Home Forums Lever Action Central Marlin 336 Lever Actions The Devil Made Me Do It

I was trolling through Gunbroker and snagged a rat-bag Marlin 336RC at a good price.



I've already got a nice one in 30-30, so this one is going to be a donor for a project. The problem is, I'm trying to decide what to do.

#1 Option is to send it off to JES and get a Ohio-legal deer rifle built. I currently don't have a rifle that fits the bill.



It's silly that in Ohio you can hunt groundhog with a 30-06, but not a deer.

I'm thinking 38-55 or 375 Winchester. For a reloader doing either cast or jacketed loads, is there any plusses to either? As I remember 38-55 is cheaper and easier to find, but you can make 375 WIN brass out of 38-55.


#2 Option is to get it bored out to 307 Winchester and hunt with it in Kentucky.


#3 Option is whatever y'all can come up with that looks better.


I'm also wondering what to do with the outside finish. It looks to be in the white in its current state. It's too old to be a stainless. I think it's just had the bluing removed.

1) I've got a local smith that does excellent bluing, but it's going to cost me.
2) I kind of like it as-is, in the white. Is there a good way to put a clear finish on it?

If you are really on a budget. You would be surprised how well a coat of wax protest bare metal. I've used Johnsons paste wax in the yellow can for a lot of years to protect shop tools in a damp environment.

All of those cartridges are good. If you handload, there is no practical difference in the capability of the .38-55 vs. 375. Even when purchasing ammo, buffalo bore makes some really stout .38-55 loads. Since you are looking at a re-bore and re-chamber, I would ask the smith what is safe to shoot in it and what bore diameter he uses. The two cartridges are not identical and standard factory loads differ on bullet diameter and pressure.

I've always wanted a .307, but that doesn't solve your OH issues. I think that would also require more modifications to the rifle than just a re-chamber. It's close in dimension to the .308 case. I'm betting there will be some carrier and bolt face modifications with that. Whereas the .38-55 has a close kinship with the origins of the .30-30 and the conversion is comparably simple.

Sounds like a fun project.

While the 375 Win and 38/55 are broadly similar, there are differences worth reviewing.

375 Win cases have much stronger head and sidewall construction and are designed for high pressure use. The 38/55 is quite a bit thinner in this area as they are designed for BP use and are not ideal for high pressure loads. 38/55 barrels tend to have a groove diameter varying from 0.379 to 0.381 and sometimes even larger. 375 Win rifles tend to have 0.375-0.376 groove diameter. Standard twist rates are 1 in 12" for 375 Win and 1 in 18" for the 38/55. Single shots in 38/55 are being made with a faster twist (1 in 12") to stabilise heavyweight cast bullets. There is also a difference in the throating. 375's have an unusually large throat, designed to quickly dissipate pressure, whereas the 38/55 has a more cast friendly throat design. 375 Win chambers are cut to accept 38/55 length brass.

Taking all that into account and assuming you're going to be using cast, I'd suggest setting up a rifle with the following specs:

Groove diameter 0.375
Twist 1 in 12"
Chambering 38/55

I think this would give you the best combination to use for cast or jacketed bullet work.

Thanks all for the come-back. Well, this has been an eventful week. My best friend died, and we got him in the ground on Wednesday. I won the bidding on the rifle a week ago Tuesday, and went to see him in the hospital. He was pretty much delerious, but I started talking about this rifle. That pulled him out of his daze. We had a good long talk about it, as well as the merits of 38-55 vs. 375 WIN. Bob was dead within 24 hours. He said 38-55 was his preference, so 38-55 it is!

BTW: You know you have lived your life well if two of your favorite LGS's send representatives to your funeral.

Question1: What mold is preferrable for this? I thought I'd start with the Lee and see what I can get out of it. I'd like to keep the bullet weight down as much as possible. They'll be launched at whitetails. Which brings me too. . .

Question2: What whitetail-appropriate jacketed bullet do y'all suggest? I'm looking around in .375, and I see some great ones for a charging lion, but nothing light enough for an Ohio whitetail.

I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I figure that is as good as any reason I can think of to go one way or the other between the two cartridges.

From what I understand Hornady has discontinued the 220grn Flat point, but Sierra makes a 200grn flat point that should work great in the 38-55.

How about another option?

Rechamber for .357 MAX !

Maybe you could still shoot .357 mag in the rifle too.

If you go the 307 route check out Regan Nonneman. He did mine and it shoots and functions great. Very reasonable and quick turnaround.

38/55
White & Wax
Great combo!

Tom at Accurate molds is your best bet for a new mold. After rebore and such you’ll need your bore and throat dimensions. They are more expensive than Lee molds but well worth the difference I think. I have several molds from both.
Good luck to you, and sorry about the loss of your friend,
Rick