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38-55 chamber

jogn2
I've got a model 1885 (high wall), made in 87, in 38-55. The bore slugs at about .379". I'm loading .380" bullets (it shoots pretty good) and have a difficult time chambering the round for the last 1/8". Its not the OAL as I've checked with the bullet much further out - it gets tight at the same spot. The brass chambers easily after sizing the case.
I'm not fully knowledgeable on breech seating, but did they cut the chamber tighter for that method? Also after a breech seated bullet is in place when the case is chambered does the bullet actually enter the case for a ways?
The rifle is a standard sporter - rocky mtn front sight and standard buckhorn rear (not your typical target setup) and it looks like they've been there 100 yrs.
One other thing - when you look down the breech you can see very little "lip" at the end of the chamber.
Thanks for the help
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • MIKE WISKEY
    I THINK THE PROBLEM IS MODERN BRASS IS HEAVEYER (THICKER) THAN THE ORIGINAL (1880'S) BRASS. THUS .380 BULLETS + THICKER BRASS = TIGHT FIT IN CHAMBER. TRY LOADING SOME .375 BULLETS JUST TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY. IF THIS IS THE PROBLEN YOU MIGHT TRY NECK TURNING .001 OR SO FROM YOUR BRASS.
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  • Iroquois Scout
    Another thing to check is the amount of crimp that you are useing. It may be necessary to use a lesser amount of crimp as you may be bulging the case where the brass turns into the crimping groove. Also,in many single shots it is not necessary to crimp at all. If you decide to go to a smaller bullet I would try one of .377 diameter and let the powder gas slug the bullet up to groove diameter. You may need to go to a softer bullet to do this. As was suggested,you can also turn the case necks. Another trick is once you have loaded your cases,remove the decaping rod from the sizeing die and run the loaded cartridges into the sizeing die far enough to iron out the bulge at the case mouth. You may wind up doing all of these things. I have been loading black powder cartridge rifles for over 30 years and can tell you that they are a law unto themselves. Many times what you have learned loading modern cartridges will not apply to black powder cartridges even if you are loading them with smokeless powder. As to breech seating the bullet,this technique was developed in the 1800's to seat a bullet with a bore rideing nose so that the major diameter of the bullet just touches the rifleing. The purpose was to have the bullet alined with the axis of the bore. The bore rideing section alineing the bullet and the major diameter holding it in place. This was an alternative to breech seating the loaded case and then muzzle loading the bullet through a false muzzle. The bullet does not enter the case,but sits against the case mouth. The case is closed by a lubricating disk. I hope this rather long and sometimes rambling explication will be of some help to you.
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  • fergusonmorse392
    THE BULLET YOU ARE USING SHOULD BE RIGHT. IF YOU ARE EXPANDING THE CASE NECK BEFORE SEATING>> TRY BACKING OFF DIE A LITTLE>> ALSO TRY LESS CRIMP>> A TAPERED CRIMP WOULD CURE THIS. WITH THIS RIFLE YOU COULD USE LITTLE OR NO CRIMP. IF YOU ARE BUYING OR CASTING YOUR OWN BULLETS YOU COULD TRY TO BUY .379 OR GET A SIZING DIE IN .379 RATHER THAN .380.
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  • fergusonmorse392
    quote:
    THE BULLET YOU ARE USING SHOULD BE RIGHT. IF YOU ARE EXPANDING THE CASE NECK BEFORE SEATING>> TRY BACKING OFF DIE A LITTLE>> ALSO TRY LESS CRIMP>> A TAPERED CRIMP WOULD CURE THIS. WITH THIS RIFLE YOU COULD USE LITTLE OR NO CRIMP. IF YOU ARE BUYING OR CASTING YOUR OWN BULLETS YOU COULD TRY TO BUY .379 OR GET A SIZING DIE IN .379 RATHER THAN .380.>>>>>>>>>CHECK THE OVERAL CASE LENGTH!!! YOU MAY NEED TO TRIM THE CASE LENGTH!!!SEEMS THESE DAYS MANY RELOADERS (NOT HANDLOADERS) DON'T THINK THEY NEED TO DO THIS, I.E. DILLION PROGRESSIVE PRESSES JUST RUN EM SHOOT EM.....
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  • mazo kid
    Hello, I am in agreement with much of what has been said here. Are you using modern brass? As was mentioned, this is heavier, BUT....is supposed to be a few thousandths SHORTER than the old brass. I would suggest making a chamber cast so you can see positively just what is going on. Emery
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  • mazo kid
    One other thought...coat your loaded brass with a majic marker, chamber the round, extract it and you should be able to see where the problem lies as the brass will be scraped clean at the place where the inteferance is. Emery emery
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  • jogn2
    Thanks for the input. I'm going to be looking for some older brass. I'm getting contact on only the last 1/8" of the case.
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  • Iroquois Scout
    Looking for old brass in the hopes that the neck walls are thiner is not really a good idea for an old cartridge like the .38-55. Old brass is like the girl that you pick up in a bar,you don't know where she has been or who she has been with. On the serious side the older "balloon" head cases are not nearly as strong as modern cases,you won't know if the case has been fired with a primer which contained mercury or if the case was fired with black powder and properly cleaned. Mercury in the primer makes the brass brittle,but you can't tell just by looking. If a case is fired with black powder and not properly cleaned the brass will be corroded and weakened. Sometimes you can tell by looking and sometimes you can't. Also,are you going to carry a tubeing micrometer around with you all the time in order to check the thickness of the case wall? What about the "everlasting" brass that was made for the old black powder cartridges? This was brass made with normal outside dimensions,but thicker walls which gives less internal volume. Iam not trying to beat up on you,just trying to point out some of the pitfalls of looking for old brass. Best of luck Scout
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