16 gauge was (and still is, I think...) very popular in Germany back in the early 20th century (my drilling is ca. 1904), but they made other chamberings - especially in later years.
The 38-55 was conceived as a BP round, but - like the 45-70 - did get a lot of smokeless loading over the years. Winchester still loads it, but the 255 grain bullet is loaded to the rather amemic velocity of 1300 fps. In my old M. 1894 Winchester rifle, I used to load cast bullets (265 grains, I think) with smokeless powder loads that sent the bullet out at closer to 1600 - 1700 fps. At these higher velocitiess, it'll kill any deer in the woods & was one helluva accurate gun/ammo combo ! (Real quality on that old 1894, ca. 1899)
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