.38 lead cast bullets in the Henry Big Boy

[gray fox]

After reloading for about 35 years I gave up at age 72 due to failing eye sight. Now at 77 with operations behind me and vision much improved it is a goal to again reload .38 brass cases using various lead bullets.

A quick question: are there any problem firing lead .38 special bullets through a Henry Big Boy of that caliber? Lead fouling can be dealt with but anything else?

Thanks.

Ken.

[NoSecondBest]

There’s no problems shooting lead bullets through the Henry lever gun. As long as the bullets are the correct diameter (.001-.002” larger than actual bore) and loaded to appropriate lead bullet velocities there will be no problems. I know many shooters who participate in a summer silhouette league who do it on a weekly basis and have no problems at all.

[44 AMP]

As long as the bullets are hard enough not to deform during the feed cycle there SHOULD be no problems.

[gray fox]

Thank you for your comments. It was my assumption that there would be no problems but decided to ask because the Henry rifle is much longer than my S&W revolver.

In the past it was my habit of spending the winter reloading all available .38 and .357 cases, making lead bullets in early spring (outside) and the rest of the year unloading with a 686. My volumes were such that commercial loads became unrealistic.

Currently there are about 2,000 bullets made, sized, and waxed, sitting in jars. Reloading will keep me busy all winter as I use a Rock Chucker single stage press purchased new in around 1980.

This forum is a great resource.

Ken.

[sundog]

Just a suggestion, 38 cases with shorter OAL may present a feeding problem. Load a few dummies for test cycling before loading large quantity of live rounds.

[gray fox]

I found the full .357 loads were problematic for this old guy so I tried the shorter .38. The weight of the Henry should solve any recoil problems with full .357 rounds.

Safety is always high on my list (hence this thread). The Henry does cycle plastic dummy rounds so there should not be an issue. If it is then a new Ruger GP100 will be used. Only 50 lead rounds will be made for initial testing.

Ken

[Joe-ker]

I have had no fouling to speak of in my Bigboy...keeping velocities low is the important part. I’ve done a fair amount of .38s.....they definitely do not cycle as well....you really have to throw the lever hard and fast. Any hesitation seems to create a hangup. I will keep my brass but I will probably only reload .357 cases light from now on.

[44 AMP]

The Henry does cycle plastic dummy rounds so there should not be an issue.

Probably not. But its not a guaranteed certainty, as "plastic dummy rounds" are not dummy rounds they are snap caps. True dummy rounds, used for function testing replicate live ammo in ever aspect except for firing. They are the same dimensions as live ammo and the same weight. And normally of the same materials (brass, lead, etc)

Plastic or aluminum snap caps can, and usually are functional through the action, and are a fair approximation of live ammo, BUT not an exact one, and I have personally seen a case where the snap cap worked and a loaded round did not. It is a VERY rare thing but it is not impossible, and I mention it just so you will be aware that, unlikely though it is, its possible your snap cap may give you a "false positive".

My experience with .38/.357 lever guns is with the Marlin, so only generally applies to the Henry, but here it is, for what it is worth.

Length matters, but not too short as much as too long. Bullets seated too long will jam tryng to go from the magazine to the chamber. (if you are at or below industry spec for length, it doesn't happen)

Bullet shape matters more than you might think. Specifically the SWC shape. My Marlins feed anything with a rounded nose shape butter smooth, no matter how you work the lever. RN lead, or JHP/JSP bullets, everything with a rounded sloping nose (even with a flat tip) works great.

SWC on the other hand like to hang up. Feeds fine, but ONLY if the lever is worked a certain way, at a certain speed. Too slow, or too fast, and the round "bounces" on the lifter and the sharp edge of the SWC bullet likes to catch on the edge of the chamber. When this happens, the solution is simple, just back off the pressure on the round (move the lever forward, slightly) then the round will fall back into its proper position and feed smoothly when you close the lever.

This MIGHT not be an issue with you Henry, but if it is, its not a deal breaker.
Most lever just work best when the action is worked "smartly", meaning not to slow or slamming hard fast. But every one is a little different, and your rifle will show you what it likes, and doesn't as you shoot it.

Stick with standard .38Spl loads, the rifle barrel will boost the speed up to or past +P levels anyway. And DO CRIMP. Tube magazines tend to push the bullets into the cases unless crimped.

