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Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel (Read 6884 times)

Nickle Newbie Offline Posts: 4 Joined: Jan 16^th, 2018	Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Jul 15^th, 2018 at 12:26am	Print Post
	Hey Folks, I've been pulling my hair out trying to get a .38-55 to shoot. It's an original Ballard action with a new recently-installed Green Mountain barrel. After trying a bunch of load that didn't work, I finally slugged the barrel and think I found the problem.The specs for .38-55 have a bullet diameter of .3775". This barrel has a .372" groove diameter and .367" land diameter. So standard .38-55 molds like the one I have, won't work (Buffalo Arms .378" and 360 grs). What would you do? Order a custom mold? from where? Size the bullets from the mold I have down? That seems like a lot of sizing - so much that I'll probably loose my grease grooves. Have the barrel lined? This is for BPCR silhouette, so out to 500 meters. Thanks, -Nick


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Schuetzenmiester Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 6707 Location: Cool Wet Side of WA Joined: Apr 27^th, 2008	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #1 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 12:31am	Print Post
	Is it within Green Mountain 's stated specs?

	"some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence
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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 18036 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #2 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 1:12am	Print Post
	Considering it's all mounted and finished, I'd have a custom mold made for it. Hate to say this, but I always slug a new barrel when I get it, before fitting it. Just in case there's an issue like this.

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Schuetzenmiester Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 6707 Location: Cool Wet Side of WA Joined: Apr 27^th, 2008	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #3 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 4:01am	Print Post
	Why would a GM be that far off?

	"some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence
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Hiwall55 Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 468 Location: west central Illinois Joined: Jun 30^th, 2012	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #4 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 6:39am	Print Post
	I would double check your measurements and have Steve Brooks make a 360 grain money to fit the barrel.


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Cat_Whisperer Frequent Elocutionist Offline No 1, 9.3x74R Posts: 3987 Location: Mountains of Virginia Joined: Apr 17^th, 2004	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #5 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 9:00am	Print Post
	Know also the alloy you're using. Which blend you have WILL make a difference in the size (as will temperatures of alloy and mold).

	Cat Whisperer (trk) Chief of Smoke Pulaski Coehorn Works and Skunk Works Drafted May 1970, Retired Maj. U.S.Army assra #9885
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marlinguy Frequent Elocutionist Offline Ballards may be weaker, but they sure are neater! Posts: 18036 Location: Oregon Joined: Feb 2^nd, 2009	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #6 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 11:26am	Print Post
	Schuetzenmiester wrote on Jul 15^th, 2018 at 4:01am: Why would a GM be that far off? That's a great question, as I've never found their barrels to ever be off in those I purchased.

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beltfed Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1824 Location: Central Wi Joined: Dec 20^th, 2007	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #7 - Jul 15^th, 2018 at 12:07pm	Print Post
	Nickle As said, recheck that bore and groove measurement. What twist is that GM barrel? The 12 twist or the other. Perhaps your problems are with too short or too long a bullet. beltfed/arnie


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.22Hepburn Oldtimer Offline Posts: 844 Location: Pennsylvania Joined: Feb 18^th, 2008	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #8 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 2:00am	Print Post
	Probably your best bet would be going with a custom mold, made to fit the barrel. I ordered a mold for my 38-50 from Steve Brooks a while back. I specified a .375 diameter to fit the groove diameter of my Douglas barrel. Because my Hepburn has a tight chamber I can't use an over size bullet. What I got from him was a mold that measured .378. I ended up getting a .375 sizing die from Lee and I was in business. Lee makes custom sizing dies in pretty much any diameter you want.


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bruce moulds Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 290 Location: the antipodes Joined: Mar 14^th, 2015	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #9 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 2:00am	Print Post
	that would mean that your rifling is only 0.0025" deep. keep safe, bruce.

	ventum est amicus meus
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bruce moulds Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 290 Location: the antipodes Joined: Mar 14^th, 2015	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #10 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 5:48am	Print Post
	any new barrel is like the lottery. only thing is bartlein, krieger, ron smith, have a greater chance of winning. douglas look ok, but next step down from above. a few more choices are available for rimfire, including lilja and shilen. when you consider all the expense of getting a gun shooting, not to mention the time and work, better barrels are cheaper. it is now known what to do to make barrels that shoot, and those makers that go the full mile are becoming well known. they also warranty their product well. keep safe, bruce.

	ventum est amicus meus
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.22Hepburn Oldtimer Offline Posts: 844 Location: Pennsylvania Joined: Feb 18^th, 2008	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #11 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 7:06am	Print Post
	A friend has a 15 twist GM .22 barrel on his Ballard silhouette rifle. This was one of several that my gunsmith ordered. He made it a practice of checking/slugging every barrel that came thru the door. The others measured correctly at 16" twist. My friend wanted the faster twist and it is a tack driver. The 14" twist .40 barrels that GM offers started out as a mistake. This same gunsmith ordered two .40 barrels for customers guns. After slugging/scoping, one turned out to have 14 twist, the others were all correctly 16 twist. He decided to keep the 14 twist barrel and put it on his own BP silhouette rifle. It shot so well he suggested to GM that they make more and sell them as an optional twist. I have one of the first production 14 twist GM barrels on my 40-82 Hepburn and it's a tack driver. I also have a .22 GM barrel that shoots just "OK" (after testing with all manner of Lapua, Eley, and RWS ammo) and a .45 barrel that is an outstanding shooter. So my experience is that some GM barrels are great and others not so much. I'm not sure if this is the result of poor manufacturing or sketchy quality control.


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Red Cent Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 316 Location: Benton, KY byway of WV, VA, NC Joined: Dec 25^th, 2016	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #12 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 4:41pm	Print Post
	Recently, I had an e-mail discussion with Don, manager at C. Sharps. My Hi Wall is .375 and .368 and is a very recent GM #4 octagon. "....372" groove diameter and .367" land diameter....." What reamer did they use?

	Life is too short to argue with stupid people and/or drink cheap booze
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bruce moulds Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 290 Location: the antipodes Joined: Mar 14^th, 2015	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #13 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 8:32pm	Print Post
	or the spotter was making poor wind calls keep safe, bruce.

	ventum est amicus meus
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Jeff_Schultz ASSRA Board Member Offline Posts: 1659 Location: Ransomville, NY Joined: Apr 25^th, 2004	Re: Undersize .38 Green Mountain Barrel Reply #14 - Jul 16^th, 2018 at 8:34pm	Print Post
	Who made the reamer with a pilot small enough to enter the bore?

	"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo “There is no situation so bad that it cannot be made worse." Confidence- The feeling you get before you fully understand the situation.
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