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38-55 in375Win.
Redtail
Member Posts: 155 ✭✭✭
I have a Marlin 336 chambered for 375Win.A friend gave me several hundred factory loaded rounds of 38-55 and told me they were perfactly safe to shoot in my 375.They chamber.cycle and eject fine but I haven't fired one yet.WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY???
Comments
IMHO, you may get away with it but I wouldn't try it.
The bullet diameter of the 38-55 is 0.379 and the 375 Winchester is 0.375. Also the case length, neck diameter, base diameter, rim diameter, and OAL are also different.
From a practical standpoint, the 38-55 would be best suited for a 1:18 twist and the 375 would be best with a 1:12. It may end up that the 38-55 cartridges will lead up the bore of your rifle and turn out not to be very accurate.
Regards,
Heavyiron
Good luck and stay safe[:)]
Modern (1978 and later) 38-55 ammo is factory loaded with a .375 bullet, and it is safe to shoot in a rifle/carbine that is factory chambered for the .375 Win cartridge. The 35-88 is a much lower pressure cartridge than the .375 Winchester, so the warning statement about saami pressure is bogus. Conversely, a .375 Winchester should never be fired in a 38-55 chambered firearm, as the saami pressure is indeed too high.
Now, and to throw a kink in the discussion, it is not a good idea to shoot old 38-55 ammo in a modern (post 1950) made gun. As was pointed out by heavyiron, the old (original) 38-55 cartridge was loaded with a nominal bullet diameter of .378-.379. Modern firearms have a .375 bore. Conversely, shooting modern manufactured 38-55 ammo in and old (original) Winchester, Marlin, Savage, or Ballard is not unsafe, but it will have very poor accuracy (.375 bullet in a .379 bore).
Personally, I would have no problem shooting the 38-55 ammo you were give with the gun as long as it is modern manufactured ammo.
WACA Historian & Life Member
Take care
Bert, I was just posting the information on the SAMMI page.
Take care
Like every other website, it seems that there are always a few minor errors.
The modern manufactured 38-55 ammo is loaded to the same pressure as the ammo loaded 100-years ago. Keep in mind that the original 38-55 Ballard cartridge (adopted by Winchester in the year 1885) was blackpowder. Circa 1896, it was factory loaded by Winchester (and several other makers like UMC) with smokeless powder at blackpowder presssures. Circa 1915, Winchester loaded it in a "W.H.V." (Winchester High Velocity) load, and specifically marked the boxes "For Winchester Model 1894 and Single Shot Rifles Only". Due to liability issues, Winchester discontinued the W.H.V. ammo in the late 1920s (ignorant or stupide people who did not bother to read the directions on the box). Since that time, Winchester has always loaded the 38-55 to low pressure (so that it would be safe in any firearm that could chamber & fire it). Winchester did the exact same thing with the 32-40, 44-40, 38-40, and 32-20 cartridges.
WACA Historian & Life Member
I have taken 38-55 ammo and pulled the bullets, trimmed the cases to the same length as 375 and reassembled them. The shoot fine but about 12" low at 25'. I have a model 94 and the iron sights are regulated for the 375 loads. This cartridge has never been a minute of angle round in either of the rifles that I own. Even with cast bullets and reduced loads it's not that acurate.
I have fired some reduced cast 375 loads in a 38-55 savage. They worked OK but not as accurate as the 38-55 loads.