.30-40 Krag boolit choice?

[selmerfan]

First off, the rifle I'm considering would not be a military rifle, but a .30-40 Krag barrel on an original Stevens 44 1/2 made by CPA rifles. I'm trying to decide whether to have them make me a .30-30 WCF or .30-40 Krag barrel. Shuttleworth's say either one will work. So here's the question. I have a very good NOE 311299 3 cav mold, one HP cavity, that I used for .308 win and .30-06. Will the Krag handle this boolit? I know it was originally designed to use 220 gr. bullets, so I assume that it will. I think the Krag offers a little more flexibility than the .30-30 for this handloader and boolit caster, but I'll have to buy dies and brass. Experience with the 311299 in the Krag anyone? I've also got the RD 165 RF mold, but as this is a single-shot action, I might be ham-stringing myself using flat-point boolits.

[Mark Daiute]

based upon my experience (with U.S. Springfield Krags) you'd be hard pressed to beat that boolit.

[Mr Peabody]

I enjoy my Krag with the 311299 and other heavy 30's. But! Your talking about a rifle that could be throated to take any length boolit. I'd try the 30-30 for the ease of getting brass and the cost of the brass.

[selmerfan]

Yep, I thought about that as well. I'll shoot both jacketed and cast in this barrel, but I'd rather jump the jacketed in a long throat than cramp case capacity with a short throat! Plus I've already got .30-30 brass and dies...

[frnkeore]

I would also go with the 30/30. You don't need the 30/40 case capacity for cast bullets. But, please don't get it with the standard 30/30 throating. If your going to shoot fixed ammo, you need a .1 freebore and a 1.5 deg lead. Make sure the 30/30 reamer has that type throating. It doesn't have to be exact but, along those lines. .309-310 freebore, no less that 1.5 deg per side lead.

Frank

[Char-Gar]

The 308 Winchester and 30-40 Krag have the same case/power capacity and cast bullet data is pretty well interchangeable between the two. Of course the 100 year old plus one locking lug Krag rifle is a limiting factor on how much pressure you want to push through these old rifles, but that is not your issue.

If I was building a single shot 30 caliber rifle I would go with the 30-40 case. It has a longer neck than the 308 and more powder capacity than the 30-30 if you want to use slow powders for your cast bullets. I shoot allot of WC872 in the 30-40 case, but the 30-30 lacks the capacity to use this powder.

The big question is what barrel twist you would choose for the custom barrel. Most 308s are 1-12 with some being 1-10. The Krag rifle is 1-10. If you are happy with your bullet in your 308 you will be just as happen with it in a custom 30-40 with the same twist. I would go a 1-12, but that is just a personal thing with me.

Bottom line is the 30-30 is a fine case and I have 4 rifles in that caliber, but the 30-40 will do anything the 30-30 will plus some things it won't.

[selmerfan]

Thank frnkeore - I'm sure that with the Schuetzen target shooting that CPA builds rifles for that they will have options for reamers for target .30-30 chambers.

[selmerfan]

Char-gar - will the 100 year old 44 1/2 frame handle any higher pressures than the one lug Krag-Jorgenson? I'm a little concerned with case head thrust increase on the breech block with the larger head on the .30-40.

[selmerfan]

And I've found information that Stevens didn't recommend a case head any larger than the .30-30 head on the original frame. .30-30 it is.

[smkummer]

I was going to pass on that after getting an original 1898 Krag made in 1901, the fun started finding ammo/cases. It took time and I did find ammo and cases but it by no means simple or easy. A have heard that it is a seasonal production by winchester and have not checked to see if starline makes the cases.

[uscra112]

Frank's opinion carries a lot of weight with me. Especially the throating comment. The short sharp throat has always been a failing of the .30-30. Ed Harris wrote about it years ago in a Rifleman article.

As far as Krag cases - I must be blessed by an angel. I have never once failed to find them at Huntington's when I wanted them.

Phil

[selmerfan]

I've already sent an email off to Gail at CPA inquiring about the throat leade. My wager is that because their main customers are Schuetzen and BP shooters, they will have gentle leade's on their throating reamers, but I'm not a machinist and I don't know exactly what I'm talking about, so I'll trust Frank too! Start asking me about saxophone details and measurements and then we can chat for hours, but I just want a good shooting barrel that will be easy on my cast boolits!

[Horace]

You will be happy with the 30-40!

[gnoahhh]

I too would have reservations chambering an old 44½ in .30/40 Krag. I think it's pushing the limitations of the action. Not an issue if you keep the loads relatively light, but what if someone else gets their hands on it and doesn't. I would stick with the cartridges it was originally chambered in. The .30/30 makes a whole lot of sense for a cast bullet shooter.

I'm a huge fan of both calibers and would be hard pressed to pick one over the other, but in this instance I would stick with the .30/30. In the end listen to Shuttleworth's. They have a lot of experience with 44½'s.

[selmerfan]

I've made the decision, it will be a .30-30 for a wide variety of reasons. The rifle will never be sold while I'm alive and it will stay in the family. My girls already love shooting it from the bench in the .22 LR configuration.