6pt-sika
Well-Known Member
Barnes made some darn good 255 grain bullets that could be used in a 38-55 or 375 lever action . Now whether you can still get them is another thing .
Any .375 Winchester users here?
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alberta boy
Well-Known Member
I know that they did at one time , the Barnes Original , but I don't know if they're still in production . The Barnes Original bonded core bullets were a reliable hunting bullet . I used the .358 cal 250 gr version for a number of years in a 350 RM , great weight retention and penetration . Sadly , they are discontinued .
AB
6pt-sika
Well-Known Member
They actually made two versions of the same bullet but they had differently placed cannelures . One was for the 38-55 and the other for the 375 WIN if memory serves .
6pt-sika
Well-Known Member
Not exactly the same thing as the Barnes bullets . But one year for Christmas my mother gave me a box of Swift 44 cal 260 grain bullets in whatever they call their partition design . I was going to try them in a 444 Marlin but before I got around to trying them she passed away . So they’ve set on the shelf in my loading room beside the stereo and I’ve not touched them . And I never will !
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
The law just says a bullet that is designed to expand is required for deer. As lead is the common element used in expanding bullets they are ok with it.
A-Frame - one of the most highly regarded bullets used in Africa I believe. I'd keep them on the shelf too, they're a special reminder every time you look at them.
As far as using cast bullets for deer in the UK, we are obliged to use a bullet of expanding design, hollow, soft nosed, various wording depending on which part of the UK we're in. As the main body is made of the same material that an expanding, copper jacketed bullet contains, I can't see how anyone could ever say that a cast bullet is not expanding? To be extra safe there is a method of pouring two alloys in the same mould. You pour a measured amount of soft alloy in, then immediately follow it up with a harder one. That gives a soft nosed, hard cast bullet that will both expand and cope with the pressures of being fired from a rifle cartridge.
My first attempt will be to see how well I can get a soft alloy to shoot and testing it with water. If that fails, I will start messing with the various methods of soft nosing.
Cast Bullet Shooting 400 series: I did some extensive experimentation (over about 7 years) in producing soft nosed, cast bullets. In a nutshell, bullets made common wheel weights and linotype (9:1) were cast, cast sized and gas checked, then heat treated. Normally in the heat treating process I would quench the bullets in room temperature water and let them dry before lubing and loading. When the bug to anneal the nose of the bullet came on me, I made a pan that held 80, 30-ish caliber bullets. The pan was made from two biscuit sheets: the upper one drilled for the bullets and separated from the lower pan by 5/16" spacers. I took a plate of aluminum and drilled it with the came hole pattern as the pan. It was 2" thick and the same length and width of the pan holding the bullets.
In use, the bullet were placed in the pan for heat treating and the aluminum block placed over the noses of the bullets. The entire assembly was placed in an oven at roughly 460F and left for three hours, at which time it was removed and set a pan of water @ about 3/16" depth. A small fan drew away initial condensation and the aluminum plate was covered with insulative material to retain heat. It was left until it was only warm to the touch. The bullets were then removed and dried, lubed and loaded.
It was a lot of trial and error. Shooting into compressed bales wet newspaper I got some reasonable results. .301" noses would expand to and average of 33 caliber. Occasionally I got one that would not expand much at all, being hard thru and through. I blamed this on initial steam vapor from the quench getting to the nose. I placed a small pump so that cool water could be circulated as the aluminum block did its work. All mostly worked as planned, to various degrees.
Finally it came to me that heat treated bullets were at a Bhn of about 31. That was about 1/3 the hardiness of copper. A 175 grain 30 cal bullet, fully heat treated and moving 2500 fps from a 308 killed mule deer handily. I stopped trying to soften noses.
FWIW I did try the dual alloy pour. Never worked satisfactorily. I got shears. ~Muir
In use, the bullet were placed in the pan for heat treating and the aluminum block placed over the noses of the bullets. The entire assembly was placed in an oven at roughly 460F and left for three hours, at which time it was removed and set a pan of water @ about 3/16" depth. A small fan drew away initial condensation and the aluminum plate was covered with insulative material to retain heat. It was left until it was only warm to the touch. The bullets were then removed and dried, lubed and loaded.
It was a lot of trial and error. Shooting into compressed bales wet newspaper I got some reasonable results. .301" noses would expand to and average of 33 caliber. Occasionally I got one that would not expand much at all, being hard thru and through. I blamed this on initial steam vapor from the quench getting to the nose. I placed a small pump so that cool water could be circulated as the aluminum block did its work. All mostly worked as planned, to various degrees.
Finally it came to me that heat treated bullets were at a Bhn of about 31. That was about 1/3 the hardiness of copper. A 175 grain 30 cal bullet, fully heat treated and moving 2500 fps from a 308 killed mule deer handily. I stopped trying to soften noses.
FWIW I did try the dual alloy pour. Never worked satisfactorily. I got shears. ~Muir
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
That's what wide metplats were invented for
True, but I was working with 30 caliber at velocities up to 2750 fps. For guns like 38-55 and 45-70 I never gave soft or hard a thought. ~MuirThat's what wide metplats were invented for
That's an option for sure. NOE make all sorts of stuff and I've ordered from them before. I might have a look and see what they can do.
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Some .375 Winchester ammunition here Neil
hybridfiat
Well-Known Member
I used to shoot with a gunsmith who made up a Mauser actioned ,375Win, cast his own hard Gas Checked bullets and loaded it to "the Eyeballs".
I can't remember the exact stats but it was a 400m rifle on roos and pigs.
It just flattened them.
A really heavy barrel mitigated the recoil, a bit.
I can't remember the exact stats but it was a 400m rifle on roos and pigs.
It just flattened them.
A really heavy barrel mitigated the recoil, a bit.
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