Fun with my Krag

[JMax]

Spent a lot of time working up loads for my sportarized Krag made in 1903. Bore is pitted but has sharp rifling and it has a Lyman peep sight. I think that I found the load today using a 314299 sized to .313 and the bullet is seated as long as possible (3.132") and still fit in the magazine and sitting on 17.5 gr of 2400. The gas checks made on my FreeChex III using 14.5 mil Al. The chrono results are 1573 ft/sec STDV 20.4 or 1.3%.

I think that load development will cease and begin shooting for fun [smilie=w:

171837
171936

[Ithaca Gunner]

I remember an old article, Gun Digest maybe it was where a fellow had a Krag like yours and had a ball with it using cast boolits. I'll have to find it again, it became his favorite walk around rifle.

[JMax]

I need to slick up the trigger and add a sling and it is a great walk about rifle:mrgreen:

[Themoose]

I just ordered the lyman mould and .313 sizer die... I have two Krags that I will be tinkering with... just made a new front sight for one last night that was shooting 2 ft high @50 yds... it definitely looks homemade, but hopefully will give me a starting point where I can file the sight to the proper height... they are fun to shoot and smooth as everyone says

[tdoyka]

i too have a bubba-sized 1898 30-40 krag. mine is also .3085" bore sized and it was made in 1903. i took a bunch of loads(h4198, rel7...) that go about 1800fps with a 165gr ranch dog(.311") and boy, was i surprised. a 25.5gr of h4198 goes 1 1/4 - 1 3/4" at 100 yards(5 shots). i never tried anything else. and it drops deer drt.

i have a redfield peep sight, an original stock and barrel band that was put on. now i have to sight it in and wait for deer season!!!

themoose, heres another site that you might find useful...

Products (http://www.ssfirearms.com/products.asp?cat=124)

[Themoose]

tdoyka, Thanks for the info on S & S.. I have used them before... I have bubba'd rifles and did not want to file a flat on the barrel to mount the original style front sight... someone had fashioned a slip on style... I just re-did it with a thinner and taller sight blade... but thanks again

[tdoyka]

tdoyka, Thanks for the info on S & S.. I have used them before... I have bubba'd rifles and did not want to file a flat on the barrel to mount the original style front sight... someone had fashioned a slip on style... I just re-did it with a thinner and taller sight blade... but thanks again

your welcome!

s&s had a rear sight peep plate and a mounting screw ( Product Detail (http://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=K554) Product Detail (http://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=K554A) ) that i just had to "have". i put it on and i took it out to shoot. i put the peep up and i tried my dangest to find the front post but i couldn't. i put it back down after about 20 minutes and i never shot the peep sight again. i did find a redfield 75k(i think) peep sight(evilbay), so i put it on, found the front post(ha ha!!) and all i have to do is sight it in.

i did find the original stock(minus the handguard) in my grandfather's basement and i did find the lower band on someone else's site(can't remember it). krag parts are hard to find, so i give s&s website to anyone with a krag.

[Mr Humble]

Good info, I have a nice Krag sporter from the 20-30s that is currently undergoing a restore.
Have an NEI 190 gr bore rider mold that works well in any 30 caliber. Has a receiver sight and found a nice bbl band front sight for it. Even have found the correct G&H 7/8" non offset rings that will work with my G&H mount. But the $ for G&H to fit a base to the action (+-$500)is putting me off a bit as at most I'll have $600 into the rifle.

[JMax]

On one of the other threads an experienced Krag shooter mentioned that these old ladies like a larger diameter bullet to better accommodate the chamber. Mine miced out at .309"+ for groove diameter but anything under .311" did not shoot well with .310" tumbling at 50 yards. In my rifle .312" works well but .313" has given me the best performance to date. Changed the M die depth a bit and reduced crimp a bit and got a better group today. I guess that I cannot leave well enough alone.

[tdoyka]

here is another i have found.

Springfield Krag — Granpa's Gun Parts (http://www.granpasgunparts.com/krag-springfield)

[Frank46]

I believe that the story in Gun Digest was called "Uncle Jacks Krag". Or something similar. Don't remember the year it came though. Frank

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/D0D7166B1E9D8B1/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/2932810B4C365BB/standard.jpg

...........I've got a nice Krag that came with the 'No drill' Redfield receiver sight, but had been 'Sports-terized" by cutting the forend wood off. Several years back I got a replacement stock from Boyds. Prior to that at one of the last big Los Angeles gun shows I picked up all the missing front end metal. Guess I'll have to buckle down one of these days and put it together.

