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Crazy .38-55 re-bore????

taperloctaperloc Member Posts: 420 ✭✭✭
edited June 2003 in Ask the Experts
Has anyone had any experience with re-boring a .38-55 from .379 dia.
to .401 dia.? It seems that a "shot-out".38-55 barrel could be re-bored and re-chambered to .401 and .38-40 type bullet could be loaded, or perhaps a hybrid of some sort with a little more weight would work.
The base dia. of the .38-55 is .422, so the case wall thickness would have to be .010 or less. This would leave you with a very straight case. I don't know if this would lead to extraction problems.
Modern pistol cases have little or no taper, any thoughts on the subject?

Taperloc
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Comments

  • HerschelHerschel Member Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    taperloc, FWIW, about 40 years ago I had a model 1892 Winchester rifle bored out to .357 Magnum. It functions well and feeds both .357 and .38 Special cartridges through the magazine. I don't know that this example has any bearing on your question but the conversion you mention sounds feasable to me. My rifle has been fun to shoot over the years but I can't help but notice how much more it would be worth now if the conversion had never taken place.
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  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,046 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    WHAT YOU SUGEST IS POSSIBLE FOR A SINGLE SHOT BUT I DON'T THINK IT WOULD WORK WELL FOR A REPETER (WIN. 94?). THIS IS VERY CLOSE TO A .405 WIN. AND THAT AMMO IS AVAILABLE AGAIN.
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  • rhmc24rhmc24 Member Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Another one not directly addressing the issue but I had a '86 Winchester with a bad .38-56 bore. Had it rebored to .45-70 and lived happily ever after.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Very interesting idea . . . . The nominal diameter of the .38-55 at the case mouth is .393" so you would have to expand that area and the brass would be thinned slightly in the process. In a worst case scenario, you might have to ream the brass slightly. Extraction could, as you note, be an issue.

    I just spent 30 minutes looking through my references and can't seem to find a "standard" caliber of any sort which could work within the cartridge length, extractor limitations. Might be easier and cheaper simply to replace the barrel??
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  • v35v35 Member Posts: 12,710 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    This project would work but you will need a few thousandths of an inch taper in the chamber for extraction. Talk to Clymer about how little taper you can get away with at the pressures you will be operating. You will need several reamers anyway. One to do the chamber & seating die and the second to do the FL die.
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  • SP45SP45 Member Posts: 1,761 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have looked into several projects myself. Depending on the condition of the gun and what you want it to look like as a finished project it may be cheaper to have a replacement 38-55 made.
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