It's a fairly rare chambering, and if it has nice wood, the original box, and is in good condition it could bring a good deal more than $1500.
And edit to add, you can get bullets from Hawk, in a variety of styles. Brass is also fairly easy to find. I have one, and while the wood is fairly plain, it does shoot well. Biggest gripe about the cartridge is the brass is fairly weak, and you can forget hot-rodding the loads, even in the strong action. It's still a good deer & black bear killer, with correct bullets. It also (probably) qualifies for some of the states that have the special seasons for straight walled cartridges.
Last edited by tex_n_cal; 03/19/24. Reason: added notes
I also think it will bring a lot more than $1500. These were never catalogued and the production was limited. I owned one for many years and it shot quite well; you can use both the called for .377 bullets or the more available .375 bullets which my rifle shot well (especially Winchester 270gr Power Points of all things). Also, in this strong rifle you can shoot 375 Winchester ammo and reload using those stronger cases if desired (just use 375 Win. load data).
Bottom line - condition, wood quality and appropriate marketing will determine how much you can get for the rifle assuming no bubbaing has taken place.
Also, in this strong rifle you can shoot 375 Winchester ammo and reload using those stronger cases if desired (just use 375 Win. load data).
That's interesting - I acquired some .375 Win brass, for that exact purpose to allow heavier loads, but the case heads are about .002" to .003" smaller than the .38-55s. I was concerned that was too much extra clearance.
I bought one about 3 years or so ago. I did have to pay quite a bit more than the mentioned $1,500. I haven't shot mine much but do have some Hawk bullets awaiting the opportunity. Good Luck, Rick
Seems to me I heard you can use 38/357 pistol bullets in the 38-55. I could be wrong as memory isn't the best indicator of what true or not. I've never tried it
