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keeper89
11-02-2005, 10:24 PM
Got a sporterized 98 Krag, looking for recommendations for two
30 cal molds I have: Lyman 311290 (?) long gas check version with one grease groove throws out at about 200 grs. and/or Lyman 31141(?) 170 gr flatpoint........any suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks in advance. :lovebooli

StarMetal
11-03-2005, 12:45 AM
Well the Lyman 311284 was specifically made for the Krag..it's a heavy bullet weighing about 220 grs or so. If you have a fat bore the Lyman 314299 is another good one, it weighs about 200 to 210 grs. Even if you don't have a fat bore that later one is still good.

Joe

Buckshot
11-03-2005, 02:56 AM
.............Sometimes the throat and groove in Krags can be a bit generous. It's good to pretty much fill the throat anyway. They also tend to long leades. My suggestions would be the Ly 314299, and/or the Lee C312-185R. Both should normally drop about .314 and .312" respectively and can be sized to .310" or more if necessary.

Plus with noses running between .301 & .302" they have a good chance at engraving while still being able to be fed through the magazine. My favorite boolit for my Krag is the NLA Lyman 311407, which is a FN Loverin @180grs. Has good weight and the Loverin design carries the full body diameter out much further.

Your Krag may be much tighter, and sluging it will tell. Sure are neat old rifles. I can understand why the guys at Springfield heaved a big sigh or relief when they went to the much simpler (to make) 1903.

.................Buckshot

KCSO
11-03-2005, 10:16 AM
For hunting you might want to try IMR 4895 and that 200 grain bullet. I have also had good luck with IMR 3031 using between 26 and 32 grains with the op load giving me just about 1900 from a 22" carbine. For target shooting i would use 12.5 of Red Dot or 18 grains of 2400. I also get a lot of good use from the Lee Soup can pushed by between 4.5 and 6 grains of Red Dot. This makes a real nice squirrel and plinking load. My Krag uses bullets sized .3105, but would probably do as well with 311's. The odd size was due to starting with a 309 die and lapping till the gun shot good. I have used the Lee 155 spire point bullet sized to 311 and pushed with 10 grains of unique and gotten some good groups, but since they were not any better than the hevier bullets with Red Dot I did not go too far down that road. I have been putting cast into Krags for right at 30 years now and if they have any kind of bore they can be made to shoot very well. I think it is a toss up as to weather the 30-30 or the 30-40 is the best cast bullet cartridge going. Either can be loaded from Mouse to Moose and cast will duplicate or exceed jacketed balistics. I don't push mine, prefering to stay with just under 2000 fps for hunting loads. I did do some work with condoms in a Ruger #3 in 30-40 and could beat a 308 by a little with 150 and 180, but this in NOT for the old Krag as they are 40,000 PSI max and I prefer 32 to 38,000.

Char-Gar
11-03-2005, 05:30 PM
I have two Krag rifle and have had good luck with 311291, 311467 and 311284. Only the last of the Krags ran .308 in the gooves. Most others ran from .3095 up. One of mine is .3095 and the other is .311. I have a sizing die that turns them out .3118 and works well in both rifles.

I have used bullets up to .313 but case necks get a little tight in the chamber. Larger than .313 and you will need to turn the case necks.

Townsend Whelen in his "Days of the Krag" wrote of finding Krags with grooves up to .316 but I have never found one that big.

All things being equal, .312 is a good place to start sizing bullets from the Krag rifle.

RayinNH
11-03-2005, 07:16 PM
Keeper, my Krag likes 311284 sized at .311 and pushed by 48.5 gr. of WC872. Five shot groups at 50 yards are usually around 1.25"- 1.50". It would probably do better if my eyesight wasn't so lousy...Ray

keeper89
11-03-2005, 10:14 PM
Thank you all very much for your knowledge and experience. All I had shot through my Krag in seven or eight years of ownership were condom loads--not bad and I did kill a couple of critters with them but there's just something that breaks my heart about having a few perfectly good molds laying around not seeing any use.........guess I'll have to find something to shoot bullets from that old 266??? that's been sitting there also---maybe a 6.5 swede??? The Chief is gonna be PISSED!!! :twisted:

Bent Ramrod
11-04-2005, 11:32 PM
Keeper89,

I've had pretty good luck with the 31141 sized .310" and 19.0 gr of H-4198. 28.0 gr of Reloder 7 worked pretty good as well.