The 30-40 Krag, back at the range:

[littlejack]

I loaded up 50+ 30-40 Krag rounds a couple months ago. I got side tracked shootin my handguns, and neglected doing the testing with the Krag rounds. So, a couple days ago I decided it was time to get on with it. The boolit
used, was the Lyman 311284. Cartridge overall length is 3.060. Powders used were IMR 4227, IMR 4198, and Re-7. My rifle has the Redfield receiver sight. Distance was 50 yards. Target was a 8" black, with a 4" white
bullseye. Results were, I thought, very good considering my aged eyes.

#1. 7 shots: Re-7 18 grains. 1.3" ctc.

#2. 8 shots: Re-7 19 grains. 6 shots .770 ctc
2 shots pulled out to 2".

#3. 7 shots: IMR 4227 17 grains. 1.23" ctc

#4. 7 shots: IMR 4227 18 grains. 1.15 ctc

#5. 7 shots: IMR 4227 19 grains. 6 shots 1"
1 pulled out to 1.375" ctc

#6. 10 shots: IMR 4198 19 grains. 9 shots
.735 ctc 1 shot out to 1.12"

#7 8 shots: IMR 4198 20 grains. 7 shots
.900 ctc 1 shot out to 1.23"

As you can see, it's going to be hard to pick out which loads shoots the best. My plan is to load some more rounds, and move the targets back to 100 yards. I realize how much I took my good eyesight for granted in my younger days. With sights and targets going blurry from time to time, and all those darn floaters floating around its a real drag. Going to hit the range in the next few days. After the 100 yard testing, I'm going to jump to the 200 yard. That's the longest distance at our club.
I'm really enjoying this 120 year old piece of art. Good groups can put a smile on your face.
Good shooting to all.

[Thumbcocker]

The .30-40 is a great cartridge for boolits.

[HWooldridge]

It boils down to economics and availability. If you can easily obtain all of these powders without breaking the bank, it then turns into which load uses the least amount of resources. All things considered, #3 consumes the least amount of powder, even if it's only one grain.

Another thing to try is to use a larger sample - like 30 shots, and see if you note any changes in group size. It may not yield any new information but the range time will be fun and you will be improving your confidence level that the rifle will hold its own.

I have a Savage 23-C in 32-20 that is similar - it simply shoots everything into tiny groups. Cast or jacketed, hot or mild, it doesn't care. You may have one of those magic wands that does all things well.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Congratulations on some outstandingly good results. You'll get tired of experimenting before your Krag does. There are other boolits and other powders, with or without gas checks, lubed and powder coated, etc. I'm sure the Redfield sight helps--I know it helps me.
Good shooting!

DG

[Wayne Smith]

The more clear distinction between the bull and the background and the larger the bull as the distance increases makes a huge difference in the ability to see. Very black on very white makes a difference over dark grey on off white.

[Adam Helmer]

littlejack,

Excellent range results. What .30/40 are you shooting, rifle or carbine? I have two rifles and a carbine and all like my cast boolits. At age 79, I can still use iron sights, but my limit is 100 yards for bullseye targets with my Krags or muzzleloaders. Coyotes and chucks will be engaged out to 400 yards in my big hayfield. LOL.

Be well.

Adam

[littlejack]

I'm going to try and figure out how to powder coat the driving section, without coating the bore riding section. I will probably just stick with the 311284 boolit, as it is performing very well. The receiver sight is a great improvement over the original iron sight.
I was having trouble with the front sight blending in with a black target, that's why I designed my own target with the white bullseye. It works very well.
My Krag is a cut back 1898 Springfield rifle, serial # 409xxx, so it is a few thousand short of the last ones manufactured. That serial was manufactured in 1903. Barrel has been cut to 25", and the rifling is very prominent. The action and barrel is in very good condition for its age. Nice patina! The stock has been well mistreated.
Thank you for the encouragement and imput.

[HWooldridge]

I like to use an inverted black triangle pasted on a white background as a target - aim at the lower point.

[tward]

Sounds like great fun! Tim

[littlejack]

Oh yeah.

[Krag1902]

(I see that your overall cartridge length is just over two inches. With the standard Krag throat, you can easily add an inch to that. I have six Krag sporters with peep sights and load them in excess of three inches . I don't load through the magazine. At a hundred yard I can count on two inch groups all day long and sometimes go under 1.25 inches. 308284, 311290, 311335, 311329, 311274 all shoot very well for me.

[littlejack]

I don't load through the magazine either. Just single loading. I may try that to see how well it will shoot. Interesting concept. Thanks for the tip.

[Thumbcocker]

There was an article in Gun Digest many years ago by Jim Floral called "My .30-40 Krag Plinker" that was a good read with load data.

