Thinking of getting started in a little reloading for .38-55 Winchester

[Green Lantern]

I've never really had much of an interest in handloading. Space is an issue, and I don't really shoot a lot volume-wise.

But I do have a neat old .38-55 lever gun...and ammo for it is crazy-expensive. The last I bought, in between the panic-buying sprees of 2008 and 2013, was $2.75 a round. And upon inspection, the rounds looked like they'd been sitting on a shelf for 15 years or so. Some of the original rounds that Dad had left over when he first bought the gun THIRTY YEARS AGO looked better!

I'm not talking about cranking out enough rounds to make myself a legend in the shooting sports, and single-handedly revive interest in the .38-55 (though it would be cool if SOMEONE could!). Just enough to where I can enjoy the rifle and not flinch every time I pull the trigger - not from recoil but from the cost! And also let others shoot the gun and get to enjoy some firearms history....which is also an extension of me enjoying the rifle.

So I guess questions would be:

-What would be a decent setup for someone in my shoes, and about how much of a cost might I be looking at?

-I'm aware from the chatter that guns and loaded ammo aren't the only things in short supply...have I looked at a really crummy time to consider taking up reloading in terms of availability of components?

The most factory loaded .38-55 I've ever seen was just last week in a local store - naturally, I was looking for .357 mag, which they had not a one. If needed components are in as short supply as a lot of other things, I guess I'll have to grit my teeth and buy some (but you bet I'm gonna INSPECT them first this time!), and hope for someone to do something to revive interest in the round to where the ammo companies sit up and take notice....

 

[788Ham]

To answer part of your question : The reloading of that cartridge would be awesome for you. I've got a Win. .375, similar, but not quite the same cartridge, its a kick in the drawers to shoot! I've got about 8 boxes reloaded, love to take mine to the range, everyone who sees it wants a turn at it ! Ha I shoot 220 gr. flat point Hornady's. A reloading press, scale, dies, everything to get you started will cost you about $300 +, if you go fancy with the press and dies. I got started reloading about 40 years ago, so I can't really give you a "today's price" range quote, sorry. Once you get started, you'll have more fun than imaginable. Good luck.

 

[Edarnold]

Depending on the age of the rifle you are loading for, you would do well to use cast lead bullets rather than jacketed bullets in your loads: much easier on old soft steel barrels, and shoots just as well in a low velocity round like the 38-55. Search online for '38-55 bullets' and should find several commercial suppliers of these bullets in .379 diameter.
For the low volume you are planning on producing, you should be able to use the Lee starting level kit, which should be way less than $300.
Another worthwhile online search would be for 'Cowboy Action' loaded ammunition, can't say for sure if this is one the available calibers but it's worth checking.

 

[Kernel]

Lee die set:

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690762

Lee hand press:

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690180

Lee dipper set (optional, but highly recommended):

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=0000690100

A box of bullets, a can of powder, some primers. Your loading .38-55, as good as anything factory made, for something around $90 in equipment.

Keep and reuse the brass you have. That's paid for. Primers, powder, and bullets are in a very inflationary phase right now, as you know. Plus cost vary widely, anyway, depending on the specifics and quantity of what you buy.

A pound of powder will load around 200 shells. Bullets normally sell 50 per box for jacketed. Caste bullets are usually sold in some multiple of 100. Primers are 100 a box, 1000 a case. Hard to say your cost for those three items. I’d guess you’d be shelling out something around $70 to get started.

$160 could get you a pretty decent setup to start off, and it’s all stuff you could continue to use even as you upgrade later on. Just guessing, but your cost per round, for the first 200, not counting equipment, around 50 cents.

 

[warhwkbb]

Midway has Lee 38-55 dies in stock. http://www.midwayusa.com/find?users...onids=4294846304&newcategorydimensionid=11913
Buffalo Arms has cast .379 bullets. http://www.buffaloarms.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=157103&CAT=4136
All you need is powder, primers, scale and a used press. But most important, a good reloading book or two; Speer, Lyman, Hornady etc...

 

[Green Lantern]

Thanks, lots of good info!

The gun I have is a Winchester "Chief Crazy Horse" tribute - already fired before I ever laid hands on it. So it's not exactly vintage "old West," but if lead bullets would still be easier on it's barrel than jacketed, that works for me.

I remember seeing some "Cowboy" .38-55 rounds online a while back...not sure if they weren't that much better on price or if they were just out of stock...A quick check at Midway, Brownells, and Sportsmans Guide shows they're out of stock now at any rate.

***So...there are a lot of reloading manuals out there. Would any one be better than another, as far as my round of choice goes?

***Also, suggestions/how-tos for cleaning brass? I know they make tumblers, but for the low volume I would be working with, seems a bit excessive.

