38-40 for rifles

[w30wcf]

This tread is right up my ally!

.....The BEST mold on the market for the 38-40 if you are shooting BP, is the Big Lube.....PERIOD!

Roy,
For close in CAS shooting the "Big Lube" bullets do work great. BUT.....for longer distance shooting at 100+ yards that some folks like to do, the Accurate 40-185C would be the best choice to deliver better accuracy for many shots.

w30wcf

[w30wcf]

I'm putting together an 1892 Winchester in 38-40 to shoot in our pistol caliber silhouette matches and was hoping it would work out to 200 yds. Our first match is in July.

What do you 38-40 shooters think is the maximum distance that you can accurately shoot your rifles. Accurate meaning 4" at a 100yds. Is the 44-40 more capable?

NEAT! The NRA Cowboy Pistol Cartridge silhouette is fired out to 100 meters (110 yards). No problem with the 100 Meter rams. ,

The NRA Cowboy Rifle Silhouette is fired out to 200 Meters. If you use your 38-40 there, you will likely have a problem knocking down the 55# ram at that distance.....unless they are set at the proper topple point. No problem on the 50M chickens, 100M Javelina or 150M turkeys though.

As Don indicated, Winchester claimed accuracy out to 300 yards for the 38-40. They also claimed the 44-40 to be accurate to that distance as well. I have experience with the 44-40 at a bit beyond that distance and Winchester was right. I would expect real world experience to be the same for the 38-40.

Have fun!

w30wcf

[John Boy]

The BEST mold on the market for the 38-40 if you are shooting BP, is the Big Lube.....PERIOD!

Roy, have any target group pictures using the Big Lube 38-40 at 200 & 300yds? It's purpose of design is lube capacity.

If you really want a bullet that carries accuracy out to 300yds, may I suggest these molds:
* Ideal 375166
* Ideal 37584
* Ideal 375300
These are all 300+ gr BPCR bullets and were used for decades before Lyman bought out Ideal and eliminated from production because of the demise of BP shooters

[Nobade]

You might have a tough time getting those 38-55 boolits to work in a 38-40......

[Springfield]

The Big Lube 38-40 holds LOTS of lube and has a large meplat, probably more of both than necessary for a longer range bullet. Be interesting to take one and make the base longer by taking out some lube space to add weight and see if it was better at knocking over rams and such.

[brudford]

Several years ago I purchased a Uberti 1885 Low Wall new . I did alot of load development with this round . Everything from Bulleyse ,Unique powders and eventually settled just on Goex 2ff BP . Somone stated earlier that alot of the other moulds are designed with pistol loads in mind they are correct sir ! I started with a Lee mold 40 S&W or 10mm Auto . 175 gr. .401 the same as a 38-40 bullet . Accuracy was terrible could not get any lube to stick in the shallow grove ,I beleive this bullet works only with Lee's tumble lube method .This is a pistol bullet period . Bought the Lyman 38-40 WCF mold # 401043AV 175 gr flat nose . Lyman even has this orignal bullet listed under rifle bullets . For some reason alot of shooters think the 38-40 WCF was designed as a pistol round ? Lube sticks in the groove and accuracy is great . Cast the bullets from the molds that this cartridge was designed for and you cannot go wrong . If you want to try the Big lube bullet go ahead , but why would you when the Lyman , the orignal mold for the 38WCF is all you will ever need . My BP lube of Beeswax ,olive oil, some Crisco and a little Lanolin sticks very well in the Lyman groove .

[dexterblack]

I use the Lyman 041043 mold and w.w. + a little tin. Charge is about 33 grains of goex ffg, medium compression. Lube is B.P. Gold. Gun is a Whitney Kennedy with a 24" barrel. Although there's not much lube showing on exterior muzzle, there's not a leading problem.

I think it's a pretty accurate round. I'm recently back to shooting after a decades-long hiatus, so I haven't had the chance to shoot the gun over 100 yards. It has a "wiggly" rear lyman aperture sight, but it still groups inside an 8" circle. (old gun, old boolit design!)

[Hang Fire]

I've been loading .38-40s for my Colt Lightning rifle, circa 1884 for about a year. I don't shoot it a lot, but enough that I'd rather be casting my own rather than buying them.

The question that I have is which mould to get. It seems that most of them are designed with revolvers in mind. I'm concerned that the resulting boolits aren't going to carry enough lube for the much longer rifle barrel.

I shoot on the 100 yard and 150 yard line. I'd really like to shoot cowboy pistol cartridge silhouettes, but the NRA hasn't seen fit to allow the Lightning to compete...but that's a fight for another day.

Anyway, any suggestions for moulds? I've looked at Big Lube, Accurate and Lyman. I just can't make a decision!

Both rifles and handguns of the latter 1800s combo cartridge era, were designed to shoot the same style boolit as to weight and design, as that was the intention for such from the get go.

Hard to feature some lawman or outlaw in 1880 having a 1873 Winchester and Colt in .44-40, carrying cartridges with different bullet designs for rifle and revolver.

[rbertalotto]

Just got home from the range. Shooting at the turkey silhouette at 200 yards. I hit it 18 * out of 30 rounds of hand. This is with my 1873 built in 1884. Shooting the big lube bullet with 35 grains of black powder. This rifle and cartridge will group at 1 inch at 100 yards. You can read all about this rifle on my website. Www.rvbprecision.com

[Old-Win]

My 1892 winchester project in 38-40 is coming along nicely and should be shootable in a couple of weeks. I'll be using black powder in some of the loads and was wondering what you guys that shoot black use for a wad? I've got .410's" for my 40-70. Are they too large? Do any of you know of a source for something like .402" to .403" diamter wads. Bob

[Don McDowell]

Buffalo Arms has them, if nothing else you could get a wad punch from them to make your own.
You can probably also order them direct from John Walters.

[Old-Win]

Don, BACO sells .410" diameter wads for a .408" diameter bullet. I'm thinking they will be too large for the .400" diameter bullet in the 38-40. I'm hoping some guys that shoot black in the 38-40 has some info that might help me out. Bob

[Don McDowell]

I shoot black in the 38-40.I have a wad punch that you whack with a hammer that works well.
BACO sells two 40 cal wads, one for rifles at .410 and one smaller. They also sell wad punches that will work fine to punch your own.
Call them and tell them what you want, or google up John Walters and tell him what you are needing.
You might also check with Track of the Wolf.

[Don McDowell]

Track sells these http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Catego...73/2/WAD-405-B

[Old-Win]

Thanks Don, I believe the Baco punch is what I'll use. I've been using WWd's in all my rifles and his are a couple of thousandths over groove so that Baco punch at .403" should work.

[Don McDowell]

The nice thing about a punch the right size is the variety of stuff you can use for wads.

[Old-Win]

Finished my 92 Win. project and have done some shooting with both smokeless and black. The blackpowder load shot very well. 34.5 gr of 1 1/2 behind the Lyman bullet. We had a buffalo gong match last weekend so got to shoot it at some long range targets. I hit the 24" gong 5 times in a row at 300 yds but only hit the the 18" once. The smokeless attempts have been dismal with extreme vertical spreads of 2-3' at those distances. You could hear a difference in detonation from shot to shot because of powder position. Looking for a good smokeless powder load that will fill most of the case as 2400 and Accurate #7 don't. Bob

[w30wcf]

Old Win,
Try RL7. A capacity load works very well in my 44-40.
Velocity will likely be around 1,500 f.p.s. in your 38-40.

w30wcf