38-55 hunting loads?

[oldsmokeyjeff]

I realize we don't do specific hot loads here but I have a general question.  Can the 38-55 be considered effective for black bear hunting?  Most of the loads on the market I have seen seem to be downloaded in case someone uses them in older original guns.  Are newer more potent loads available and is there any handloading info out there for this type of loading in a modern 94?

                                                                                          Thanks!    Jeff

[fknipfer]

Go to Buffalo Bore Ammunition and see there 38-55 loads.  They show 1950fps and 2045fpe of course they are expensive and at this particular time they have no brass.  That would be one black bear load and Conley Precision Products show a 38-55 load at around 1800fps.  That would be another black bear load.  But niether on of the shops have any brass they are waiting for Winchester to run some in January 2007.   I think the 38-55 can be a good caliber for black bear if a guy has the right size slug for his barrel.  They are pushing a 255JFN at those speeds.

fknipfer

[Mikey]

Jeff - the 38-55 has been knocking over Whitetail, Bear, Elk and Moose since its inception.  I know you can make brass for that rifle using 375 Winchester brass and bullets are available.  You will need to slug your bore to get the correct bore diameter for that rifle for it to shoot well as there is a lot of variation and some bullets won't shoot accurately at all.  The old Lymna manual has loads for the 38-55 and there are some hotter aftermarket loads that will function but I would be concerned about pressures being too high for that old 94.  Mikey.

[oldsmokeyjeff]

Thanks guys.  I do have brass left over from the last 38-55 I had years ago.  In Illinois I never hunted with it cause it's a shotgun state.  Here in NC I picked us a Legendary Frontiersman that had been shot a fair amount so I figured I might as well use it. Price was only around 400.  I realize that cartridge has been used with great results for years but we have some fair sized bears here and the shots will be close....real close.   The factory rounds I have fired in the past have been very weak and while I am not trying to make this rifle something it's not, I was hoping that I could find some loads that would bring this cartridge up to it's full potiential in the modern reciever.  I think most of the factory rounds are weaker than the original loads in response to the ever increasing plague of lawyermania we seem so obsessed with in this country!

[redhawk500]

I tried to use larger diameter bullets with my .38-55 Winchester Legacy model, to match the barrel, but they don't chamber.  The best handload I've found is maximum load of 35.0 grains IMR 3031 and the Barnes 255 JSPFP bullet, from the Lyman manual #47.  In my 26 inch barrel it runs 1871 fps.  This is heavier than my .45 Colt loads by a good margin and I'd hunt just about anything with a 255 grain cast SWC in this caliber, not to mention the section density is much higher with a .375 to .377 diameter bullet.  This is a cartridge with an interesting history predating the .30-30, its offspring.  Could .30-30 brass be necked up to form .38--55 for those who don't have brass on hand?  I don't have my manual here to check dimension, just my load book.

[Lone Star]

I have made a lot of .38-55 cases by fireforming .30-30 brass.  Put in around 15 grains of Unique, plug the neck with a tight wad of tissue and fire straight up.  [You may have to vary the powder charge depending on the hardness of the brass.]  The result will be a short case with an irregular neck.  Trim to ca. 2.0" and they will work fine.  Most factory .38-55 cases I have are not the specified length of 2.08" anyway.


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[jager]

Oldsmokeyjeff - I too have a Legendary Frontiersman (L.F.); unfortunately I paid a lot more for mine .  Lone Star has the formula for good cheap brass that has a little "thinner" neck than the original brass. Although it is shorter after fireforming, it works just fine with just about all bullet weights for this caliber. My gun slugs .379 and I've even gotten descent accuracy with "jacketed" bullets as small as .375, although you have to drive them pretty fast to "bump up" to "grove" diameter. Cast bullets IMO are harder to bump up unless the lead is softer, which could cause leading from being undersized (even hard cast cause this problem if "undersized").The gun starts "perkin" when you use a relatively hard cast  with a gas check in the "right" size; you can purchase them ready made from several vendors. You might want to start with .379 diameter and work your way up. The Winchester 94 action will take any pressure that the 30-30 will take, ie. max of 42,000PSI, so you can improve on the factory ballistics (1320fps) by at least 500fps. That, my friend, puts it in a whole new category only equaled by much larger bores. I've loaded mine up to 1900fps with a 274GC "home" cast bullet and have gotten "hunting" accuracy with the round. You needn't go to .375 Win velocities to have an effective gun in the 38/55; 25.0 or 26.0gr of RL7 behind a 255gr bullet will get you 1550 to 1600fps, easy recoil, and plenty of energy for those North Carolina bears as long as it is accurate. I'm still working on the best cast load, which is right now 37.0gr of AA2495 behind a "Hunter" 268gr GC.  It's clocking 1820fps and groups about 1 1/4" at 50 yards with "iron" sights for 5 rounds.  I'm still working on that magic 1" load and will try some Beartooth cast bullets in .380 diameter to see if they tighten up. I've tried to use .381 diameter bullets, but they were to hard to chamber in the L.F. My loads may be too hot in your gun - work up cautiously! My loads are only worth what you had to pay to get them .  Good luck in your pursuit; it is not an easy cartridge to load for, but well worth the effort in a easy handling rifle that is fun to shoot. Jager

[EdinCT]

  I am old enough to remember old men who used a 38/55 when it was  still considered a good load at black powder velocity.(1350 fps). I would sit and soak up there stories about their soft coal burners. Believe me they had faith the killing power of the 38/55 and thought the old black powder velocity killed better than that new 30-30 small bore.
 Maybe they were opinionated old men and didn't have the experience some have today, but I heard of them killing moose and deer very dead. Even the slow load equals a 44 mag from a revolver, and folks kill bears all the time with it.
 Ken Waters said he would rather have a 38/55 at 1650 fps with 255 gr bullet than alot of other loads for short range hunting.
 I would try a Barnes 255 and see if I could get it to shoot good groups at 1600 and kill bears.