30-40 Krag; 311284 or 312299?

[TXGunNut]

According to the Lyman Manual the 311284 was designed for the 30-40 Krag and the 311299 does especially well in the 308 Winchester. Seems like the 311299 should work well in the 30-40 Krag for the same reason the 311284 works. For some reason the Lyman manual doesn't even list 30-40 Krag loads for the 311299. Obviously they can't test or even list all possible boolits but I'm wondering if there's another reason. Of course, I don't have a 311284 mould but I do have a NOE clone of the 311299. Test rifle is a vintage 1895 Winchester with an awesome action and a decent bore. No plans for hunting with this rifle so the lack of a meplat is not an issue. I'd planned on using the NOE boolit for the 30-06 but that project seems to be going in another direction.
Any reason why the 311299 clone won't work in the 30-40 Krag? I'm going to try it, of course, but I feel like I'm missing something. Loaded some today, started my ladder @ 26 grs Rx7.

[richhodg66]

I have limited experience with the 311299, but the 311284 is a great bullet in the .20-06 and 7.62x54 in my experience.

I did get a bunch of 311299s recently and a mold. Guess I'll be working with it eventually, everybody says it's great too.

I want a Krag.

[Gewehr-Guy]

My only experience with a '95 in 30-40 was in 1978 when I borrowed a buddy's 95 to shoot at an antelope. It outran the 180gr Super - X three times so I let him go. South Dakota goats are FAST !

[lotech]

I haven't had a need to cast #311284 since I got #314299. #311284 was accurate, but #314299 was more accurate. Never tried #311299, but if it actually casts at .311", it may be even better than my #314299 bullets that I size to .311".

[Scharfschuetze]

I use the 314299 in my 1898 Krag almost exclusively, although I would never disparage the 311284 either. It has also proven to be a great bullet in any of the military 30 calibre rifles that I've shot it in. As you surmise, I also believe that the 311284 was actually designed with the Krag in mind. Unfortunately, my Krag's bore is a tad oversize for what my 311284 mould drops bullets at.

My favorite powders under the 314299 are SR4759 and 5744. My Krag is the only rifle I have where 5744 outperforms SR4759. Go figure.

My Krag likes, as almost all my 30 cals do, about 1,850 fps for the 311299 or the 314299.

[TXGunNut]

Actually read that about the 311284 in my new Lyman manual, Scharf---even though it was in other editions as well. I don't think the 95's had the long throats the Krags reportedly have but the long 312299 boolit seems right at home there. I'd like to try 5744 in this cartridge but have two other projects using that powder right now and only one can on the shelf...and none to be found around here. I'm thinking this load will wind up around 1850 as well, seems I've been paying attention to your posts.
And yes, Rich, I want a Krag too. Last time I saw a decent one I was in the process of buying something else. I'm not a milsurp guy but the Krag somehow overcomes my prejudices in that area.

[richhodg66]

I found a really nicely sporterized one a little while ago. They guy really knew what he was doing when he restocked it, nice checkering. Had a well installed receiver sight too. Trying to decide if I want it bad enough to scrape together $450 or try to negotiate a lower price.

[TXGunNut]

I found a really nicely sporterized one a little while ago. They guy really knew what he was doing when he restocked it, nice checkering. Had a well installed receiver sight too. Trying to decide if I want it bad enough to scrape together $450 or try to negotiate a lower price.

Sounds like a lot of gun for the money but that seems to be the rule with Krags. I think the Krag milsurps helped keep a generation of gunsmiths busy and the one I saw was quite attractive as well. Nice walnut stock with excellent workmanship, appeared to be a custom rifle rather than a sporterized milsurp.
Not that I'm an enabler or anything.....

[fourarmed]

My Krag bore is pretty rough and the throat is large. I have used 314299 in it for years with excellent success. Last summer, I got caught without any on hand, but I had a lot of 311284 ready to go. I had not used many of them because my mold is a little oversize, and they wouldn't fit most of my .30 caliber rifles. I tried them in the Krag throat, and overall length was ideal. I loaded a bunch and tried them, and they shot at least as well as the 314299 load. As always, it comes down to how the bullet fits the throat.

[bob208]

things I know about 311299. one shot from my 1899 krag carbine went through an 8 point buck and stopped him dead. many years ago I a friend need a deer rifle. so I lent him a number 1 with a p-h peep sight on it.
and 4 stripper clips loaded with the same bullet. a few weeks after deer season it came back with all the brass and one full striper clip still unused. plus some packs of deer steaks. he and his uncle doth got a deer with it. next year same thing only more steaks. him, his uncle and his grand father got a deer with it this went on for a few years. then I found them some sported Enfield's. all was done with 311299.

[RPRNY]

I use both extensively in both my 1898 Manufactured Krag 96 and Ruger No 3. Before I moved my Miroku made 30-40 1895 along, it did reasonably well with the 311299 and wouldn't feed the 311284. They are both good bullets but the chamber on the Krag-Jorgensen rifle includes a long throat for the original 220 grs cupro nickel jacket bullet and the 311284 was designed to fill that throat. In my Krag, the 311284 over 23 grs of 4227 shoots 1.5 MOA through aperture sights. It is my favorite range combination and I have killed two moderate VT whitetails with it. I am planning to use this for a retro elk hunt Fall 2017.

That bullet doesn't do as well in the scoped Ruger, with a shorter throat, where the 311299 is better and will do 1.5 - 2 MOA. But the Ruger prefers j-bullets at speed.

[selmerfan]

I have a .30-40 Krag barrel for my Stevens 44 1/2 rifle. The only bullets that have ever been down the barrel are 311299 GC thrown from an NOE mold. They're GREAT out of my Krag - sub MOA accuracy out to 200 yds with various loads of 2400, Rx7, and Varget.

[TXGunNut]

Thanks, guys. Seems I may be on the right track. Didn't get to shoot it last weekend but this Sunday is looking good.

[TXGunNut]

Finally got my old rifles to the range! The 26gr load of Rx7 was the best load of the three, 26.5 and 27.0 groups opened up a bit. I don't shoot semi-buckhorn sights well anymore so was pretty impressed with the group. Shot @ 50 yds today; well inside of 2". Will load up a few more and see what it (and my presbyopic eyes) can do @ 100.