Krag, 314299 and 311284

[Mark Daiute]

06 September 2015

Range report

Gusts out of 2:00 o'clock

1898 Krag with 1901 rear sight

Bullet 311284 with gas check cast of Water Quenched Wheel Weight Alloy
Bullet 314299 same as above

Both sized .311

17 grains SR 4759

At 100 yards there was no appreciable difference in performance

at 200 yards I was getting much tighter groups with the 314299, like 4" groups with the occasional flier.

Now the bad news. The precision inherent in the ammo and the rifle is limited by my eyesight, that is to say, if my eyesight was better the groups would be better. My eyesight was the limiting factor not the rifle or the ammo.

When I developed floaters in my left eye (my dominant eye) I started shooting right handed. Now the floaters are starting up in my right eye as well.

Welcome to my 60's!

[Bent Ramrod]

Mark,

You would do well to keep an "eye" on those floaters. Sometimes they precede more serious problems. An occasional checkup is a good idea. My right eye started getting a lot of junk in it ahead of a retinal detachment. They caught it in time, but I have a crinkle across the center of my vision now, like permanent mirage.

My Krag load is 21 gr 4759 over the Ideal 311467. Of the bench it would seriously annoy the 36" gong at 500 yards. Most shots, if I watched the wind right, would stay within 3 MOA, especially if I weighed the boolits before loading. As soon as I get to the end of my stash of 311467s, I'll try some heavier ones.

Still can't believe they discontinued 4759...

[madsenshooter]

Yea, sometimes the floaters are bacterial in nature. Should have seen the dance I jumped up on the bed and did when the last one in my right eye disappeared in response to some herbals.

[Mark Daiute]

Hook me up with those herbals, Bob!

[Scharfschuetze]

My Krag is one of the few rifles that 4759 isn't the cast boolit powder of choice. In mine, an as issued 1898 rifle, I've found 5744 to be the powder of choice. Odd, as I really don't find that powder nearly as good as 4759 in most applications.

My load:

Lyman 314299 with NRA formula lube and copper gas check sized to .312. All up weight of 208 grains
RP cases fire formed and a light taper crimp
CCI 200 primers
OAL 3.125"
24 grains of 5744 powder

Average: 1831 fps, Es: 35, Sd: 12 for 10 shots

Accuracy is generally 2 MOA out through 200 yards. I haven't shot it at further distances, but I'm sure the load will hold its 2 MOA average (10 shot groups) to way out there.

The down side of the load is that the 5744 double base powder really heats the barrel up fast. It's like shooting full power jacketed loads through the rifle. As my goal is to prolong the life of the rifle's almost pristine bore using cast loads with their attendant lower pressures and temperatures, the load is at odds with my goal; even with its good accuracy.

[lotech]

My testing hasn't been extensive, but so far I've found the #314299 to be generally more accurate than the #311284 and easier to work up a good load for in the .30-40, .308, and .30-06.

[garrisonjoe]

Re the floaters -

Quite often a posterior vitreous detachment (sounds serious, but it is not. A RETINAL detachment, now that is serious). VERY common amongst us 60 year olds. Floaters get very common, and sometimes accompanied by "arcs of light" that you start to notice, most often in dark rooms.

Your eye doc will want to monitor the progress as the vitreous humor detaches, sinks and dissolves in the eye, over a period of time from a couple of weeks to a couple of years. But, a dramatic increase in floaters, lots of blobs, or "sprays" of blood droplets, arcing, etc. it's time to see the eye doc real soon.

If after 18 months or so, the floaters don't disappear on their own, you might want to ask about "vitreous removal" surgery. Cleared my left eye up crystal clear after dodging bad floaters for almost 2 years.

Good luck, GarrisonJoe

[Mark Daiute]

Garrisonjoe! "crystal clear" I like the sound of that!