Shooting my 116 year-old Winchester 38-55 (photos)

Good thread Revivial Dave!

loven the OPs results and rifle!

mine shows his 200 yard groups at 100m.... my bore must be well past 9/10 :D
 
Mad-Dog said:
I am tempted to try shooting my .38-55 at 200 yards, too. People think I'm telling stories when I say, "I have no rifles in my cabinet (including those with scopes) that are more accurate at 100 yards than my .38-55." And THAT isn't a "story." It dates back to 1901.
Click to expand...

38-55 was designed for target shooting in the late 1800,s, and it does that very well.1876 to be exact.
everyone should have at least two of them.
Brownie
 
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I've got the same rifle, probably around the same age that I haven't brought myself to make up some loads for. The action feels awfully loose (Lever pops open with a tap on top of the wrist)

Been meaning to take it to a smith to get a proper lookover. It's a beauty of a gun in fantastic condition.
 
Those older Winchesters chambered in 38-55 were really great guns.
As long as the corrosive ammo was followed up on correctly, the barrels seem to stand
up very well. Often see them marked as "Nickle Steel for smokeless powder"

A close friend had an early carbine version, and it accounted for many muleys in the
Shuswap area of BC, and later some moose up here in the Northwest.

He preferred the CIL loadings, since the Winchester stuff was fairly anemic.
I have graphed both the CIL and the Winchester ammo in my 38-55. CIL flirts with 1600
fps with the 255 grain FNSP, the Winchester offering only made 1185. Quite a difference!

To the OP, [if still around] You have a fine old rifle, that performs very well indeed. Let us
know if you have shot any game with it in the interim. Dave.
 
I've an old Carbine in 38-55. The Winchester stuff is milquetoast at best....mind you, mine has a bore like a sewer-pipe ( jacketed won't bump up). Still puts 'em down quite handily though...gently, of course.
 
Even with poor bores, you can really be surprised when playing with different loads. Unfortunately, a lot of old ones had their barrels trimmed back or were re-lined, because even while the bore looked great, they wouldn’t shoot. Well, they would if you used the right sized bullets, bore diameter really could vary.
Kirk was the OP, it sure he is on CGN as much these days. I’ll flip him an email, and ask him I feel he has an update!
Matt
 
I just recently got my current 38-55 shooting very well but with my eye quality, I mounted a "dot" sight on it, now it will shoot in at a bit under 2" at 100. While the rifle serials to first year 94 production(20xx), it was born as a 30 WCF but I replaced that with a new 38-55 barrel so I can't claim "my 126 yr. old rifle will shoot really really good... but it does good enough that I hope to take a deer with it yet this fall, my ammo is sending 265 powder coated at around 1400 fps.
 
Great to see this old thread revived. I am the OP and have since had more vintage 38-55's pass through my hands. All of them are good shooters provided a fellow is willing to tweak the bullet diameter and hardness a bit. The 38-55 still remains one of my favourite old calibers. I'm currently shooting a nice condition Winchester 1894 made in 1904, with full mag, full octagon barrel, and crescent buttplate, and a rear tang sight.
 
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