Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting 38-56 Winchester

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Two days ago a fine buck was bagged with my 'ol 1893 vintage 1886 Winchester. The barrel had been cuy to 22" and you could tell it was a plain and simple parts gun. With screws buggered up and wood not quite factory fit, but in a trade back in 1989 it was all mine. I learned how to make my own brass out of anneald 45/70 brass. I tried several moulds, plus some old 220gr Hornady flat nose bullets. through trial and error I found out the cast bullers had to be sized to .379. The RCBS and Winchester moulds I had were too small. At a very small gun show over in Minnesota a few years ago a dealer had two Ideal 375296 moulds. one was hollow point. Both shoot about the same with most all loads. The hunting load I settled on was with the H.P. mould using 42gr of 3031. It crono's 1880 FPS. It's not a long rang outfit by any means, but the buck stood up from being hidden in a gully out in an open pasture about 200yds. I knew I had to aim over his back a bit. It was more guess on hold over. I had used the gun a few times on steel targets at 150yds, The bullet wizzed right through him..he took 4 steps and the lights went out for good.Those 'ol girls still do the job even after 110 years...Geo

george,
What is the alloy you're shooting and did you get any expansion? --Joe

Joe,
just air cooled WW. The exit holes looked like the nose of the boolit tore off into three parts in an 2" area....Geo

george,
I forgot my manners <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />!!! I should have congratulated you before asking questions since it was a wonderful and effective shot!
Kind of reminds me of a shot I made on a small buck close to 30 years ago. I was using cast in a .300 Savage and took a shot when he appeared close to 200 yards away. 1st shot was low so the deer, instead of making good an excape, turned around and started back across the right-of-way. I levered in another round and held high and dined on venison that night <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. The gas check was found, trapped by the hide on the off side.--Joe

Joe, Kentucky windage "doode it" again. It does take some experience to make shots like that. Geo

Good shot and congrats George. I was wondering. Is the .38-56 based on the 45-70 case? I'm trying to get an easy case forming job on my 45-70 based 33 WCF. I think I can get sizing dies for the 40-62 and 38-56 to make up a forming die set. It would be cheaper than the over $120 price tag from RCBS for a set. I might be able to shorten the process by getting Starline brass in 40-62. I look forward to more practice with the 33WCF so I can maybe try a longer shot some time in the future. Thanks Rusty Z

Zipper,

Yes, it's a 45/70 based case. I don't use any extra dies. One I've annealed the brass, I lightly lube and go directly into the 38/56 die. your 33 Win is a little more drastic change, so you may need a intermediate die. I have best luck if I push the case in until I get some resistance then take it out and rotate it a quarter turn then run it in again in very short steps. Keeping a light film of lube on your fingers is the key. It seems like a long process, but once you get the hang of it you can do 20 rounds in 15 minutes. Annealing is what takes the time. Make sure you get the top of half inch of the case cherry red. The cases will be dead soft to the point that you can squeeze it flat with your fingers. After bringing the case down in a couple of sizing steps, you work harden the case a little again. It's surprising how some of my 38/56's will split after a couple firings up an inch from the rim. About 1 in 20 will split, then the rest will go on almost forever. I'm reluctant to anneal any farther down just to keep the losses down. When starting that project, I ignored everybody that was trying to sell extra dies at a horrendous price, and dove in and tried it my way first. It worked! I'm sitting her looking at a Remington sample of a 33 Win and it looks a bit more radical. If you don't want to sacrifice a buch of brass, just do a couple to start out with in both annealing and reforming. Buffalo arms will do all the work for you for a buck a case if your reluctant to try it. Good luck...Geo

Thanks George. That is the kind of information I needed. Be safe and Merry Christmas. Rusty Zipper