Differential elastic neutron scattering cross sections of 206Pb, 207Pb, 208Pb, and 209Bi are measured at incident neutron energy intervals of ∼25 keV from 0.6 to 1.0 MeV. Optical model parameters are obtained from the energy-averaged experimental results for each of the isotopes. The 209Bi model was selected for extrapolation to 238U by introducing a small (N - Z)/A dependence and the known deformation of 238U. Calculated results are descriptive of 238U total neutron cross sections from a few hundred keV to >15.0 MeV and of recently measured differential 238U elastic and inelastic neutron scattering distributions at energies of 3.0 MeV, including new experimental values explicitly obtained for these comparisons. The model and the measurements imply total 238U inelastic neutron scattering cross sections considerably larger than in common applied usage.