Sporterised Krag impulse buy

[eric123]

Just got back from the gun show in Nampa Idaho and this ended up in my car somehow. Bore looks good. Williams side mount. Barrel is about 18 1/2 inches...Now i need dies, brass, and a shell holder.248344

[Texas by God]

Nice!

[eric123]

Well...It was your project that lit the fire and I decided to make this happen. Worst case scenario, I'm only out $250...

[Texas by God]

You stole it. Good job; cant wait to hear how it does! Krags are so cool.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Earlwb]

Nice find. I think you got lucky with that one too.

[smithnframe]

Very nice!

[richhodg66]

You did very well on that deal. I like my Krag sporter very much. The 311284 is an excellent choice and either 4198 or 4895 seem to work great with it.

[tdoor4570]

Brass not a problem just lube up Brit 303 and run into krag FL sizer light cast load and fireform . neck will be a bit short but it works real well, my son and I are feeding 5 krags.

[uscra112]

Duck Creek has your brass.
https://duckcreeksportinggoods.com/product-category/brass/rifle-brass/?filter_calibers=30-40-krag

Grafs has Hornady and their own house brand. They've even still got some Captech, which is good stuff. Captech is gone, (liquidated at auction) so get it while you can.
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/764?

[uscra112]

Knew a guy a few years ago who was shooting cast bullet military competition at Camp Perry, who swore by Varget, FWIW.

True story from the archives - around 1912 the Army banned Krags from competition because they were embarrassing the Springfield guys.

IMHO the .30-40 Krag is about the best cast bullet cartridge ever.

[eric123]

Appreciate the replies gents. I will be picking up brass from Grafs tomorrow. Picking up a new set of RCBS dies with shell holder and 144 pieces of brass tomorrow morning as well for $45 from a local...

I cleaned my barrel an hour ago. Rifling is strong, grooves are a little dark...I am going to pull the scope off and put my K4 on it too.

[eric123]

You did very well on that deal. I like my Krag sporter very much. The 311284 is an excellent choice and either 4198 or 4895 seem to work great with it.


I hear that's a great bullet, I'm going to get a mold. I have a few hundred 311041's ready to go, but are sized a little small at .308". I will shoot a hundred jacketed and then slug the bore.

[richhodg66]

I personally wouldn't bother slugging the bore, if you really feel a need, get some cerrosafe and follow the instructions, it'll give you an idea of what to look for. I've never been a fan of the idea of pounding something through a rifle bore and it isn't necessary.

I'm lazy and just size all my bullets for nominally .308 bores to .311, works out well almost all the time. I can only think of two rifles I've tried this in that prefer .309 sized, oddly, both are push feed Model 70 Winchesters. Your 311041s may work OK, it's a good bullet. Cast some more up and try sizing them to .310 or .311.

[Drm50]

I bought several thousand rounds of 1905 GI 30/40 in cloth bandoleers. Frankfort Arsenal Manf. I got it dirt cheap because although it looked factory fresh it was breaking down from inside. The powder had turned to a grease state. You can put your thumb against bullet and snap neck off the case. I ended up recovering bullets and trashing the rest. I have been using these bullets in Krags & 1895 Win and haven't found anything better using full power loads. The last uncut Krag I had was a Phil. Constab. Short Rifle and it shot cast 200gr RN sized .310 the best with mild loads. Seems that all Krags I've owned do better with RN bullets, with the exception of
a #3 Ruger which did like 150gr spitzers.

[Char-Gar]

If you are a Catholic, you need to go to Confession about the price you paid for that rifle.

[444ttd]

that is soooooooooooo cool!!!!!!!!

[Adam Helmer]

eric,

Very NICE Krag; was it a cut down rifle or a carbine? I love mannlicher stocks. I acquired a sporter Krag carbine in 1999 that had a rusty 16.5 inch barrel for $50. My local gunsmith, now deceased, put on a new 03-A3 barrel cut to 20 inches and chambered in .30/40 for $50.00, including iron sights. My Krag sporter is my favorite woods gun for PA deer. Krags are slick actions. Do Not go to confession, rather you should increase your church pledge and look for another Krag! LOL.

Adam

[Drm50]

I think the last cut down Krag I "gave away" on the forum. I saw one this AM at small show in WVa. It had a had a savage 99 barrel and was converted to a single shot 22sav hi power. Crude stock job but guy thought he had a rare coolectors item. He wanted $1K I offered $1c-note and he got huffy.

[swheeler]

I think that was a pretty good impulse you had there, have more of them![smilie=w:

[firebyprolong]

Good score on a nice sporter, they don't show up around here very often.

DRM pretty sure that last cut down krag you sold is living in a carbine stock with a new crown, repro front sight and a no drill redfeild 102 slowly transforming into "shooter carbine" on my bench. It's probably going into the blueing tank as soon as get the time to polish it. It's been a fun rifle to build and shoot with cast.

