The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Double Rifles My .38-55 DR =s .375 2 1/2" NE. **New photo of100 yard targets posted in last threadGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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| One of Us |
A couple of weeks ago I finished regulating and load development for the .38-55 "S" cartridge double rifle that I discussed back in the Spring of this year in the topic of shoe lump barrels. (I do not know how to copy the address of this post and place it here as this site software does not have a "edit" box). I spent 2-3 months developing the .38-55 S cartridge load( "S" is for "on Steriods"), which gives me 2,000 fps using a "great deal" of IMR 3031, 22.5 inch barrels-.367/.377 bore/grove, and a Barnes .375" 255 grains weight flat nose bullet. (Hawk .377" 255 grains bullet works just as well also) The brass is Starline 2.125" and the chamber is reamed for .38-55 McPherson. The chamber pressure is knocking on the door of maximum allowable. However, the shoe lump barrel diameter at the breech is 1.150" of 4140 alloy steel. My quick load program says that I am in the ball bark, but maybe sitting in the outfield bleachers. The DR is regulated for 100 yards and produces 1 inch to 1 5/8 inch side by side holes in the target, which is about the same as it does at 50 yards. The rifle is in the white and I have started engraving it and hope to black the barrels within the next two weeks. However, I cannot decide what to engrave on the barrels as the cartridge caliber. It is not a regular .38-55, nor is it a Buffalo Bore Heavy .38-55--they are not super accurate in the DR as the chamber is too long for them. I have thought of naming it several titles including .38-55 3031 Express: .38-55 Special; .38-55 McPherson Express; as well as .377 x 2.125" Express. What name suggestions do you fellow DR fans have? | ||
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If it's yours, put your name on it: .38-55 Transvaal Or, you can name it with a fancy name like so many today. Some cartridges, rifles, and bullets have the most idiotic names on them: .38-55 Headhunter. You can name it after the first game you shoot with it: .38-55 Eland. And, if shooting blanks or just inaccurate: .38-55 Biebs. Cheers, and have fun. Cal _______________________________ Cal Pappas, Willow, Alaska www.CalPappas.com www.CalPappas.blogspot.com 1994 Zimbabwe 1997 Zimbabwe 1998 Zimbabwe 1999 Zimbabwe 1999 Namibia, Botswana, Zambia--vacation 2000 Australia 2002 South Africa 2003 South Africa 2003 Zimbabwe 2005 South Africa 2005 Zimbabwe 2006 Tanzania 2006 Zimbabwe--vacation 2007 Zimbabwe--vacation 2008 Zimbabwe 2012 Australia 2013 South Africa 2013 Zimbabwe 2013 Australia 2016 Zimbabwe 2017 Zimbabwe 2018 South Africa 2018 Zimbabwe--vacation 2019 South Africa 2019 Botswana 2019 Zimbabwe vacation 2021 South Africa 2021 South Africa (2nd hunt a month later) ______________________________ | |||
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Sounds like a really good rifle. I have long thought that a double in .38-55 would be a really neat set up. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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| One of Us |
I rather like the "377 X 2.125 Express" Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me". John 14:6 | |||
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Thanks gentlemen; I neglected to include above that the DR weighs 8 lbs. 5 ounces; and with its Leupold 2-7x Ultralight scope weights a total of 9 lbs. 2 ounces. Balance point is 1 inch front of hinge pin. Trigger pulls are l 1/4 lbs. right and 1 3/4 lbs. left; and I added safety intercepting sears to each side lock, with such light pulls. CZ Brno sidelock action of 1963 vintage. | |||
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Cal, you are on top of your game this morning!  Transvaal, this is a very, very cool project. I think you should call it the .38-55 Ballard Nitro Express. I have a Lee Metford that is soon to be rebored to .375 2 1/2 Flanged NE. Useful performance. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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I second this. | |||
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I would go with "38-55 EXPRESS" " .... you never pay too much for something, you only buy it too early .... " How to Hunt Wisconsin Whitetail Deer with a Cannon How to Hunt Feral Cats with a Mortar | |||
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It would be CALIBRE 38 2 1/8. They didn't use decimals way back then and they spelt caliber the backwards way. Unless you want to copy an English nomenclature, then you know what to do. I an wondering why you didn't choose a .375 barrel. Please post pictures of it. You mentioned the OD of your barrels; that is not important with 4140 steel; your limit is the frame and bolting system of your action. | |||
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I second Mr. Dpcd's motion with this very English sounding name. 38 2 1/8 Nitro Express sounds right to me. However,you cannot be wrong when naming your rifle. | |||
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.....You mentioned the OD of your barrels; that is not important with 4140 steel; your limit is the frame and bolting system of your action.[/QUOTE] The European,C.I.P., proof authorities believe the thickness of 4140 steel is important; and they specify the min thickness of rifle and shotgun barrels using it, as well as other alloy steels. It seems to me that stating that it is NOT important is irresponsible. | |||
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Ok, then not nearly as important as your action strength. You know what I mean. You will never be able to blow a 1.1 inch 4140 tube, but you will be able to stretch your frame. The shank of 30 cal machine gun barrels is only .875; those don't blow up. Many other examples; Hatcher turned a 30-06 barrel OD down to 1/8th inch thick wall over the chamber; it finally cracked after firing some proof loads. Too early in the morning to call me irresponsible. Please put the address of your old thread here; just highlight it and copy, then paste it here. | |||
