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Thread: Found a Krag!

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    Have two sporters in the family, one with a pristine bore (24 in barrel) the other with pitting in the grooves from chamber to muzzle (20 in barrel). Both have Redfield no-drill peep sights and shoot extremely well with cast, the pristine best with the Lyman 311291 and the pitted with the Lyman 311284. Bores mike out a shade under .309 and we are sizing at .310.

  2. #22
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    arlon-- nice looking rifle. Since it's as-issued you'll need one of these to display with it. They're easy to find on e-bay with prices running from $35 to $250 depending a lot of date of mfg. and condition.
    Attachment 194563Attachment 194564Attachment 194565
    Click to enlarge. 1898/US

  3. #23
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    Mine likes the 314299. Going to try the LEE .312 185 soon.

    SHiloh
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  4. #24
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    I have one that is in really great shape with the Buffington sight. Awesome rifle and shoots great with cast bullets. I've never tried jacketed. The only flaw is that the stock has kind of an orange tint to it. It has usual dents and dings for a rifle its age. I shoot an approximately 175 grain gas checked Lyman (Don't remember mold #) sized with a .311 sizing die. Bullets mic to about .3105. I mostly use 4198. We shoot gongs out too 500 yards at our club. Our 500 yard target is a buffalo target about 41/2 ft. long and about 3ft wide from belly to hump. On a good day when I am in the grove I can keep most shots on it. Myself and some of the other Krag shooters at the club shoot some very respectable groups with them at 100 & 200 yards off cross sticks. I have had and will continue consider it one my favorite cast bullet rifles with my Remington 1903 being number one.
    TacoFrank

  5. #25
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    That orange tint to the stock is something I have also noticed on some rifles. Best theory is that something in the finish changes over time, perhaps in long exposure to sunlight.

  6. #26
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    You hit the Krag lottery.

  7. #27
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    Bayonet would be a nice accessory!

    I got around to slugging the bore, it measures a tight .308. Not sure I would wand to shoot anything larger than .311 in it. Just lucky to find on with a really nice tight bore.

    I did get 200 pieces of 30-40 brass from Graf. That should last awhile, hopefully I'll only have to neck size.

  8. #28
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    Jeff Cooper said (about the Krag) that a .30 caliber 180gr bullet @2400 fps would do what needs to be done in N America.
    I bet it'll shoot just fine. Especially with RN bullets.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Char-Gar View Post
    OK...here are my tips.

    1. Gas check cast bullets from 160 to 220 grains work best.
    2. Seat the bullets short enough to run through the magazine. The rifles has a long throat and bullets seated to touch the lands won't function through the magazine.
    3. Krag rifles have quite large throats so size your bullet .312 or larger if they will chamber in the rifle. Every Krag rifle I have fired, and that is many, did very well with .313 cast bullets. I have owned two Krags that required me to neck turn the brass to use .313 cast bullets and still chamber.
    Noce info - whatdo you mean by neck turning?

  10. #30
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    I'll try to explain, and if Char-Gar comes back across this later and disagrees he can correct me. The chamber is cut to certain dimensions--there's just so much room. When you load a bullet with a larger diameter (fatter) into a cartridge case the neck has to expand to accommodate the bullet. The walls of the mouth of the case have a certain dimension that is increased by a larger-than-standard bullet, and sometimes the case will no longer fit properly in the chamber because of the expansion. So the way to compensate for it and make it work again is to remove metal from the case's neck, making the brass thinner to compensate for the bullet being larger. There are various machines available for doing this ranging from small hand turned lathes to using actual floor model lathes. Some use devices chucked in electric drills, etc. Many reloaders remove the brass from the outside of the neck, while others remove it from the inside of the neck. This operation is also necessary sometimes when one caliber of cartridge is formed from another due to the brass being forced (squeezed) down into a smaller size thickening the walls. The process is also used routinely by some reloaders seeking the ultimate in target accuracy to uniform all of their brass, regardless of whether or not a larger diameter than standard bullet is being used.