[tdoor4570]

You have to watch when you put a Krag in the safe they seem to breed. Had 1 in the safe now there is 3. My son had 1 now there is 2

[eric123]

Shot the Krag for the first time today. WW cases with CCI large pistol primers. 10.5 grains of Unique, with 150 grain Berrys plated bullets seated about one caliber deep. Rifle has a Super-Cote 4x scope with fine cross hair. I was fighting parallax issue as I'm new to the side mount scope world and I was shooting close. Rifle shoots best with a farmer tight barrel screw and firmly grasping the forend on this short little bugger. All groups at 55 yards. Hopefully it will shoot this good at 100 yards with a load it likes. I will try some 311041 next and in the future I will try the 311284 mold. Next I will slug the bore and see what I am working with and mount a K4. Looks promising...

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[ipopum]

My 30-40 is a Model 95 Winchester. I also use 303 british brass sometimes. It shoots both jacket and cast very well. It has the side mounted peep .

[Rich/WIS]

Have had several, last two we used slugged at a hair over .309. Sized at .310 both shot cast really well, but one preferred the 311284 and the other the 311291. One had a pristine bore and the other was pitted in the grooves from chamber to muzzle but but it still shot accurately. IIRC load was 10.5 grains Blue Dot for about 1500 fps. Mild load that was easy on the rifles and the shooter.

[444ttd]

my krag is 1903 version, mine is slugged at .3085". i use a .311" 165gr ranch dog(173gr actual). i use 25.5gr of h4198 and it goes 1930fps from a 21 7/8" barrel(it was bubbasized). i think that is a mild load and it shoots great. it "kicks" as much as a 243 win does. deer don't like the krag!!! the krag is a one shot and drop right there kinda rifle.

https://i.imgur.com/PyhUcRt.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7BTwpwD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bSgs759.jpg

[Shiloh]

Well...It was your project that lit the fire and I decided to make this happen. Worst case scenario, I'm only out $250...

Bargain!!!
Got brass??

Shiloh

[Shiloh]

Shot the Krag for the first time today. WW cases with CCI large pistol primers. 10.5 grains of Unique, with 150 grain Berrys plated bullets seated about one caliber deep. Rifle has a Super-Cote 4x scope with fine cross hair. I was fighting parallax issue as I'm new to the side mount scope world and I was shooting close. Rifle shoots best with a farmer tight barrel screw and firmly grasping the forend on this short little bugger. All groups at 55 yards. Hopefully it will shoot this good at 100 yards with a load it likes. I will try some 311041 next and in the future I will try the 311284 mold. Next I will slug the bore and see what I am working with and mount a K4. Looks promising..

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248717

K4 is an excellent choice. I have several vintage Weavers.

Shiloh

[Baltimoreed]

249719Here’s my Krag Scout that I built from what I thought was a NRA sporter but wasn’t. I like the way it turned out.

[flintlocke]

If you are interested in hunting velocity loads, I have had superb results in two '98 Springfields using the ,gasp, 180 gr Lee gas check bullet , unsized LLA lubed, (estimated 15 bhn) and 27 gr of Rel 7. Yup, 27 gr Rel 7. Flirting with 1900 fps and 2.5 moa using modified Buffington rear and '03 Springfield post front.

[madsenshooter]

Lunchbox doesn't stick out as far as I'm used to seeing, maybe it's the thickness of the stock fooling me. Looks like a very nice one for the price!

[madsenshooter]

Duck Creek has your brass.
https://duckcreeksportinggoods.com/product-category/brass/rifle-brass/?filter_calibers=30-40-krag

Grafs has Hornady and their own house brand. They've even still got some Captech, which is good stuff. Captech is gone, (liquidated at auction) so get it while you can.
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/764?

Yea that Captech brass is good stuff! Comes a little long to the shoulder and you can fit it to your rifle before the first firing! I simply used the rifle to push the shoulder back on the 100 I bought.

[threedflyer]

Nice find, love the Nampa area!!

[GreenRiverBoy]

Nice find and great price. Congratulations!

[uscra112]

Yea that Captech brass is good stuff! Comes a little long to the shoulder and you can fit it to your rifle before the first firing! I simply used the rifle to push the shoulder back on the 100 I bought.

A real tragedy that we've lost Captech. I grabbed another hundred from that Grafs listing just because.

[Baltimoreed]

252004
Someone mentioned a Constabulary/school rifle earlier. I’ve got one and it’s a great rifle. I love shooting it. I use 193 gr fp .311 bullets from Hunters Supply via Midway that I put the gas ck on. Here I’m using it to shoot spaniards in my Span Am outfit at my cas club BAM match last year. Civilize ‘em with a Krag.

[armstrong]

Wow, great rifle at a bargain price