[Adam Helmer]

I'm going to try and figure out how to powder coat the driving section, without coating the bore riding section. I will probably just stick with the 311284 boolit, as it is performing very well. The receiver sight is a great improvement over the original iron sight.
I was having trouble with the front sight blending in with a black target, that's why I designed my own target with the white bullseye. It works very well.
My Krag is a cut back 1898 Springfield rifle, serial # 409xxx, so it is a few thousand short of the last ones manufactured. That serial was manufactured in 1903. Barrel has been cut to 25", and the rifling is very prominent. The action and barrel is in very good condition for its age. Nice patina! The stock has been well mistreated.
Thank you for the encouragement and imput.

littlejack,

I love the Krag action and both my rifles are "as issued." My (1896 dated) carbine has a long, sad, history. Twenty years ago, I found her on the used gun rack for $65.00 down state near my twin brother's home. The LGS owner and my brother were buddies, so the deal was made. The shop owner was also a fine gunsmith. The carbine was once original until "Bubba" cut a few inches off the barrel and never crowned it. He tossed the stock for a fairly nice sporter stock, which is still in use. The bore looked like a sewer pipe.

Resurrection: A month later, the smith fitted a new barrel, reset the open sights and refit the entire action and safety, all for $75.00. I like to take my Krags to the local club and watch the AR-armed younger club members be mesmerized by how the Krag magazine sends the ammo under around and through up to the chamber! The old shell game has nothing on Krag magazine gymnastics! LOL.

Enjoy your piece of Krag history.

Adam

[HWooldridge]

I always felt the Krag was one of the last military rifles that was designed to be fired from an upright position. The stock drop and balance are nigh on perfect for offhand work. The rifles which came afterwards seem to be geared more for prone or low positions, like from a foxhole or trench.

[littlejack]

I really enjoy the looks other shooters have when they walk by the Krag setting on the bench. Some recognize the Krag, but haven't seen one in years. Others have never seen one before, and start inquiring about the odd lookin action. Loads of fun.

[Texas by God]

A fun plinking at cans load for the Krag is a .310” round ball over two grains of most any fast powder( Red Dot, etc.) and any large rifle or large pistol primer you have laying around.
I also like IMR 4227 and 4198 for cast loads in the Krag. I used IMR4350 for jacketed loads, but it isn’t picky at all.
I gave my Krag to my son- but he still lets me shoot it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[littlejack]

That's mighty nice of him.

[405grain]

I was just at the range shooting some cast loads yesterday (Though not 30-40 Krag). Some of the cartridges were "target loads" and others were just some plinker loads that I'd thrown together with mixed brass and minimal effort. The target loads preformed about as expected, but the lesson for today was the plinker loads. With these I would be hot on the trail of a decent group, then hopes were dashed as a flier, or a pair of fliers, would open up the group to "mediocre" statis. This was just some fun shooting, so no actual heartbreak. What was the main difference between the accurate "target" loads and the just OK plinker loads? The target loads had weight sorted bullets.

The 311284 has some serious potential as an accurate bullet. littlejack's targets that were shooting a tight group, that then got opened up by a flier. These may well have been the victim of variations in the cast bullets. This can be anything from a tiny bubble inside the bullet, a slightly rounded edge on the gas check shank, an inclusion of some crud inside the bullet, etc. which could throw the bullet off slightly during it's flight. It's up to you, and your mileage may vary, but it you want to tighten up those groups might be to weight sort your bullets. I weigh a batch of bullets and separate them into three groups: too light, too heavy, and whatever the average is. All the bullets that are within 1/2 grain +/- of the average weight for that batch are "target" bullets, and the rest are "plinkers". Plinker bullets can usually pick off a soda can at 50 yards, while target bullets can do this even more reliably at 100 yards.

Krag1902"s suggestion about loading the bullet out longer to get closer to the rifling is a good one. The Krag case has plenty of neck to support a cast bullet, and the less the bullet has to make a leap of faith before it reaches the rifling the better it's accuracy potential is.

I did a write up about how to powder coat the driving bands while leaving the bullets nose bare a while ago. Use the search function to look up Hybrid Bullet. Other casters have tried hydro dipping, but I haven't. As an FYI, I do a complete shake & bake powder coat on the #311284 to bump up it's diameter, then size it to .3125" and use it in my 7.65x53 Mauser. If you shoot a 303 British, 7.7 Japanese, or an Argentine Mauser, the Lyman #311284 is a great bullet; you just need to powder coat it to make it fatter.

[Krag1902]

There was an article in Gun Digest many years ago by Jim Floral called "My .30-40 Krag Plinker" that was a good read with load data.

Jim Floral - I am related to that guy by marriage. He and my wife will be married twenty years this June. By the way, he spells his name with one L - Foral, but that is a common mistake I'm sure he'd tell you. Thanks for remembering: I'm sure he'll feel flattered when I tell him.