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http://forums.accuratereloadin...401073022#9401073022 I see now that since you didn't make the action,, of course you need to match the barrels to it, hence the 1.1 OD. Oh, I forgot the best example; the Krieghoff double has chamber ODs of .885, and mine hasn't blown up yet . With the .500 NEs in them, they get some pretty thin chamber walls. You do nice work, BTW. | |||
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dp; Thanks for your responses. How did you include the URL address for the post and threads that I made earlier about shoe lump barrels? I have searched the help section of Accurate Reloading to learn how to do it with no avail. I can post photos using the info from the help section, but the URL is a mystery http://i1339.photobucket.com/a...SL67_zpsqxn10n0x.jpg | |||
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Id love to see how you retrofitted intercepting sears. http://www.facebook.com/profil...p?id=100001646464847 A.M. Little Bespoke Gunmakers LLC 682-554-0044 Michael08TDK@yahoo.com | |||
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is this what u r trying to do  Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Yes, it is what I was trying to do. Thank you very much. I can't remember how I posted photos directly in the past and cannot find clear instruction how to do so. Thanks for your kindness. | |||
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No problem... also here is the link to your old thread about shoe lump barrels... http://forums.accuratereloadin...401073022#9401073022 Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Aaron Little: Id love to see how you retrofitted intercepting sears. Aaron; The tumbler was annealed and 3/16" 0-1 stud threaded (6-32)into the tumbler. I re-hardened the tumbler and left the 0-1 stud soft. I hardened the other parts. Takes a bit of measuring to locate the drill hole for the intercepting sear pivot stud, in order that the sear and pivot stud will not bind with mainspring.   | |||
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Very nice, I'd call it 38-55 Transvaal or 38-55 Express, engrave an eland or kudu. NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS. Shoot & hunt with vintage classics. | |||
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I'm a bit confused. So, the case is a regular 38-55 but you have regulated it for a faster velocity? Reminds me of the old 400/350 and the 350No.2 differentiation. The No.2 using a lighter bullet at a higher speed but using the same case as the 400/350. If this is what you are talking about, then I propose that rather than engraving a new cartridge name on the barrel, you could mark the load info on the barrel flats as was done on my Westley 350No.2  | |||
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Huvius; No, I do not use regular .38-55 cases. I use the longer (2.125")of the .38-55 McPherson cartridge, and chamber reamed the barrels to that cartridge. | |||
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That's cool. Could be just like my gun's flats. Maybe: 38-55 Mc.P 2.125" IMR 3031 XX(charge) - 255gr. max And maybe another lighter 75% rule load that regulates as well. | |||
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Given that chambering, why not mark the caliber as: 38-55 2-1/8 EXPRESS and as huvius said, perhaps stamp the barrel flats as: 38-55 2.125" 40GRS N.C. 255GRS MAX My 360 EX Daniel Fraser Double rifle was stamped as follows when it was re-chambered and re-proofed as a 9.3x74R. 9.3 X 74 MM R 60GRS N.C. 285GRS BALL  " .... you never pay too much for something, you only buy it too early .... " How to Hunt Wisconsin Whitetail Deer with a Cannon How to Hunt Feral Cats with a Mortar | |||
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Beautiful. For those of us who need an education in this area, was the CZ action previously a shotgun? Was that why it did not have intercepting sears? Are they common on DRs? Am I correct in stating they provide additional safety from one barrel firing and the recoil causing the sear on the second barrel to release thereby having two shot almost simultaneously? Dave In 100 years who of us will care? An armed society is a polite society! Just because they say you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you. | |||
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drhall; Yes, the CZ Brno ZP-49 was a 12 gauge shotgun action. It did not have intercepting sears as it is uncommon to see them on machine made shotgun actions. DR's need these and your assumption as to why is correct, along with the need to have an extremely safe rifle in the case it is dropped while in use and so forth. | |||
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I'm a bit surprised that the original proofs weren't X'd out when rechambered. You see that done pretty often. Buck, have you posted details of that Dickson before? I'd like to see that rifle! | |||
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Hello Huvius, Thanks for the reply. Sorry, its my "Daniel Fraser" rifle, not my Dickson. I corrected my post. You may recall you commented about it back in 2012 on another forum. Its an interesting rifle. This is the rifle where I posted an X-ray of the stock to show the draw-bolt with the tang screw passing through it. Also, if you have a copy, its featured in Jonathan G. Kirton's book; Daniel Fraser Gun and Rifle Maker. (color pages section) " .... you never pay too much for something, you only buy it too early .... " How to Hunt Wisconsin Whitetail Deer with a Cannon How to Hunt Feral Cats with a Mortar | |||
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Aaron; Did you get the info you wanted from the photos and comments of the safety intercepting sears? If you need more let me know. I made the sears out of flat 0-1 and they are .057" thick and the spring wire is .015" in diameter. Steve Transvaal | |||
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Gentlemen; Thanks for your input. I like ".38-55 2-1/8" Express" of the suggestions rendered to date. | |||
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Steve, thank you for the pictures of how you made and fit the safety sear. I'll have to install them on mine when it is in the works. http://www.facebook.com/profil...p?id=100001646464847 A.M. Little Bespoke Gunmakers LLC 682-554-0044 Michael08TDK@yahoo.com | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Double Rifles My .38-55 DR =s .375 2 1/2" NE. **New photo of100 yard targets posted in last thread
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