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I've got a hankering for a 38-55, but as far as bullet selection and loads, it doesn't offer a lot of options. Factory loads are anemic, energy is poor, and who knows what accuracy will be. But I still want one. I was wondering what other calibers you folks own and shoot that fall in this category.

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You can fix that with a good bullet mold and a set of dies.... 255's at 1800fps should be doable


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I acquired a Win 94 1907 production in 38-55 this year. Been playing with several cast bullets. The newer guns take a.376 bullet and that opens up quite a few more jacketed bullet choices.

I also have a 1906, 38-40, Marlin 94.That is even more limited in bullet selection

Lot of fun to shoot though


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I have a 38-40 also!

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I've got an octagon barrel marlin cowboy 38-55 . Fun to shoot. Mines set up for cowboy silhouette

Last edited by ldholton; 11/16/19.
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My 17's, they are good for plinking and varmints and that's about it. On the flip side they sure are fun to shoot. I've got a 17 Remington and a 17 Fireball. I just added a 204 Ruger to the stable.

Edit: I always forget that this is for the gun writers and I must disclose that I'm anything but.

Last edited by Showdog75; 11/17/19.
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Originally Posted by Showdog75
My 17's, they are good for plinking and varmints and that's about it. On the flip side they sure are fun to shoot. I've got a 17 Remington and a 17 Fireball. I just added a 204 Ruger to the stable.




You beat me with your comment. I was going to say my .223 Rem. In a “real pinch” it could be used on “small” big game, beyond that, paper and varmints! memtb


You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Originally Posted by Tackdriver22250
I've got a hankering for a 38-55, but as far as bullet selection and loads, it doesn't offer a lot of options. Factory loads are anemic, energy is poor, and who knows what accuracy will be. But I still want one. I was wondering what other calibers you folks own and shoot that fall in this category.



There is one commercial load that might change your thoughts on this.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=159

Still over 2,000 foot lbs energy at 150 yards. The page I linked to actually has a lot of information on the 38-55.

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I've also got a 38-55, load it for three levels of loads with the same 250gr cast bullet. 1225 fps for target and plinking, 1400 for hunting, and 1600 for heavier use. One thing with cast bullets, maximum penetration is at 14-1500 fps, anything much over 1600 lessens penetration as the bullet starts breaking up faster.
My other limited purpose cartridge is the 25-20 WCF. Mine is a 113+ year old '94 Marlin. Due to it's age I load a 89 gr cast bullet at just under 1300 fps and use it for steel gongs and small game.

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25 ACP

Its a one trick pony, but I can’t figure out the trick.

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I have a bunch of cartridges that have pretty limited options whether "factory" or reloading. Those I can think of off hand are:
38/55, 25/35, 32 WSL, 351 WSL, 401 WSL, 45/60, 303 Savage, 22 Savage High Power, 25 Rem, 30 Rem, 32 Rem, 6.5 Arisaka, 7.7 Jap, and probably a couple others I can't think of at the moment. That isn't counting the more common rounds like 30 Carbine, 358 Win, etc that have limited bullet weight options but are produced by several manufacturers.

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Originally Posted by 222ND
25 ACP

Its a one trick pony, but I can’t figure out the trick.


Yeah, that one defies logic on all accounts.

Originally Posted by woodmaster81
I have a bunch of cartridges that have pretty limited options whether "factory" or reloading. Those I can think of off hand are:
38/55, 25/35, 32 WSL, 351 WSL, 401 WSL, 45/60, 303 Savage, 22 Savage High Power, 25 Rem, 30 Rem, 32 Rem, 6.5 Arisaka, 7.7 Jap, and probably a couple others I can't think of at the moment. That isn't counting the more common rounds like 30 Carbine, 358 Win, etc that have limited bullet weight options but are produced by several manufacturers.


The 351 WSL and 401 WSL are good ones as well. Limited reloading options, low power, and few rifles.

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All my calibers work on most everything...embracing diversity and eschewing discrimination.

.17, .22, .25, .28, .30, .35, .37, .40, .41, .44, .45, .50...

Bang, you're dead.


I am..........disturbed.

Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain


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Originally Posted by Tackdriver22250
Originally Posted by 222ND
25 ACP

Its a one trick pony, but I can’t figure out the trick.


Yeah, that one defies logic on all accounts.



The "trick" is that most 25 ACP pistols were designed specifically for the cartridge.
Old 25 automatics were some of the most reliable pistols in their day.

Last edited by night_owl; 11/16/19.


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"I want there fore I need" is the very best way to go forward. It only has to please you.

As for me in my rifles I have few calibers that don't cover a lot of bases. But probably the one that is most limited as to what it will do very well is my 222 Remington, my old 30-30 or my 404 Jeffery.
The rifles I have that cover the fewest bases are going to fall into a "iron sights only " group because of my limitations (Getting old and don't have excellent vision anymore) and the caliber that they are chambered in may be fine but I am not as "fine as they are" anymore. Such guns are my 6.5 Mannlicher, my Lee 303, my Remington M81 300 Savage, my Husky M46 in 9.3X57 and maybe my Browning M1895 30-06. But with that said I find I still kill about 1/2 of all my game animals with them. This year I had 7 tags to fill myself and so far I have killed 6 animals of which 5 were killed over iron sights. My longest kill in the 2019 season so far were my last 2 deer, both killed with the M81 in 300 savage and both at about 150 yards.
All those cartridges can do a lot of things and cover a lot of ground for hunting, but in those guns, with the sight they have, I think of them all as 200- 250 yard rifles because with open sights (not peeps) I am confident to about 250 yards in the field. With a scope I can shoot well to a LOT farther distances, but that is more about the sights and not the cartridges.

2 others that do very well on many kinds of game but at close ranges are my 62 caliber and my 50 caliber flintlocks.

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350 rem mag!


Well we're Green and we're Gold, and we play better when it's cold. All us Cheese heads have our favorite superstar. We love Brett Favre.
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.22 Savage Hi-Power.

Takes a .228" bullet. .224" doesn't work with a darn through it.

Hard to work with, but a fun rifle.



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Originally Posted by 222ND
25 ACP

Its a one trick pony, but I can’t figure out the trick.

Once upon a time the 25 ACP offered centerfire reliability in a tiny pistol. Now that you can get 32 ACP pistols that are as small and 380 and even 9mm pistols that aren't much bigger, there's not much point to it.

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32-20

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In my opinion there's no such thing as a least diverse cartridge, if you are a handloader and especially if in addition you are a bullet caster too. Cartridge diversity is a state of mind of a shooter. Armed with an open mind and willingness to think outside the box, any cartridge can be pretty diverse.

.38-55? One of the most renowned target cartridges of a bygone era, and loaded with a heavy cast bullet a wonderful deer load today for all but the long range deer sniper crowd. .22High Power? Better bullet selection today than when it was in its heyday- if you know how to find them.

Last edited by gnoahhh; 11/17/19.

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