Shiloh Rifle Forums

I like to shoot my Shilohs with fired, unsized brass. My 45-70 cases will drop in the chamber with no problems and I slip-fit my bullets.

On the other hand, my 38-55 cases have to be full length resized or, I have to turn the case in the chamber to find the sweet spot for them to fully enter. Even then they are a bit sticky. It makes me think the chamber is not quite round. Is that a correct assumption?

I am guessing that you are guessing correctly.
Keep on hav'n fun!
MikeT

I bought the gun new from Shiloh a few years ago thru Bill Goodman. The chamber has always felt a bit off to me but I couldn't figure out why. Recently when I started loading my rounds in unsized cases with a slip-fit in my .45 I decided to do the same in the .38 and found they wouldn't chamber without full length sizing.

I've tried neck sizing, then half sizing but only full length sizing will allow the rounds to fully chamber. That makes me think its the chamber mouth that is out-of-round. It works but to get the slip-fit I then have to expand the case mouth and neck back out. It works my brass and adds 2 extra steps to my reloading.

I hope my above post doesn't sound like I'm bashing Shiloh. That's not my intent. I'm just trying to work out what the problem may be. I'd like to have reworded it but the site timed out before I could edit.

Any ideas are welcome.

Call me,,

Kirk.

Found a similar 38-55 challenge. After firing, if I tried neck sizing only, when seating bullets, the bullet fell into the case. If I FL size, the problem is gone. This is needed for both case lengths offered by Starline. Don’t really like to FL size after each firing but it seems like that’s what it requires.

That gradual taper to the total length of case might be the culprit, along with possibly a poorly configured reamer?

Tom

Thanks, Kirk.

The only other reason I have found that cases need to be indexed is when the block face is not square with the barrel breech face and the case heads get bent out of square from back thrust. This happens fairly often with Rolling blocks that are not squared up before barreling. I doubt with the falling block used in a Sharps that this is the situation you have encountered.
Your assessment of a misaligned or out of round chamber is probably a correct one. A chamber cast and cross mic measurement will tell the story .
On occasion an error will slip by any one no matter how reputable they are because we are all human and if the error is corrected and made good then that is all that can be done.