38/55 caliber?
01-06-2004, 08:17 AM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas - BUT NOW in Madison County, NY
Posts: 6,270
RE: 38/55 caliber?
The closest thing to the .38/55 available today is the .375 Winchester, which is just the .38/55 with a slightly stouter (and a little shorter) case, and loaded to higher muzzle velocities.
To get the most out of the .38/55 in a strong action like the Marlin, you must handload it since factory ammo is loaded to only around 1300-1400 FPS max. You can get the same bullets up to 1800 or so with a handload! The Lyman .375449 gascheck is an ideal bullet for the .38/55. You have to mike the bore, since a lot of them are larger than .375" (.377"-.380"), and you need to size your cast bullets to at least as big as the groove diameter of your bore, or as much as .002" OVER groove.... This cartridge was once a highly regarded Schuetzen target round, replaced by such cartridges as the .32/40, which have less recoil.
The Lyman No. 46 and 47 Handbooks have .38/55 loading data. I don't know if the new one does or not. Have fun!!
To get the most out of the .38/55 in a strong action like the Marlin, you must handload it since factory ammo is loaded to only around 1300-1400 FPS max. You can get the same bullets up to 1800 or so with a handload! The Lyman .375449 gascheck is an ideal bullet for the .38/55. You have to mike the bore, since a lot of them are larger than .375" (.377"-.380"), and you need to size your cast bullets to at least as big as the groove diameter of your bore, or as much as .002" OVER groove.... This cartridge was once a highly regarded Schuetzen target round, replaced by such cartridges as the .32/40, which have less recoil.
The Lyman No. 46 and 47 Handbooks have .38/55 loading data. I don't know if the new one does or not. Have fun!!