  11. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager View Post
    I'll try to explain, and if Char-Gar comes back across this later and disagrees he can correct me. The chamber is cut to certain dimensions--there's just so much room. When you load a bullet with a larger diameter (fatter) into a cartridge case the neck has to expand to accommodate the bullet. The walls of the mouth of the case have a certain dimension that is increased by a larger-than-standard bullet, and sometimes the case will no longer fit properly in the chamber because of the expansion. So the way to compensate for it and make it work again is to remove metal from the case's neck, making the brass thinner to compensate for the bullet being larger. There are various machines available for doing this ranging from small hand turned lathes to using actual floor model lathes. Some use devices chucked in electric drills, etc. Many reloaders remove the brass from the outside of the neck, while others remove it from the inside of the neck. This operation is also necessary sometimes when one caliber of cartridge is formed from another due to the brass being forced (squeezed) down into a smaller size thickening the walls. The process is also used routinely by some reloaders seeking the ultimate in target accuracy to uniform all of their brass, regardless of whether or not a larger diameter than standard bullet is being used.
    i go along with that.

    most people will not case turn. case turning is still used at the .22, .20. and .17 calibers. i have used neck turning in my 20 vartarg(221 rem fireball necked down to .204"). mostly the neck turning is used for the absolute accuracy of the cartridge. my 20 vartarg will go .2 - .3" at 100 yards(5 shots/ no neck turning). if i use neck turning, it will go .15 - .2" at 100 yards(5 shots, neck turning). i don't bother with neck turning because i mostly hunt with it. groundhogs, foxes, 'yotes and crows don't care, so why should i.

  12. #32
    Boolit Master madsenshooter's Avatar
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    Some of the Krags, generally circa 1900-1902, had stocks that were made from what the supplier termed Italian walnut, during a supply shortage of American black walnut. The contract said hardwood, so the Italian walnut was used. Under the barrel, in the lightening cuts, the wood is often bright orange. I had a forearm made of European walnut to splice onto a 98 with an Italian stock, got to get around to that someday.
    "If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."

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  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by madsenshooter View Post
    Some of the Krags, generally circa 1900-1902, had stocks that were made from what the supplier termed Italian walnut, during a supply shortage of American black walnut. The contract said hardwood, so the Italian walnut was used. Under the barrel, in the lightening cuts, the wood is often bright orange. I had a forearm made of European walnut to splice onto a 98 with an Italian stock, got to get around to that someday.
    that i did not know. a drink to you, my friend!(tho i'll have a birch beer or coffee)

    my own is dated 1903 and i did some very fine steel wool to my krag stock. it looked about black, i assume that the stock was kept in the basement rafters(grandpap). after i was done steel wooling it, i put on a coat(or three) of johnson's paste wax. i guess it was black walnut, but i'm not sure. does anyone know what wood(1903) was used?(2nd pix on #8)

    thanks!

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoyka View Post
    i go along with that.

    most people will not case turn. case turning is still used at the .22, .20. and .17 calibers. i have used neck turning in my 20 vartarg(221 rem fireball necked down to .204"). mostly the neck turning is used for the absolute accuracy of the cartridge. my 20 vartarg will go .2 - .3" at 100 yards(5 shots/ no neck turning). if i use neck turning, it will go .15 - .2" at 100 yards(5 shots, neck turning). i don't bother with neck turning because i mostly hunt with it. groundhogs, foxes, 'yotes and crows don't care, so why should i.
    Now THAT is accurate!

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager View Post
    Now THAT is accurate!
    it is accurate, when you do it off a bench. the 20vt will go approx. .5 - .7" at 100 yards(5 shots/without bench).

    i have done many loads, but the 32gr nosler with 18.7gr of rel7 does the job. i have a 34gr midsouth hp that i want to try. if it goes under a 1" at 100 yards(5 shots/without bench) then i will be ecstatic. i don't know what type of bullet that midsouth has, but it will be cheaper than any nosler. if midsouth's bullet does under a inch, i will be happy. the groundhogs, not so much!!!

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by arlon View Post
    Bayonet would be a nice accessory!

    I got around to slugging the bore, it measures a tight .308. Not sure I would wand to shoot anything larger than .311 in it. Just lucky to find on with a really nice tight bore.

    I did get 200 pieces of 30-40 brass from Graf. That should last awhile, hopefully I'll only have to neck size.
    .311" 165gr ranch dog will kill a deer. if you target shoot, there's a whole lot more!!!

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoyka View Post
    .311" 165gr ranch dog will kill a deer. if you target shoot, there's a whole lot more!!!
    Strictly a paper or steel shooter unless I'm using my Nikon.. (-:}

  18. #38
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    for paper/steel target i'd go with noe 311202, 311214 or 311218 or accurate molds that go 31-200 and up.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check