The bore on this rifle is VG - Exc and slugs right on at .300" x .308", which I wasn't prepared for concerning all the stories I'd heard about oversized barrels. I haven't shot it very much because the front band always slides forward with each shot :-)

http://www.fototime.com/3F99F55C9811736/standard.jpg http://www.fototime.com/CBEAAE5A40D244A/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/F2618D4764522E3/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/8D145DDB43DD2B5/standard.jpg

I do really like the 30-40 cartridge and converted a 1895 Austrian straight pull to the cartridge. No flies on that action, as with a barrel that any sane person would consider legitimate bore and groove measurements, it's a real shooter, and a slick operation.

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

[square butte]

Mornin Buckshot - Would you happen to know the model # on the Redfield "no drill " receiver sight? Nice piece of hardware

[Ithaca Gunner]

I believe that the story in Gun Digest was called "Uncle Jacks Krag". Or something similar. Don't remember the year it came though. Frank

I don't know. I remember the guy lived in the Midwest , and had a ball with it on his farm shooting pests and rocks and such. I have it somewhere, but haven't found it yet.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I have one of those sights somewhere too. Can't bear to sell it, and can't bear to put it on my full military Krag either. Guess I'll have to buy a chopped up the one with a good bore.

[Mr Humble]

Had a Steyr like your's converted to a high grade sporter in 30-40 by R.F. Sedgley. Very nice rifle that shot 3 sub MOA with a Lyman Alaskan in a G&H mount. Sold it off with most of my Sedgleys a few years back. Kept the best 4 all 03 based: 22 Hornet (shortened action), 22-06 (no misprint), 6.5x55 and 400 Whelen.

[Buckshot]

Mornin Buckshot - Would you happen to know the model # on the Redfield "no drill " receiver sight? Nice piece of hardware

.............This off the Krag Collectors' site:

The "no-drill" Krag sights commonly encountered are:� Model K1 Pacific, Model K2 Pacific (micrometer adjustments), Redfield No. 102K (Krag) and Redfield No. 70K (micrometer with either H=hunter or T=target knobs).� (Be advised that Redfield and other makers also made sights for the Krag that required drilling & tapping).

I went and checked mine. It is apparently the No. 70K and it is micro click with target knobs (As visible in my post). However I can find no model number visible. It's stamped Redfield. Possibly the model number is on the side facing the action? BTW, the windage and elevation knobs still have their case colors :-)

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

[Buckshot]

Had a Steyr like your's converted to a high grade sporter in 30-40 by R.F. Sedgley. Very nice rifle that shot 3 sub MOA with a Lyman Alaskan in a G&H mount. Sold it off with most of my Sedgleys a few years back. Kept the best 4 all 03 based: 22 Hornet (shortened action), 22-06 (no misprint), 6.5x55 and 400 Whelen.

.............Was the Sedgley conversion still using clips, or had the trigger guard been altered also?

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

[RPRNY]

http://www.fototime.com/D0D7166B1E9D8B1/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/2932810B4C365BB/standard.jpg

...........

http://www.fototime.com/3F99F55C9811736/standard.jpg http://www.fototime.com/CBEAAE5A40D244A/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/F2618D4764522E3/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/8D145DDB43DD2B5/standard.jpg

I do really like the 30-40 cartridge and converted a 1895 Austrian straight pull to the cartridge. No flies on that action, as with a barrel that any sane person would consider legitimate bore and groove measurements, it's a real shooter, and a slick operation.

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


The 1895 Steyr in 30-40 is awesome. It is such an underappreciated cartridge, giving everything from solid fun with Lyman 311284 over 4227 at 1800 in my Krag to 175 grs Berger VLD at 2650 in my Ruger No 3. The ideal single shot rifle cartridge in NA. Incredibly versatile.


Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk

[square butte]

Buckshot - Thank You Sir. Finding one will be something else. Let the Hunt begin.....

[Don Purcell]

I always wondered if one of the guys on the Krag cartridge design team was a cast boolit shooter as it looks like it was made for it.

[JMax]

Photos of my two Grand ladies, the bottom one is a Norwegian in 6.5X55 and I start on it next week with my new mold from NOE and sizer die from LatheSmith.

I went out and worked up an alternate load using 4227 and is compared to my 2400 load as that powder has spotty availability.
Powder 2400 4227
P Weight in gr 17.5 20.4
Vel Avg ft/sec 1573 1576
STDV/% 20.4/1.3% 21/1.33%
With similar groups
172214

[Mr Humble]

The Sedgley used clips.

[skeettx]

I am at the other end of things
My 30-40 Krag is a Ruger #3 :)