you can't just make a single pass through a 38-55 resizing die. Instead you need to use a few different resizing balls to take it up a bit at a time?

[stubshaft]

I just loaded the 30/30 with cornmeal and a charge of Unique topped off with a wad of toilet paper and fireformed them.

[Bridger]

Thanks for the input. So far this is sounding like a road I probably don't want to go down

I already own an 1876 is 50-95. Let's just say I rarely shoot it!

[725]

As you please, but the .38-55 is a lovely cartridge. Brass formed from .30-30 isn't hard. As a matter of fact I prefer the reformed brass over the factory correct brass. You are very right about the Barnes bullet - it's a great bullet for the .38-55, but it's never in stock. I've been looking for it over a year. BTW the .375 win bullet from Barnes won't work well in the .38-55 cartridge even though they are very close in shape and exactly the same weight. Have fun with your Winchesters.

[Shawlerbrook]

Don’t sweat the brass. If you are diligent and patient it can be found.

[Moleman-]

Thanks. I have heard that it is a bit of a pain to make the brass from 30-30 as you can't just make a single pass through a 38-55 resizing die. Instead you need to use a few different resizing balls to take it up a bit at a time?

It may depend on what die set you have. I have a Lee 38-55 and a 375 win set, both have the skinny pistol style decaping stem that doesn't have an expander since the cases are straight walled. What you can do is get a $6 375H&H decapping stem and put that in a universal decapping die or in a larger caliber sizer die like a 45/70, lube your case neck ID and expand the cases. It helps to anneal them first. Then lube the OD and run them through the 38-55 or 375win die whichever you're making. I do a lot of wildcating and made a set of expander dies, so I run them through the expander, then the sizer die. On a case forming scale, there is just one more step over sizing the case. Might even be able to put the 375H&H expander in your 38-55 die, but with it being a straight walled case there may not be enough clearance.

[freakonaleash]

I'M feeding two 38-55's. No problems finding any components..

[veeman]

Brass is easy to find. You just have to be willing to pay for it.

[pietro]

.

IIRC. .38-55 brass formed from .30-30 brass ends up with a neck that's a tad shorter than an original .38-55 case.

Once-fired .375 Winchester brass should do the trick in your .38-55 - they were both interchangeable in my .375 M94BB.

[Mk42gunner]

Starline occasionally makes a run of .38-55 brass, both lengths. It can be a bit of a wait until they run it again.

RCBS Cowboy dies work very well for this cartridge. Redding even made (may still) a competition micrometer seating die for it, probably not needed for a lever action.

I don't see the need for jacketed bullets for it, just a bit of testing for expansion if you are planning on hunting with it.

Be advised that groove diameters can range from .375" to .383". it pays to slug the barrel before looking for a mold. My brand new Lyman 375449 drops at .377" which is too small for my rifle. The cheap Lee 37-250 drops at .379" and doesn't need a gas check.

Good luck, it is a fun round to shoot,

Robert

[Rapier]

Brass is almost impossible to find:

https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/prod...long-brass-50/

This is the long brass for fitment, trimming, etc. Took 15 seconds to find. Dies, buy a decent set of dies, and a decent mold.

[garandsrus]

Powder valley is out of stock.

Reformed from 30-30 works great. Yes, it is a little shorter, but it doesn’t matter much.

I have fireformed 30-30 with 7 or 8 grains of a fast powder and the rest of the case filled with Cream of Wheat. Point the rifle up and chamber a round and pull the trigger. A straight 30-30 will come out. To save on primers, I also made a long tapered expander that opens the 30-30 to .375 in one stroke of a reloading press. It works great.

As for bullets, cast work very well in the 38-55. You will need to see what diameter you need. .380 is common. I think 38-55 is one of the top lever action calibers.

[indian joe]

Thanks. I have also noticed that Barnes makes a jacketed bullet. Problem is every thing is listed as 'sold out'. I have heard that it is a bit of a pain to make the brass from 30-30 as you can't just make a single pass through a 38-55 resizing die. Instead you need to use a few different resizing balls to take it up a bit at a time?

I made a heap of Brass for a 375 Big Bore from PMC 30/30 stuff - found a 3/8 " high tensile bolt that thread fit one of my loading dies (RCBS I think) - cut off the head and ground a long slow taper on it - polish it - use case lube - one pass gets you to .375 then a tidy up with the resize die ----tis a simple process !!

Then the LEE 250 grain mold will put you in the picture cheap for boolits.

[FergusonTO35]

Sourcing any reloading components is a real adventure these days. Best bet is sign up for notifications from every site that carries it, and be ready to strike as soon as you get the notification. Older gun shops can have all kinds of NOS treasures kicking about. Back in the 2000's one shop I frequented still had boxes of factory primed .307 and .356 WCF brass on the shelf. Also check GunBroker frequently. You can get good deals from estates and people who are getting out of that particular cartridge. I scored a grocery bag full of once fired .45-70 for like .20 cents a piece awhile back. I'm planning to get a .38-55 someday myself, hopefully a Henry.

[Bridger]

Thanks for the link Rapier but, when I visited the site, all options were out of stock.

[freakonaleash]

Sourcing any reloading components is a real adventure these days. Best bet is sign up for notifications from every site that carries it, and be ready to strike as soon as you get the notification. Older gun shops can have all kinds of NOS treasures kicking about. Back in the 2000's one shop I frequented still had boxes of factory primed .307 and .356 WCF brass on the shelf. Also check GunBroker frequently. You can get good deals from estates and people who are getting out of that particular cartridge. I scored a grocery bag full of once fired .45-70 for like .20 cents a piece awhile back. I'm planning to get a .38-55 someday myself, hopefully a Henry.

I'm not having any trouble finding anything. I find most of my stuff at local gunshows. Just like we all did before Algore invented the interwebs.

[KenH]

This is the only place I found 38-55 brass in stock, and it's the short brass. No biggie there and only $10 shipping
https://coastalfirearmshop.com/produ...-55-wcf-2-082/

I've fireformed brass from 30-30 with no problems - works just fine.

[racepres]

@bridger
I sent a PM... Do you have a need for .378 265gr GC, Projectiles??