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December 4, 2011
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Has anybody tried using 38-55 brass to cut for 375 SM?
It's almost dimensionally identical to 375 Win and seems to be more readily available right now.
Any reason NOT to try it?
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July 12, 2020
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I am in no way a reload expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express!Web area would be an important area to compare as this is where HD loads in a semi-auto will show failure. Are the 38-55 cartridges usually loaded to the same PSI as a 375Win cartridge? If so than I would naively assume the brass thickness on the tube should be comparable also.
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December 4, 2011
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It usually is not loaded as hot as 375 and you cannot fire 375s in a 38-55, but you can use a 38-55 in a 375. I believe it's mainly due to most 38-55's being older, weaker designs. Newer guns are rated for much hotter loads.
30-30 can be converted to 375SM but it's much weaker and requires a lighter loading. I'm thinking 38-55 may function similarly and with less modification than 30-30 converted brass.
I'm going to cut one open and measure. I may try a few for test purposes.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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December 4, 2011
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375 conversion Family photo.
Left to right, 30-30 winchester, 38-55 Ballard Starline brass, 375 Win Starline brass, 375 Supermag IHMSA headstamp.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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February 22, 2009
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Nice- and topped off with Hornady #3705? Better use those sparingly- I have about 175 of them left but I have a .375 Wide Flat Nose mold that the supermag seems to like pretty well. LMK if you want to try some.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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December 4, 2011
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I may have to start casting, there don't seem to be any 200-220 gn bullets out there anymore.
I do see some cast bullets for 38-55, but they are in the 235-275 gn range.
Have you ever loaded any heavier bullets for 375? There's no published data I can find. Also the heaviest ones are a lot longer so seating depth could be an issue.
Oh, BTW, what diameter do you size your 375 SM bullets? The 38-55's I've seen are .378-.379 . That seems too big to me so they need sized smaller.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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February 22, 2009
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I size to .377 and the bullets are gas checked. The longer bullets would probably have stabilization issues in the 18.75" twist barrel too but I've never gone heavier than the 220 gr. to say for certain.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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March 28, 2023
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I wrote this under 375 brass sticking but thought I would also mention it here. Since you are reloading the brass (what 50 or 100 tops at a time?) Why not buy ready to load brass that should not need anything done to it. I know it's more $$$$ ($2.25 each) at quality cartridge but then it's already sized and should also help with sticking issues. Again not only am I not an expert but when it comes to re-loading i'm a moron. Now as far as bullets I have been buying them from Lew Volmer (he makes 4 types) I think I got 220gr with cantilever. There is about a 6 month wait but I have been told he makes some of the best 375 supermag bullets out there. 300 buttits cost me around $225 By the way my sale is pending on my 375 Supermag gun they did not want the dyes, brass or bullets so I will list that stuff separate next week.
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January 24, 2009
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Like Stan, I have bought .375SM bullets from Les Vollmer, they are great! Comparing them to the discontinued Hornady bullets, they are almost indistinguishable. They aren't as cheap as casting your own of course, but for an occasional shooter like myself, I really like 'em. 
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March 28, 2023
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You can't get a hold of him on the website anymore but I asked him and he said it was ok to share his email if you want to order from him. Just assume it will take 3 to 5 months for the order to be filled!
Edit// PM for email address// rwsem
March 25, 2024
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great information !!!
if you can use 30-30 brass for these, i have a suggestion...
the parrent case for many of the merrill / XL single shot pistols was also 30-30 based just like the 30 herrett... 'ol rex merrill probably never thought his pistol would be pushed as hard as handgun silhouette shooters would... the way to deal with the pressures of these new cartridges was to go to a 225 winchester for the parent cases like the 30 & 7mm merrill, etc.. i played w/ 225 brass in a 30 herritt contender but regardless of what brass one used in a contender, the gun design prevented going much beyond what the 30-30 would withstand in that particular cartridge (too much taper)..
I would like to add a 375 to my collection so this is a great place to get information on feeding it !
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