Good Luck, have fun, let us know what questions you have.

[gray fox]

A few plastic snap caps were purchased about a month ago and tried once. My normal practice in the past was to fit and crimp a bullet in a spent cartridge and leaving the used primer in place. Given the warnings this is what I will do now.

Ken.

[44 AMP]

A common means of identifying dummy rounds made from actual ammunition is to drill an hole through both sided of the case. !/4" is large enough to be easily visible and will prevent the possibility of it being mistaken for live ammo.

In over 50 years of tinkering with guns and ammo, I've only seen one case where a snap cap cycled and a loaded live round did not, but I did see it (and it was with a 1911 pistol!!) so I warn people that a snap cap working through the action isn't a 100% guarantee. 99.95% maybe, but not 100.

[gray fox]

I always relied on the spent primer as an indicator but drilling a small hole is much better and will be used from now on.

Thank you.

Ken.

[handlerer2]

Do you have any have any 38spl loaded already for the 686? If so you could see if they cycle in your rifle.

Dummy rounds have a purpose but they are generic. As long as there is no dummy pulling the trigger, you should be safe, trying to cycle your reloads, in your new Henry, IMO.

I have never casted my own bullets, but have been reloading since 1975. I would see if 30-30 cycled properly through my old Marlin, in my gun room. Let me know if you think this is unsafe.

Firearm safety has been drilled into me since before I can remember. Both at home, at hunting camps, as a LEO and in the Army.

I'm kind of surprised that no one mentioned trying your handloads, already.

[44 AMP]

Running live ammo through your gun always carries an element of risk, even when there is no "dummy" doing it, the risk is not zero.

Some "gun cranks" (including myself) have done this without incident, and sometimes, when the gun design allowed it, would remove the firing pin before doing it.

Low risk, is not NO RISK. Your call, but making a few dummy rounds using the bullet and seating depth you plan to shoot is not a bad idea.

[Geezerbiker]

If you're up to doing it, powder coated bullets should take away your concerns about leading.

A friend powder coated some for me and the results were amazing. Now I'm planning to get set up to coat my own home cast bullets.

Tony

[chris in va]

That was my thought too, powdercoat.

[jetinteriorguy]

With round nose bullets and a good solid crimp you should be fine. On the other hand SWC’s might present problems feeding smoothly. I’ve used Extreme copper coated in Truncated Cone, round nose, round nose hollow points, and SWC and the only one that didn’t feed nice and smooth was the SWC although it did work, just not as smooth. The best load I’ve settled on is using .357 cases with 158gr round nose hollow points from Extreme. They feed great and have the best accuracy out to 100yds. They chrono just under 1200 FPS and after a couple hundred rounds just a slight bit of copper fouling in the last three inches or so of the barrel. This is all in a Henry BBS .357.

[gray fox]

Due to an excess of caution the only time a live cartridge goes into one of my several guns is on a range.

It is simple to take a spent case, leave the spent primer in and crimp a bullet in place with no powder. It both serves as a measuring tool when adjusting the dies for switching between .38 and .357 while also testing bullet/gun fit.

I really like the suggestion to drill a small hole in the case side and will do that in future blanks.

Ken.

[T. O'Heir]

"...full .357 loads were problematic for this old guy..." As mentioned some .357 lever actions don't like .38 OAL. Loading .357 cases to .38 velocities fixes that. Shot bullseye for years using .357's and 148 grain WC's out of a revolver with no fuss. Likely too short for a lever action, but any SWC or RN should do nicely.
"...in future blanks..." Isn't a Blank. It's a Drill Purpose round. AKA a DP.
"...adjusting the dies for switching between .38 and .357..." You not have the steel spacer that should have come with a .38/.357 die set? RCBS, assuming your dies are those, will send you one.
Is Lonson Ontario the same as London, Ontario? Been there. No wait, I am there.

[gray fox]

Before I gave up due to vision problems there were two sets of Hornady dies, one set for ..357 and one set for .38. There were both given to my older son quite a while ago. I plan to simply use one set and product a few hundred rounds of .357 before switching over to .38 and switch back and forth as needed.

The city is indeed London Ontario and I know spelling counts however small print is not easy after major eye surgery.

I have always used a Rock Chucker single stage press for reloading and powder was individually measured with a balance scale. I now use a digital electronic scale for each round and it has a large scale and easy to read.