Interested in .38-55 Loads for Marlin 1893

[FNSafari]

Not so much powder or primers but what bullet are you using if you happen to have an old Marlin 1893 in this caliber. I tried some factory Black Hills loads and they did not shoot well. The bullet is only .376" in diameter and these old rifles generally have .378-.379 bores. I have not slugged the barrel. The bore on my gun looks just fine with sharp rifling its length after being bore scoped. I have some Hunter Supply .380" lubed lead bullets that I need to try. I'm interested in comments from anyone has tried them in their rifle. Tks

 

[4570rules]

It's a 94 Winchester in 38-55, not a Marlin, but I had great luck with the Accurate Molds 38-235B. My bore slugs out at .376, so I had Dave at AccurateMolds.com cut a 38-235B mold at .379 cast diameter, which I size to .377 in a Lubrisizer. It chambers and cycles like a dream and shoots 1" groups at 50 yards. The Lee 379-250-RF also shoots well, but engraves slightly when chambered. Best I can recommend is to slug your bore and find a bullet 0.001" - 0.002" over and give it a try. You can take any bullet you have, squish it a little with a hammer or vise and tap it through the bore with a wooden dowel. Then you'll know for sure what your working with.

https://accuratemolds.com/img/bullets/detail/38-235B-D.png