.38-55 head scratcher

[indian joe]

Joe, I will load some with Olde Eynesford, just because it is the right thing to do.
The more I think about these issues and this thread the more embarrassed I am that it did not occur to me the velocities expected were too much to ask of the Lee bullet with Alox only. I powdered coated some this morning and will try those at around 1600 or so and bet they will be fine.
I am using published data, but I think a second issue is for me to quit thinking of this as a .375 Winchester and focus on it as a .38-55 with tight bore and relatively fast twist. I have reached the age where it is easier to get confused, sorry to confess!
Bill

Bill I had a 375 big bore years ago, ran it full house with soft lead gas checked boolits, shot ok at the time - but ok then woulda been 4 - 6" at 100yards with the barrel sights - I was recoil soft those days and that thing booted - I sold it and when the 38/55 came along (nice wood, 24"inch octagonal barrel) I bought it. That gold plated piece sat on the rack with a box of ammo beside it for almost a year - I would take it down, oil it, put it back in its place, it came (supposedly) new in the box, unfired, I walked in there one lunch time and like it was mocking me from on high, grabbed it down with three rounds and a paper target, out the back and at 50 yards off a rest those three almost touched.
So now youre not unfired !!
A couple days later I shot a string of ten at 100yards my rest that day was a woven plastic fertiliser bag with a few shovels of dirt in it - stripped the gold plating off of the sharp edges on the underside of the action ----oooooops!
So now youre not New In Box anymore
Lets see can we make a blackpowder shooter out of this ?
Its one of the few Lever rifles I have seen that stays right on point as it hots up - a well made gun and a fine shooter (just a shame about the gold plate - blue finish woulda been better)
I just use that LEE 250 grain PB boolit, FFFg powder, one juice box wad over the powder, homemade blackpowder lube (50/50 beeswax and neatsfoot oil)

for yours I would forget the powder coat for blackpowder - its a hindrance - takes up space that would be better filled with grease lube

[Abert Rim]

Joe, the PC boolits would not be my first choice but I didn't have any others cast. I agree on the PC taking up valuable lube groove real estate, especially considering the lube has to control 28 inches of fouling.

[upnorthwis]

This is what worked for me. I've got a .38-55 94 Win made in 1898 that would keyhole half of them. I extended the bullet out so that I had to crush it into rifling by closing the lever. That took care of it.

[.45Cole]

Keep it! I wish i could teach my pony to stand up like that. You'll win some shoots with an awfully puzzled crowd!

[450 Fuller]

I think the larger bullet size sent to you should work. Also consider 4198 or 4227 powder or magnum primers.

[458mag]

Fellas thanks. The rifle was barreled with a Douglas .375 groove barrel and can be loaded as a .38-55 or a .375 Winchester. It was custom built by a retired Army armorer and gunsmith in Iowa for a gentlemen who wanted a very accurate rifle for lever gun competition. He then developed Parkinson's and had to sell all his guns.
This is the rifle I am working with. Repeat: This barrel is .366 on the lands and .375 in the grooves -- not a .378, not a .380, not a .382. I know about the larger .38-55 groove diameters. I actually went into commercial swaging some years ago after reading a Ken Waters piece on bullets he'd love to see available again for the "old ones" to produce a .379 softpoint specifically for the older rifles and the Marlin Cowboy. Ken was so tickled when I sent him a box, explaining that he was the inspiration for me spending a lot of money with Dave Corbin that he wrote up my "Boer Bullet Co." bullets in Handloader -- and sent me a Christmas card.
So I return to scratching my head as to why a bullet sized .376 and fired in a squeaky clean barrel with a .375 groove should keyhole wildly. Only two of the five rounds I fired struck the target paper -- sideways of course, and the rest struck the frame. I have some loads put up with 5744, but will assemble some over 9 grains of Trail Boss (per the Lyman 51st edition) to see if slowing things way down might help.

Shoot it side ways like the saggy pants gangsters.