brass

[wgr]

hey quick could  you answer a question. I'm working on my 38-55 now isl 38-55/375 and blow en out 30-30 brass all interchangeable?and what about the different lengths of 38-55 from star line would you use the short are long.

[John Traveler]

I've fired thousands of .38-55 and .375 Winchester rounds with brass made from blown-out or expanded .30-30 cases.  Much cheaper than using the name brand cases.  The expanding can be done using a lathe-turned expander plug.  It's a one step operation if you anneal the case mouths first. Case loss is about 2%.  Trim to uniform length after first firing.

No, the .38-55 and .375 Win are not completely interchangeable.  Usually you can chamber and fire .375 Win in the older .38-55 chambers, but that is not advisable as .375 Win factory loads have significantly higher pressure.  The .38-55 will usually not fit in the shorter .375 Win chambers.  The older .38-55 is usually found with sloppier chamber and barrel groove dimensions.

What I do is load modest .38-55 level ammo for use in my Marlin 1893 .38-55 and Ruger Number 3 .375 Win rifles.  They can use the same .377"-380" diameter cast lead bullets, but factory ammo for the .75 Win is usually smaller at .375"-.376".

[quickdtoo]

WGR, you shouldn't have a problem if this is in your H&R Target, the thinner 30-30 brass will allow you to load up to 375 Win velocities with less pressure due to the increased case capacity.  Read Marshall Stanton's reply in the link below.

I'm using the 2.125" long Starline 38-55 brass, (I like properly headstamped brass  ), my Target chamber will accept the .380" cast bullets required for the 38-55 Target to shoot accurately, 30-30 brass will just be shorter, I tried some 375 Win brass that I'm using for a 30-30AI, it's too thick to chamber a round loaded with a .380" bullet. I'm loading the Chey-cast .380" 325gr Snover bore rider bullet to 2.850" COL, and the .380" 270gr Mt Baldy to 2.555", those COLs are to the lands in my rifle.

For those that aren't aware, the H&R Target uses the same SB2 frame as Handi and Ultras that are factory chambered in 270 Winchester and other high pressure chamberings.

Tim

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=2137&highlight=.375+win