Loading for a 38-55 Win.

[Montana 38-55]

I am trying to find a Black Powder load for my Marlin 336 CB.  I use a pure lead paper patched 230 gr. bullet with smokeless powder that will group better than I can hold at 100 yds.  I have loaded 48 gr. of FFg and FFFg with compression behind a 200 gr. PP bullet with a grease cookie and can only get 4" to 6" groups.  The fouling after three shots is hard to remove with a dry patch and could be the problem.  
    I know that shooting a single shot you use a blow tube to keep the fouling soft but that is not a good option with a lever gun.  Anyone shooting naked bullets or PP bullets with BB in 38-55 please share your ideas and loads with me.

    I though that a lot of BPCR matches were won with 32-40 and 38-55 rifles but after a week and no one has shared any info with me I must have been mistaken?!

[jeff]

Tough question, while I do shoot the 38-55, it's in a singleshot and I don't use Black powder.  I do shoot BP in 43 Spanish, 43 Mauser, 45-70 and 50-70.  I recall that there was lots of discussion on the 38-55 and other 38's for long range and black powder on the old shooters.com site.  Unfortunately that site is gone and so is the wealth of information that they had accumulated.
 
Your right about the blow tube, it works very well in a singleshot.  It's bound to be difficult in a 336 action.  Have you considered a wet patch instead of a dry one?  Wet would be more effective (messy too) in loosening hard fouling.  Better yet consider using lube formulated for BP shooting.  SPG is good for starters and some folks like to make their own home brew lube, there are several pet recipes.
 
Try posting your question on the BPCR board, there are probably folks left over from the old web site that can offer the specific information that you seek.   You should also check out your twist rate, barrel length and lube that you are using and provide that information along with your question.


see  http://groups.msn.com/BPCR

[Montana 38-55]

Thanks for the input Jeff!  

I need to clear up something in my post.  About wiping the bore with a dry patch,  Paul A. Matthews in his book, "Loading the Black Powder Rifle Cartridge" he says that the fouling should be soft enough to be removed with a single dry patch after multiple shots.  That is if you are not target shooting and cleaning after every shot.  So in short my combination of powder, lube and bullet is not working.  It was my hope that someone would offer their reloading recipe for soft fouling, i.e.; so much of a granulation of powder compressed so much with so much of a certain type of grease cookie behind a certain weight bullet either plain or paper patched.  I am using 48 grains of GEOX FFg powder compressed enough to fit 5 grains of 50/50 bee's wax-olive oil behind a 200 grain paper patched bullet and a 0.030" cereal box wad.  

I plan to try more grease cookie, different lubes and  powder brands but I am sure someone has done this before.  A helping hand would be appreciated in cutting the development time!  Time is what we all seem to have so little of.

P.S. Thanks for the group address.