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Yesterday I picked up (locally) a box of Sierra .375 Pro-Hunter 200 grain flat point bullets. I have them in mind for my .38-55’s here. I generally shoot cast bullets but I do dabble with jacketed bullets. As I think about it, I’ve never loaded a jacketed bullet in a .38-55. And, come to think of it, I could try them in either my Winchester or Marlin .38-56. Any experience with this bullet (or similar) in a .38-55? Or a .38-56.
By the way, I was pleased with the price I paid. I started to look around for this same bullet at the various distributors and found, “out of stock” is the phrase of the day. I took a peek at gunbroker and there was an auction for one box (that started at $1) that ended last night. After watching this auction end, it occurred to me that I need to make room for my box of bullets in the safe:
November 7, 2015
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Crazy price, if that is an indicator of the true value of components many of us have invested well! Let us know how they shoot.
Mike
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TXGunNut said
Crazy price, if that is an indicator of the true value of components many of us have invested well! Let us know how they shoot.
Mike
True value? Steve should notify the underbidder that he has a box he’ll sell for $5 less than the GB price. My hunch–no response.
And if you think the bullet price is crazy………. I was in one of the large box store home improvement centers and I was shopping for a few electrical components to install an outside receptacle for a generator. A 25 foot roll of 10-3 wire was $94, A 1000 foot roll of 12-2 was $1046, a single ten foot stick of 3/4″ copper tubing was $36. Absolutely ridiculous!! I almost feel sorry for someone building a new home………
Erin
I have heard similar price stories from people doing renovations and updates on their homes.
On the topic of what these bullets should cost – here is the price were they actually, “in stock”:
Erin Grivicich said I almost feel sorry for someone building a new home………
If they’ve got the money to do that, they ain’t hurtin’ much.
steve004 said
Yesterday I picked up (locally) a box of Sierra .375 Pro-Hunter 200 grain flat point bullets. I have them in mind for my .38-55’s here. I generally shoot cast bullets but I do dabble with jacketed bullets. As I think about it, I’ve never loaded a jacketed bullet in a .38-55. And, come to think of it, I could try them in either my Winchester or Marlin .38-56. Any experience with this bullet (or similar) in a .38-55? Or a .38-56.By the way, I was pleased with the price I paid. I started to look around for this same bullet at the various distributors and found, “out of stock” is the phrase of the day. I took a peek at gunbroker and there was an auction for one box (that started at $1) that ended last night. After watching this auction end, it occurred to me that I need to make room for my box of bullets in the safe:
Steve, have you slugged your barrel? Most 38-55’s I’ve loaded for use a bullet larger than the .375″.
Chuck said
Steve, have you slugged your barrel? Most 38-55’s I’ve loaded for use a bullet larger than the .375″.
Very true, & though I’ve tried swaged bullets of .380″, I had better results (contrary to theoretical considerations) with jacketed .375 bullets because they were (I guess) more uniform. If you’ve now got to pay $1+ each for jacketed bullets, better save them for your elk or buffalo hunt.
clarence said
Chuck said
Steve, have you slugged your barrel? Most 38-55’s I’ve loaded for use a bullet larger than the .375″.
Very true, & though I’ve tried swaged bullets of .380″, I had better results (contrary to theoretical considerations) with jacketed .375 bullets because they were (I guess) more uniform. If you’ve now got to pay $1+ each for jacketed bullets, better save them for your elk or buffalo hunt.
I have not slugged the bore(s). I think if I were a bullet caster and purchasing my own molds, I would go through the effort. For me, it’s not worth the hassle because it doesn’t tell me what I need to know. That is, it doesn’t tell me how a particular bullet will shoot in my rifle. It surely provides clues in that regard, but it doesn’t tell me for sure. Clarence’s report is illustrative of this. If his bore is around .379, the .375 jackets bullets shouldn’t shoot well at all – yet they do.
I wouldn’t waste the .375 jacketed bullets on plinking, but I would use them for some testing – just to see how they shoot in my various .38-55 and .38-56 rifles. One box of 50 is more than enough to test them all. Now, I just need some non-freezing weather to do this!
If they do happen to shoot well, getting more looks problematic. I see the Midsouth ad says they are not only out of stock but not available for back order. Discontinued?
Finally, let me expand this topic. I’d be interesting in hearing about any .38-55 or .38-56 experiences with any brand jacketed bullet.
