38/55 brass from 30-30?

[rcmodel]

Anyone fire-forming or neck expanding 30-30 brass to make 38/55?

A buddy has a Chiappa Mini-Sharps on order, and I have a .50 cal ammo can full of once fired 30-30 brass.

Any experiance or tips welcome!

rc

 

[Edarnold]

38/55 from 30-30

Must not be any old guys reading this forum...

Yes, you can fireform your brass to 38-55, but it's a bit of work. One way is to expand the the mouth of the case enough to take a .375 lead bullet, then fireform with a recommended full charge of a fairly fast-burning powder (maybe 4227 in this case) Downside is you will need to get a tapered expanding plug for your loading dies, which may cost more than the savings from using the 30-30 brass.

Another method, from the classic 'Cartridge Conversions' by George Nonte, needs nothing in equipment but powder and breakfast cereal.

1. Prime your case
2. Add a small charge of Bullseye powder
3. Tamp a bit of tissue paper ontop the powder
4. Fill the case almost to the top with Cream of Wheat or cornmeal
5. Seal the case with a plug of bullet lube or paraffin wax
6. Chamber and fire

The filler material lets the pressure build, and helps transmit it to the inside of the case before the whole works gets blown out the muzzle. According to Nonte, your 30-30 cases will come up about 0.08" short compared to factory 38-55, which makes no bother in a low pressure number like this one.

Nonte cites a charge of 10gr. of Bullseye to fireform .219 Zipper to Improved, or 16gr. to fireform 30-06 brass to Ackley. This is definitely a situation in which to start low and work up cautiously, since you can develop dangerous pressures with this type of load. I wouldn't use any slower or harder to ignite powder than Bullseye, you don't want the powder gasses to get outside the case while the pressures are still high, or you could collapse the case. Not dangerous, but messy.

Once you have your formed cases in hand, from my own experience I can recommend bullets in the 255 to 300gr. range, with an appropriate charge of a powder like IMR 4227 (see the Lyman Lead handbook), for a clean shooting and accurate load. Seat the bullets as far out as his gun permits, you want to get the bullet into the lands before things go boom. If you are punching paper, you don't need a lot of velocity, maybe 1,100 to 1,300 fps. Tune the load carefully to his gun, and minute-of-angle accuracy is not unreasonable.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

rc, from what I remember about fire forming that brass be sure to anneal the 30-30's first or you might lose more than a few. They will end up a little short originally but will still work alright. An old-timer I knew who did some way back when used Red Dot but I'm sure any powder on the fast side will be just fine...

 

[ReloaderFred]

I've always used Red Dot and corn meal for fireforming brass from one caliber to another. As noted, the thin .30-30 case will probably benefit from a light annealing prior to fireforming, and they will come out a little short.

They will work for .38-55, but I shoot .375 Winchester, which is a higher pressure loading than the .38-55, plus a little longer, so the .30-30 brass didn't work well for that application.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1390148313/winchester-brass-38-55-wcf

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/17820

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...topics/5413567/Re_Sizing_30_30_or_375_win_bra

 

[ArchAngelCD]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1390148313/winchester-brass-38-55-wcf

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/17820

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...topics/5413567/Re_Sizing_30_30_or_375_win_bra

And how does this post help with the question asked by the OP?

Did you not see the man has a 50 Cal can full of 30-30 brass he wants to use?

 

[powell&hyde]

I also use 375 win brass for the 38-55, no need for fire forming, just resize the case with your 38-55 die set.

 

[TonyT]

I used to use the method posted by Edarnold. The resulting cases will be a bit shorter than the standard 38-55. Recently I purchased a batch of Starline original length 38-55 cases.

 

[rcmodel]

Thanks for the good info everyone!!

I was thinking annealing, cream of wheat, & Red Dot or Bullsye.
Or make a tapered expander on the lathe for getting his die expander started in it.

I'll see what he wants to do when the rifle gets here.

rc

 

[rcmodel]

Well we got this all figured out.

My friend bought 100 new Starline cases before I got a chance to make some for him.

And his new $1,000+ Mini Sharps broke the investment cast firing pin pusher on the 7th. shot.

SO, he and his 38/55 is waiting on a parts shipment from somewhere in the world as we speak!

rc

 

[FROGO207]

Don't you just love the "new and improved" methods of manufacture. I might offer that it sounds like he needs to buy a spare or two besides the replacment. Well at least he cant blame you for using incorrect brass and causing it.