Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 38-55 DRT

Range: 50yds. 265gr G/C does the job again. Lots of pigs running on the place.

Nice shot John!!!!

Big pig. Nice.

Nice! but now the work begins!

"And this little piggy went wee wee wee- don't shoot me John!"

POW. "I never liked that nursery rhyme."

Good job!

I sit and wonder sometime, how many animals this old Savage has taken down in its 108 years ....... I dearly love to shoot it. It's one of the more accurate rifles I own.

Congrats!

I've ordered some Hawk Bullets for my .38-55, anxious to try them next month.

Compared to domestic pork, how do they taste? GW

BTW nice shooting! John

I love it! congrats!

I shot a 220 pound hog and it was a little dry and tough, tasted fine. Then I shot a 150 pound hog that was covered in fat, was tender and juicy, tasted great. Had a bunch of Italian sausage made that was great, Joe.

Old gun smith, did the 99 come n 38-55 or re-barrel, re-bore etc! I'm a big fan of the 38-55 & hog hunting and I shoot only cast in my 38-55! Two different bullets 250 PB & 265 GC,

GW --- like Joe said, a sow that goes about 70-150#, if they are clean (no ticks or lice) makes GOOD eating. Like it best on the BBQ pit. The boars and old sows have a resting place up on a hilltop. They don't go on my plate !!

Here's a trick I learned over the years ...... split the skin down the back from the tail to the ears, then take the hide off one side at the time. Makes an easier go of it.

Otis --- the rifle came in 38-55. Still in great mechanical shape, the barrel has been shortened about 3", but it doesn't hurt the way it shoots. I shoot the 265gr G/C, sized .379 and it'll put 5 shots in and around the 1" mark. Mainly around. LIke 1 1/8" for 5 shots.

Wow to cool! If I had a 99 I'd like it in 38-55! My dad has a 1899 in 25-35 that's is promised to my older brother! Now I have something to look for and try to have!

Maybe I should shoot my 38-55. It's a 1904 vintage carbine and I'm reluctant to shoot factory loads in it since those pre-mil frames are a little weak. David

David I've heard Buffalo Bore loads their 38-55 ammo warm. Have no personal experience.

Meaning they load the stuff in a warm cozy room, versus a damp drafty outbuilding?

Yeah like that.

I've got dies for everything else. Might as well get 38-55 and load some nice light loads for it. David

David,

My 38-55 is solid as a rock. 1910 DOM. If the receiver looks good, shoot away! Make lighter loads to feel comfortable. I have not hunted with the 38-55, but will this fall.

David --- I have beau-coup reloading info for the 38-55, am trying to get over bronchitis right now, but will PM you before long. Its a fun caliber, well worth the cost of dies and such. I think you will enjoy it alot.

Get well soon, John.

I have an 1899A TD barrel in .303 whose bore looks like the south end of a bear heading north in huckleberry season. I was thinking of sometime having it re-bored and making it a .303-35. All this talk of .38-55's has me thinking....

I gotta check and see if a .38-55 reamer will will clean up a .303 chamber. My gut feeling is it won't though. Maybe a .303-375 wildcat.

Oh dear god, someone shoot me!

Gonna make 38 55 s, today in fact. Any recipes out there?

oldgunsmith, Angus is interested in the loads too. Why not just post them on the open forum? Looking forward to the load data. Jeff, your rifle has the later curved mating surface between the back of the bolt and receiver and is supposedly stronger. David

.38-55 factory loading (Winchester) is pretty light... 1320 fps, 1000 flbs.

I shoot Lyman 250 gr PB over 28.9 grs of IMR 3031 in a re-bore done by JES REBORING 5 groove rifling! Shoots good too! Marlin 30AS, better than 10.0 of Unquie which will equal the black powder loading @1300 fps!

Pretty sure 38-55 pressures are lower than 30-30 pressures (and thus 303 pressures), so can't imagine any early Savage is going to have problems with it.

What he said.

It would be another rifle that would be great to take into the timber for elk.

I just brewed up 25 grains of H 322 and 250 grain Lyman cast bullets at .379. So far so good! Marlin 1893 rifle.

Guys:
Here is a link to a fairly complete list of loads, at least all located in one place. It was passed on to me, and so I will pass it on as well.
It printed out 16 pages on my printer, and on page 12 somebody is shooting a Marlin with a surplus barrel and listed about 7 loads that are WAY WAY too hot !!! He's pushing a 265gr HP G/C with IMR 4198 to almost 1900fps, with a muzzle energy over 2000fp. That is way crazy !!

http://www.reloadersnest.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13615


David-- I have an old hammer Drilling in 38-55 and I am using Reloaders 7, 20.5gr behind a 265gr G/C for a low pressure load. Have to baby this old rifle along. Its kinda tender. I'm not happy with this load, but its safe. BTW if your rifle shows excessive primer protrusion with factory loads, I have a lever for the early Savage 99 that has been welded. If you need it, I'll cut it for you and send it to you. It will cost you nothing.

John

Sorry to interrupt John,but, are you saying excessive primer protrusion may be elliminated by a new lever? Or do you mean you have a welded up gun that you don't want to blow open and David can weld his own up?? Seriously,just wanted to make sure because I have this problem with a 99 and I have an extra lever too. MF.

PM sent

Copied down some data from reloadersnest.com in the 800 1400 fps range. Will get to work on this after the UGCA gun show next weekend. Thanks for all the info, David

as i have posted befor 303 SAV case is larger that 38-55 ,,30-30

you go to the 303-375..have fun and tell us how it goes ,,

my 38-55 was resleved long befor i bought it , got two moose with it.

norm