[Glamdring]

What kind of rifle? Do you use it for plinking, hunting, or ???

[goalie]

.375 H&H

I bought it when I was younger (just before I got married) when I wanted to be sure that, if the situation arose, I would be able to go hunting anywhere in the world, for anything that walked or crawled. It is great for elk, big enough for any bear or African game, can be loaded down for deer (I muzzle-load, but my brother has gotten whitetail with it using lighter handloaded bullets) and the recoil is noticably less that that of a .338 magnum. It has a trajectory similar to that of a 30-06 and there are many types of bullets available for handloading up to and including 300 grain solids for really big stuff.

Mine is a Remington 700. I shoot it off the bench enough to work up loads, but it really shines when hunting.

[Glamdring]

Ahem. I was asking about 38-55 or 375 Win not 375 H&H, think 30-30 brass with 375 bullet usually 220-250 grain at less than 1900 fps.

[Coot]

Don't yet have a .38-55 but would really like one...don't much care for the new Marlins w/their round bolt and ubiquitous checkering.

[Glamdring]

I am looking at singles. Probably a TC Contender Carbine till I can afford a Dakota. Might get a NEF instead of the Contender, not sure yet how hard it would be to get NEF in 375 Win or 38-55.

[goalie]

Ooops, same bullet diameter, not quite the same speed. :D

I still love my .375 H&H though. :)

[Okiecruffler]

I'm on a serious hunt for a .375 barrel for my Contender, I have a thing for straight wall cartridges. But those barrels tend to draws a premium price. If you get yours before I get mine, please do a range report.

[Art Eatman]

I bought a commemorative Winchester in .38-55 that had been shot. Good price. :) Anyhow, I meddled around with some reloading, mostly for plinking. But, even full-power stuff wasn't a lot of recoil.

The trajectory is definitely on the basketball side of things. Offhand, I'd call it a good deer cartridge, out to maybe 150 yards or so. Probably put a lot of hurt on a black bear.

Art

[Jim Watson]

Since April, I have been shooting BPCR-MS (Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Metallic Silhouette) with a Winchester Single Shot ("Highwall") .38-55. Lots of fun but very demanding handloading and bullet casting. And 500 meters through peep and globe sights is a loooong way.

[Mike Irwin]

One of my "going to have one of these days" guns is a Savage 1899 in .38-55.

I've fired one of the Winchester commemoratives in .38-55. Seems to be a decent cartridge.

[Coot]

What are the prices on the Win Commemoratives?When were they made? I see they were recently offering one, but the list price (new) was a bit shocking...

[sebago]

I picked up a used Marlin in .375 WCF about a dozen years ago. As soon as I saw it I had to have it. I have yet to use it on game but maybe some day. :)

[JBP]

__________________________________________________________
I'm on a serious hunt for a .375 barrel for my Contender, I have a thing for straight wall cartridges. But those barrels tend to draws a premium price. If you get yours before I get mine, please do a range report.
__________________________________________________________
Don't know what kind of Contender frame you have but Ed's Contenders (http://www.edstc.com/edstc/14ssbull.html) has a 14" ss bull barrel for $175.

Definetely a reloaders firearm as ammo is hard to come by and expensive. I've just scoffed up some on sale for $15 & $17 per box including shipping so I'm good for a couple of more years. Straight shooting round with accuracy equal to what I get with my 30/30 Winchester and 35 Remington barrels (but with a bit more recoil. Shooting gloves are a must).

[prism]

http://glocks.com/50/thumbs/marlin375_101crop_s.jpg (http://glocks.com/50/marlin375_101crop_s.jpg)

[Art Eatman]

Coot, the Winchester Commemorative market is rather specialized. I've never cared much for that sort of collecting...

I ran across a Chief Joseph commem that had been shot; the guy was tight for money, and I got it for half of the "Issue" price at $300...

Original lever actions in .38-55 can be pretty pricey, though. It's hard to believe some of the prices being asked for old, beat-up 94s. 92s are even worse.

Art

[six 4 sure]

I too have been on the lookout for a 38-55. The problem I’ve run into is I really want on in a Win 94, but Winchester doesn’t seem to want to make one that isn’t of the “special edition” type. I seen a couple of those and just don’t care for them, to much artsy fartsy and gaudy crap tacked on for my taste. I guess it’s too much to ask for Winchester to offer the 94 in the caliber it was originally chambered.

The gun I’ve been leaning toward now is the NEF Target Model Rifle. I was hoping for a repeater, but a single shot might have to hold me over.

[Okiecruffler]

I was looking at that very barrel at Ed's just a few weeks ago.Good looking barrel, but I'm hoping to find a blued barrel. I figure I'll give it a few more months, have some other projects in the fire anyway, then if I haven't found one and Ed still has his I'll snatch it up.

[Coot]

As I can't seem to find any affordable .38-55's (lever guns), I've considered picking up a pre-64 Win and have it rebarreled in .38-55.

Has anyone here tried that? Was just looking at a couple of well-worn '94's that had mid-three hundred prices...is that the going rate?

[Art Eatman]

Coot, I've seen really old 94s in that range and even higher, but the Type IIs of the WW II but pre-64 era should maybe run 250 to 300. (I usually err on the low side.) I forget: Are the rim diameters the same as the .30-30?

If you do find something suitable and not over-priced, you can try some of the gun parts outfits for a barrel...

Art

[Mike Irwin]

"Are the rim diameters the same as the .30-30?"

IIRC should be within a few hundredths.

The .30-30 and .25-25 were both based on the .38-55/.32-40 necked down an slightly shortened.