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Author Topic: .36 or a .38?  (Read 3987 times)

Offline Leatherbark

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.36 or a .38?
« on: May 01, 2017, 12:16:08 AM »
I've acquired a "Poor Boy" southern style percussion long rifle recently. Heck when I looked it over I thought it was a .40. The bore was shiny so then when I got home I tried to swab it out and the jag wouldn't fit the bore. So I said to myself. "I'll be darn that gun is a .36". So I found .350 balls.  In the meantime I took the gun apart to see what brand barrel it was. There are no markings but the rifling looks as well done as Green Mtn. or Douglas.

A .375 ball will roll down the barrel but a .395 ball will rest on top of the hole.  I"ll slug it soon to find the bore size, but I took it to the range an luckily I took some .375 ball in addition to the .350 balls.  The .350 with a regular pillow ticking .018 patch loads with no starter.  Way too loose.  I'm not used to that.  The .375 balls load normal with a rap of the starter and then they slide down easily and shoot way better than the .350's.  The only .38 barrel I remember was a Richland Arms half stock back in the day.  Did anyone  recently make 38 caliber barrels? 

What is the normal "bore" dimension for a 38 caliber barrel?

Thank you

Bob
« Last Edit: May 01, 2017, 12:18:14 AM by Leatherbark »
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Offline Mike Brooks

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2017, 12:41:07 AM »
Hoyt makes them.
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Offline diamante

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2017, 12:55:18 AM »
Charles Burton makes .38 barrels

fcibarrels.tripod.com
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Offline P.W.Berkuta

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2017, 01:25:57 AM »
Some years back (quite a few) I ordered a .38 cal X 42" swamped from Ed Rayl. I waited a long time for it - he sent it out but I never got it someone stole it during shipping. I got another barrel from Rayl but this time it was a .40. Sure would have liked to try a .38 but the wait was too long as I already had waited over a year for the one that got stolen.
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Offline Daryl

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2017, 01:49:05 AM »
.375" ball is perfect for a .380 bore.  Hornady sells swaged .375" balls, but calls them .36 Cal. - probably as they are for the .36 Cap and Ball revolvers, which 'take' .375" balls.

Lucky you, if you don't want to cast your own.

I have a Lachmiller mould in my one of my mould drawer's, for .375" RB. I seem to remember it is a 3-cavity, with the middle cavity bored out to cast conical bullets in 3/8" copper pipe sections.  The flashing from my dull pipe cutter's wheel makes the base and crimps the bullet inside the tube. A bit OT, I guess. ::)
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Daryl

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Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2017, 05:30:44 AM »
A .36 cal. Revolver mold will be about right.

  Hungry Horse
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Offline little joe

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2017, 06:03:18 PM »
I have a Rice 36 and a Burton 38 and cannot tell any difference in the way they  shoot.
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Offline al56

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2017, 05:50:38 AM »
9mm maybe.  Some of the cheap guns had 9mm barrels on them.
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Offline T*O*F

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #8 on: May 04, 2017, 06:19:36 AM »
Quote
Did anyone  recently make 38 caliber barrels? 
What is the normal "bore" dimension for a 38 caliber barrel?
Green Mountain makes/made .38 cal. barrels.  The bore is .375 and the grooves are .378.
My .38 cal. Schuetzen rifle built in 1900 has the same dimensions.
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Dave Kanger

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Offline Daryl

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #9 on: May 04, 2017, 06:47:47 PM »
1 1/2 thou. deep per side is quite shallow, compared to the .004" standard, Dave - are you sure they weren't at least .380" groove to groove.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2017, 06:48:20 PM by Daryl »
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Daryl

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Offline T*O*F

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #10 on: May 04, 2017, 07:51:31 PM »
Quote
1 1/2 thou. deep per side is quite shallow, compared to the .004" standard, Dave - are you sure they weren't at least .380" groove to groove.
No, I called their tech line when I was building my long range .38 and those were the specs he gave me for all their .38 cal barrels.  Also, since it has an odd number of grooves, it's .003 depth per groove, not .0015
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Dave Kanger

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Offline Dphariss

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #11 on: May 04, 2017, 09:02:48 PM »
Quote from: T*O*F on May 04, 2017, 07:51:31 PM
Quote
1 1/2 thou. deep per side is quite shallow, compared to the .004" standard, Dave - are you sure they weren't at least .380" groove to groove.
No, I called their tech line when I was building my long range .38 and those were the specs he gave me for all their .38 cal barrels.  Also, since it has an odd number of grooves, it's .003 depth per groove, not .0015

Bullet barrels are not RB barrels.

Dan
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Offline Daryl

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Re: .36 or a .38?
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2017, 09:23:48 AM »
Quote from: Dphariss on May 04, 2017, 09:02:48 PM
Quote from: T*O*F on May 04, 2017, 07:51:31 PM
Quote
1 1/2 thou. deep per side is quite shallow, compared to the .004" standard, Dave - are you sure they weren't at least .380" groove to groove.
No, I called their tech line when I was building my long range .38 and those were the specs he gave me for all their .38 cal barrels.  Also, since it has an odd number of grooves, it's .003 depth per groove, not .0015

Bullet barrels are not RB barrels.

Dan

I'm aware of that, Dan.  Just figured 1 1/2 thou was a bit fine.  I have known of two other guns which had 1 1/2 thou. rifling. One was a bullet rifle, the other a RB gun - neither shot worth a hoot. WE did finally get the bullet barrel into 1 1/2" at 100 meters after 8 years of testing. What a chore.

.003" is much closer to what I would expect.
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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a spaniel without ears" King George V
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