 

[snakeman]

I believe the 38-55 was a marlin ballard cartridge not a winchester proprietary

 

[4895]

There is an article in the JUNE 2013 issue of Shooting Times magazine featuring Winchester 94 rifles including the .38-55 WCF cartridge. The author used a Barnes 220 grain bullet with 35.0 grains of IMR-3031 for a muzzle velocity of 1832 fps.

The LEE hand press is ok if you want to use it but that may change based upon your hand/arm strength. I feel that the LEE Reloader single stage press is a better option if you can cut a piece of wood to attach it to then C-Clamp it to a table or something like that.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/807734/lee-reloader-single-stage-press

The basics will cost you less than $140 but bullets will be a bit spendy. I would start with IMR-3031 powder ($25/lb.) and 100 rifle primers ($4/100).

If you want to, you could get the LEE Anniversary kit:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/42...reech-lock-single-stage-press-anniversary-kit

and add a die set:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/761712/lee-steel-3-die-set-38-55-wcf?cm_cat=Cart&cm_pla=ProductDesc

and a case length trimmer:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/37...lder-38-55-wcf?cm_cat=Cart&cm_pla=ProductDesc

You will outgrow the LEE kit if you get the reloading bug, but it will take some time. The LEE kit works well and all you would need is a small piece of plywood you can buy at HomeDepot from their 'scrap' pile and have them but it in half. Two pieces about 12" by 8" that are screw together can be used to mount the press and powder measure. It can then be C-Clamped to a table or even a TV tray if you wish. If fact, a TV tray might even work well for the press. Good luck.

 

[Green Lantern]

Well, I'm slowly getting my feet wet! I checked to make sure I had a local source for powder and primers - between the hazmat fees and stories of UPS making customers drive to the "nearest" depot and pick them up, I didn't want to go that route...

Though the brick-and-mortar guys had never heard of a .379 bullet, so I have some on order from the link. Also got the hand press, dies (lucky I snagged them when I did, sold out today!), dipper set, ABCs of reloading and a Lee reloading manual.

Good thing I did pick up the dipper set too...the data does not indicate any loads over 1.6ccs, but the dipper that came with the dies was the 2.2cc size...

Hopefully will get to go to the local store tomorrow to grab primers and powder...and I guess bullet lube? Also trying to check multiple sources of load data, to make sure I'll have something to go by assuming that they'll not have every single kind of powder in stock.

ETA: I gave my whopping six cases I have so far a bath in a vinegar/water/salt/Dawn mix...and some of 'em came out with some pink spots. Especially one of the older ones which had a lot of tarnish on it.

The last time I saw pink on a case was when I bought up a lot of DAG/MEN surplus 7.62x51 from around 1993-1995. I followed some advice on another forum, and confirmed it by pulling the bullet out of one round with a major whitish-pink spot and saw that it was indeed eating through the case...

Now I don't see any such damage on my .38-55 brass. I've read a gamut of opinions on the interweb, ranging from "it's a sign that the brass has had the zinc leeched out, do not use!" to "perfectly normal and fine." Well, what say you, High Road?

 

[Lost Sheep]

***Also, suggestions/how-tos for cleaning brass? I know they make tumblers, but for the low volume I would be working with, seems a bit excessive.

Wipe them down with a soft cloth. What do you think the guys in the old west did? Buffalo hunters went through a lot of lead powder and primers and would reload brass around the campfire (YIKES!) after the days work was done.

Some folks toss them in a bucket with soap and water, slosh them around for a while then rinse and dry. Some recommend a little vinegar, but NEVER use anything with ammonia. Ammonia reacts chemically with the brass.

Lost Sheep

 

[Green Lantern]

Check on avoiding ammonia. Saw a thread on another board about whether or not Dawn had it in there (apparently not, at least "regular" Dawn). I'm starting to think that maybe equal parts water and vinegar in my little mix may have been too much vinegar?

Good points about the old days too...'ABCs...' and Lee's book are running together, I forget which one laid out a post-battle scene in a Western frontier home as it related to reloading. It talked about how not a lot had changed, except one of the biggies was that these days getting your wife to help you reload can be a challenge...

 

[Don McDowell]

You can get by fairly well reloading that with a lee hand press, a hand priming tool and a set of rcbs "cowboy" dies.
A lyman 49 reloading manual will have plenty of data, but if you're going to shoot smokeless, AA 5744, and Imr 4198 both work well.
Cast bullets will be your best route as the only jacketed bullets will be available from either Barnes or Hawk and those will set you back a chunk.
Check with Cheycast.com , Montana bullet works, and google up Big Sky Components in Miles City mt. He doesn't have a web site but is pretty good about answering the phone and casts a good bullet. (there is no hazmat fee on shipping bullets and empty cartridge cases)
Winchester and Starline both make the brass, but if you've been shooting factory loads you should have a good supply on hand.