[kingcorona]

Can anyone give me the skinny on what the rule is...I bought a marlin 375 and think I can shoot 38-55 thru it but NOT vice versa(375 thru a 38-55)...am I correct?

 

[rwb]

The 38-55 is longer than the 375. If your chamber was long enough you could shoot the 38-55. Without knowing your chamber dimensions I wouldn't.

 

[kingcorona]

thanks

I knew one of them was .001" longer then the other.........I will stick with 375 ammo in my Marlin

 

[cole k]

Can anyone give me the skinny on what the rule is...I bought a marlin 375 and think I can shoot 38-55 thru it but NOT vice versa(375 thru a 38-55)...am I correct?

IMO the .375 Win and the .38-55 interchangeable not only is the .38-55 longer and the bullet diamiter may be larger.

 

[Yellowhouse]

New factory 38-55 ammo is the same length as the 375. In fact they use 375 brass but just headstamp it to 38-55. Many are using "modern" 38-55 W-W brass and find it is either too thick to load large diameter bullets for oft time .379+ bores or that the shorter length degrades accuracy. SAAMI specs for the 38-55 have never changed so the correct chamber is 2.12 vs about 2.03 for the 375. However, only a chamber cast will give you the true dimensions.

Many have reported shooting .375 in their 38-55's but I don't condone it just as I don't like necked down 270 brass to use in a 25-06. I want my headstamp to accurately reflect what I'm chambering. For certain you don't want to set off a .375 in a weak Ballard action.

Modern W-W ammo for both calibers use the same bullet.

I use correct length Starline brass for all my 38-55's. It is a little thinner and allows me to use .381 bullets in my overbore original 1893 and contemporary Marlin Cowboy.

 

[rwb]

All the new Winchester brass is about 2.080. Modern 38-55 max case length is 2.085. As Yellowhouse stated original spec for the 38-55 is 2.12. Starline sells both lengths. If you know someone with a set of loading dies you could take a sized 38-55 case, flare it slightly and drop it in the chamber. If it falls all the way in you could shoot the 38-55 ammo in your 375. Bore diameter and chamber should allow you to shoot .379 lead bullets in your rifle. Ranchdog made his molds so they would allow you to shoot .379 bullets and they were designed for the 375 Marlin.

 

[Carpe Diem]

Modern W-W ammo for both calibers use the same bullet.

I've handloaded both for nearly 30 years. Modern WW ammo does not use the same bullet for both cartridges, that is the silliest thing I've read all day, unless 200 = 255 and PowerPoint = Soft Point.

.375 WCF - 200 PowerPoint
.38-55 - 255 Soft Point

It simply is not generally safe to interchange ammo between these two chamberings. If you have to ask the question, then do not do it.

Thinner .38-55 cases can often be made by fireforming .30-30 brass. A tad short but workable.





.

 

[Ranch Dog]

In modern rifles, there are only three differences between the 38-55 Win and 375 Win; the pressure standard, the chamber step, and the chamber lead. See my post #6 in this thread.

http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=62181

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Well there is also bore diameter and twist rate, the .375 generally has a bore very close to .375" with a 12" twist. There is a great variety in bore diameters for 38/55 but generally .377-.383" with a twist of 16-18".

 

[Yellowhouse]

I've handloaded both for nearly 30 years. Modern WW ammo does not use the same bullet for both cartridges, that is the silliest thing I've read all day, unless 200 = 255 and PowerPoint = Soft Point.

.375 WCF - 200 PowerPoint
.38-55 - 255 Soft Point
.

OOPS! You are quite correct!

 

[Yellowhouse]

Well there is also bore diameter and twist rate, the .375 generally has a bore very close to .375" with a 12" twist. There is a great variety in bore diameters for 38/55 but generally .377-.383" with a twist of 16-18".

I like that avatar....had one near the same color pattern but had to put him down last year.

Ranch Dog. For my edification, the drawing a modern 38-55 chamber was from a Marlin, Uberti, or???? I was under the impression that SAAMI standards for this caliber have not changed or have they?

 

[Huntdaddy1]

DON'T DO IT !!!! Don't create a problem where there isn't one !!! HD1

 

[William Iorg]

The best thng about the Beartooth forum, and this includes the excellent moderation, is the advanced search engine. The search function is one of the easiest to use of any forum. Rocky’s Hunt Chat is just as easy to use.
You may have seen many of these threads already. Marshal Stanton is a big fan of the 38-55 and very knowledgeable about its use in modern firearms, as are many other posters on the board.
I have included Dave Kings interesting thread from the Campfire as it also addresses some of the brass questions.
Too bad the old Marlin Talk board is gone as this issue was “beat around the bush several times.
http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=2064&highlight=.38-55

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=32796&highlight=.38-55

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=2069&highlight=.38-55

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=2058&highlight=.38-55


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=2137&highlight=.38-55

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=7300&highlight=.38-55+brass

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=42408&highlight=.38-55+brass


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=9757&highlight=.38-55+brass


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=1594&highlight=.38-55+brass


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=9498&highlight=.38-55+brass


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=4418&highlight=.38-55+brass


http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=2064&highlight=.38-55+brass


http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...61/Re_Can_I_shoot_375_Winchester_#Post1241361

 

[Ranch Dog]

Ranch Dog. For my edification, the drawing a modern 38-55 chamber was from a Marlin, Uberti, or???? I was under the impression that SAAMI standards for this caliber have not changed or have they?

Marlin Cowboy

I have several images of the 375 Win/38-55 Win with different brass here:
http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/TLC379235RF/Drawings

 

[nimrod375]

A friend owned a 94 Big bore in .375 Win. He had handloads with both .375 cases and .38/55's and they did not give trouble. He also had an original .38/55 for a time and it shot well with .375 projectiles so I'm not sure about the difference in diameter?