.38-55 Winchester
Appearance
.38-55 Winchester | ||||||||||||||||
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Type | Rifle | |||||||||||||||
Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||||||
Production history | ||||||||||||||||
Designer | Ballard Rifle & Cartridge Company | |||||||||||||||
Designed | 1884 | |||||||||||||||
Produced | 1884–present | |||||||||||||||
Variants | .38-55 Winchester +P[1] | |||||||||||||||
Specifications | ||||||||||||||||
Parent case | .38-50 Ballard Everlasting[2] | |||||||||||||||
Case type | Rimmed, straight | |||||||||||||||
Bullet diameter | .377 in (9.6 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Land diameter | .373 in (9.5 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Neck diameter | .392 in (10.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Base diameter | .421 in (10.7 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Rim diameter | .506 in (12.9 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Case length | 2.085 in (53.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Overall length | 2.510 in (63.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Rifling twist | 1 in 18 in (460 mm) | |||||||||||||||
Maximum pressure (CIP) | 35,000 psi (240 MPa) | |||||||||||||||
Maximum CUP | 30,000 (Standard Pressure) and 38,000 (+P Pressure) CUP | |||||||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||
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Source(s): Whelen, Townsend. The American Rifle. The Century Co.: 1918, p. 272. |
The .38-55 Winchester / 9.6x53mmR
Remington-Lee bolt-action.[5][6] The .38-55 Winchester is also the parent case for the .30-30 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, and the .375 Winchester cartridges.[7]
A modernized version of the cartridge debuted in 1978 as the .375 Winchester, designed with higher pressures and to be used in modern firearms only. It is not safe to fire factory .375 Winchester ammunition in rifles chambered in .38-55, especially in older examples. The brass is very similar (shortened by approximately 1 mm (.0394 in)), but using modern, higher pressure .375 loads in an older rifle could cause serious injury to the shooter.[8]
The .38-55 is used to hunt black bear and deer at moderate ranges and is also used in cowboy action shooting side matches.
See also
Notes
- ^ Winchester Model 94 big bore. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://chuckhawks.com/win_94_big-bore.html
- ^ Simpson, L. (2018, October 1). .38-55 winchester. RifleShooter. https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/ammunition_rs_3855winchester_200811/84300
- ^ Heavy 38-55 winchester rifle ammunition. Buffalo Bore Ammunition. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=159
- ^ "38-55 WINCHESTER | Cartridge Collector". Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ISBN 978-1-4402-3059-2.
- ISBN 978-0-89689-534-8.
- ^ ".38-55 Winchester". www.chuckhawks.com. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ISBN 978-0-8329-0503-2.