30-40 Krag

[lafayne]

I received my 30-40 Krag brass from Midsouth today in case anyone else is searching. Thanks to Bruce sending me 50 cases, I have been able to load. I brought the Ruger No. 3 home last Tuesday - 1976 vintage in like new condition.

Now to the range.

 

[max]

This month's American Rifleman has an article on loading the 30-40.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I load and shoot .30-40 but didn't notice the "American Rifleman" article on loading the .30-40.

Grand cartridge!

 

[PattonTime]

30/40 Krag

I got one of each this summer, a Ruger #3 and a Browning replica of
a 1895 Winchester. I had bought a deceased former shooters set of supplies from the widow,the local store wouldn't mess with it because so much of the ammo was reloads. Among it was scads of 30/40 that was loaded.
Little did I realize until I got the guns that it was Ackley improved.
I pulled and redid hundreds of cartridges , worked great !
I sure felt like a dope for not paying attention, but when I found out how hard brass was to come by ....
I wonder how many reloads I will get from this "worked " brass ?

 

[max]

OOPS, the article is in the October Shooting Times. I got both magazines on the same day and got confused.

 

[cush]

Thanks for the tip. I just came home with new Ruger #1 in .30-40 Krag...a Cabela's exclusive...1 of 100 and am ready to get some loads for it.

 

[lafayne]

I have loaded the Nosler 165 and 180 Ballistic Tip, 180 Nosler solid base and 165 Speer spitzer with IMR 4350 and 4895. I mounted an older Leupold 4x and will test fire.

I'll bet that No. 1 in 30-40 is a really nice shooter. I may have to have one.

 

[Alk8944]

Let us know how that #3 shoots! I say that because I have one just a little newer that would not shoot better than about 4" average at 100 yds in spite of using just about every known trick. It is now, and has been for over 25 years, a .35 Krag, re-bored by Bob West, that now shoots like a rifle!! (Yes, pun intended) Seriously, it shoots easily under 1", and usually better.

That #1 in .30-40 sure sounds interesting.

 

[PattonTime]

30/40 Krag #3

So far I have shot only at fifty yards at my local indoor range.
But my groups have been an inch or a little less at that range.
I have owned a number of #3's and even more #1's and have been fortunate I guess that I have not had any of the horror stories I have read about from other guys.
I have a Ruger #1 Varmint in 220 Swift that I have yet to shoot, I hope this won't be my first bad one.

 

[lafayne]

I am optimistic. I have measured throating and I can seat to within .025" of the leade and still have ample bullet in the case. Maybe I will get lucky. Some rifles just shoot well and some won't. I had one No. 1 in .338 Mag and one in 22-250 that had vertical stringing with barrel heating, but were always good for a few shots. My current No. 1's and No. 3's shoot well.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

My .30-40's include an 1895 Krag carbine and an original Winchester 1895 (1905 production). I use the Lee 180-grain cast round nose gas check bullet (.309" diameter cast with 50/50 mix of wheelweights and linotype metal, Hornady crimp-on gas check, Alox lube), 24 grains IMR-4198, CCI large rifle primer, 2-grains dacron fiber over-powder filler, for about 1800 FPS.

This load from my 105 year old Winchester will shoot 3" groups at 100 yards all day long. It has also dropped a 200-lb. mule deer cleanly with a single heart-lung shot at about 60 yards.

The Krag carbine shoots this load nearly as well, despite having considerable throat erosion and a groove diameter of .311.

 

[mkk41]

The grand old 30/40 Krag , aka , 30 US Army is one of my favorite rounds. I'd love to have a Winchester 1895 lever. The round is almost obsolete these days , and very under-rated. But back around the turn of the century , it was THE round till the 30-06 took over. IIRC , till just recently , the long standing Boone & Crockett record elk was taken with a 30/40 Krag.

My 30/40 shooting and loading is limited to original US Krag rifles and carbines. Local gun shop was liquidating a deceased shooters collection and I got 10 boxes of Hornady 220gr RNs for $10 a box . They will be loaded over 40.5grs of IMR 4350 , approximating the original US issue ammo.

Awhile ago , I picked up a bag of 100pcs nickeled Remington brass. Should look spiffy in my original Mills cartridge belt. Most of the original US Krag and 45/70 ammo destined for the Phillipines , Cuba and other damp climates had tinned cases.