Steve, You asked, so you bear responsibility here! Most of my shooting in the .38-55 caliber is through a modern remake of the single shot, by Miroku. The bore is glass smooth and the rifle is quite accurate. MOST of my shooting is with my cast lead bullets of 312 grains from an RCBS silhouette mould, sized .378 diameter. I would like to size to .379 but the chamber would require reaming or outside neck turning the brass while I get by with the .378 diameter as is. But, I do occasionally shoot Hornady jacketed weighing 220 grains and .375 diameter. Some of my tightest 200 yard groups are with this bullet, yet the groove diameter of the rifle is .378. I also shoot a few of the Barnes Originals in 255 grains weight and ..377 diameter. They have the ooomph to take down the ram at 300 yards, but not the accuracy of the Hornady bullet previously mentioned. The 220 grain bullet lacks the ooomph to consistently take down the ram at longer range nor the buffalo at any range. My 312 grain silhouette bullets are slow, but the weight is generally enough for the buffalo for any hit at any range we shoot. I mete out my jacketed bullets quite sparingly anymore as haven’t been willing to pay the prices BEFORE the supply dried up. In truth, I haven’t shot a jacketed bullet in the last several silhouette matches, and beginning to stay with cast lead only of late. Tim
tim tomlinson said
Steve, You asked, so you bear responsibility here! Most of my shooting in the .38-55 caliber is through a modern remake of the single shot, by Miroku. The bore is glass smooth and the rifle is quite accurate. MOST of my shooting is with my cast lead bullets of 312 grains from an RCBS silhouette mould, sized .378 diameter. I would like to size to .379 but the chamber would require reaming or outside neck turning the brass while I get by with the .378 diameter as is. But, I do occasionally shoot Hornady jacketed weighing 220 grains and .375 diameter. Some of my tightest 200 yard groups are with this bullet, yet the groove diameter of the rifle is .378. I also shoot a few of the Barnes Originals in 255 grains weight and ..377 diameter. They have the ooomph to take down the ram at 300 yards, but not the accuracy of the Hornady bullet previously mentioned. The 220 grain bullet lacks the ooomph to consistently take down the ram at longer range nor the buffalo at any range. My 312 grain silhouette bullets are slow, but the weight is generally enough for the buffalo for any hit at any range we shoot. I mete out my jacketed bullets quite sparingly anymore as haven’t been willing to pay the prices BEFORE the supply dried up. In truth, I haven’t shot a jacketed bullet in the last several silhouette matches, and beginning to stay with cast lead only of late. Tim
Tim – thank you for taking the time to describe your experience.
You mentioned your single shot rifle made by Miroku with a glass smooth bore. This reminds me that I forgot to mention one of the reasons I was drawn to shooting the jacketed bullets in my old rifles. That is, these old rifles usually don’t have glass smooth bores. Often, far from it. And as we know, jacketed bullets often perform better than lead bullets in less than excellent bores.
Another aspect I should have referenced is that selecting the best bullet for a particular bore is not the entire equation. The specific powder selected, how much powder, the brand of primer, the seating depth, how much crimp and so on, can (sometimes) have a substantial impact on accuracy. A fair number of bullets can be gone through as these variables are tested. What I will likely do is load up batches of 20 and test five shot groups in two .38-55 and two .38-56 rifles. I would add in the two M1895 .38-72 rifles, but a couple decades of looking has yet to turn up a set of dies.
tim tomlinson said I would like to size to .379 but the chamber would require reaming or outside neck turning the brass while I get by with the .378 diameter as is.
I went through that yrs ago, but considered it a poor investment of time & trouble, at least with original guns having less than perfect bores. I even bought a Clymer reamer intending to open up the chamber, but lost my nerve before I used it.
Steve, I usually don’t re-load with a jacketed bullet so I don’t have much experience with them except in my hunting and target rifles. I have heard on more than one occasion that the undersized jacketed bullets shoot well in our old barrels. Believe me I spend weeks developing target loads. All the factors you mentioned have to be taken into consideration and a handful more. Sometimes with my best effort I find that no matter what I do the barrel just doesn’t like what I am doing. My 6.5 CM loves the Lapua bullets and the Hornady ELD-M bullets I am shooting. The 308 likes the Sierra Match Kings but not the Hornady ELD Ms so much. Even the most expensive match grade bullets only sell for about .55 a piece max. But I don’t shoot anything heavier than a 168 grain.
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