30-40 Krag hi-wall, & sight question.

[6.5 mike]

Been thinking about getting a uberti hi-wall in 30-40 krag. Has anyone had any experence with one of these?
Wanted to stay with something I already have molds & dies for. Plus I really have aways liked the Krag.
What is the difference between a mid-range & a long-range sight? Will a mid-range work to 200 yards with cast, or do I need a taller rear sight? Planning on using a globe front sight, just not sure which one. Will this work with a 200 gr boolit?
Not planning to shoot matchs, just want something with a classic look & feel.

[marlinman93]

Will it work with a 200 gr.? That depends on what twist rate they use on their barrels.
The difference between midrange and longrange sights is height. Most midrange are about 3" tall, while longrange are often around 4.5"-5" tall. With a Krag caliber the midrange should work, but that depends on your load velocity. The longrange will definitely work.
Lots of choices for globes, but if you're just plinking or hunting save some money and buy one from Jeff's Outfitters. They're cheap, and will work great for this purpose.

http://www.jeffsoutfitters.com/store.aspx?panel=1&categoryid=66

[6.5 mike]

The reason I picked a 200gr was that's the boolit weight the krag started with. The 2 I had before & the one I have now like heaver boolits. 180's & up.
I checked all the websites & could'nt find a twist rate for the bbl. I'm guessing it's a 1 in 10. Maybe 1 in 12.
I'm not looking for speed, more a good consistent shooter with cast.
I wasn't sure if the sight height of a midrange would be enough shooting around 1600-1700 fps.
Marlinman, thanks for the tip, put that website in my favorites.
BTW, sinclair has krag brass. Costly, but you gotta do what ya gotta do.

[Throwback]

The original Krag bullet was 220-grains, though 200 remains a good choice. I have no idea what the twist is (although I had one). It will definitely stabilize the 311284 (weighs 220 with lube and gas check) no problem. It will also stabilize the Woodleigh Weldcore 240-grain bullet if you are so inclined.

My Highwall was made by Uberti & sold by Cimarron. It was well done and has some beautiful wood and nice case hardening. It remains on sale here at the local gun shop @ $975. It has the double-set trigger and 30-inch barrel. It shoots beautifully with cast and jacketed factory loads. However, I am not a fan of this particular set trigger design because it is far too light for anything but target shooting and it cannot not be fired without the set unlike other designs. Additionally for my purposes, a somewhat shorter barrel of lighter proportions would have been much better. A 30-inch 30-caliber barrel has considerably more weight than a .45-70, all things being equal.

You do not need a tall sight for 200-yards. In fact, I recommend a Lyman #2 over any of the Vernier style sights unless your pleasure is serious target work. The tiny apertures on the target sights are not for my eyes!

[6.5 mike]

Thanks for the info throwback. Didn't know if a tang site would be high enough.
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of speed were you getting? I'm more looking for a paper puncher.
I have a marbles tang on my 303 sav. & the little bit I've used it I really like it. Plus it's adjustable for windage.
Any info is a big help & thanks to all.

[NickSS]

My rifle with mid range sights are black powder rounds like the 40-65 and 45-70. I know for sure that a mid range sight on a 28" 45-70 will be on target all the way out to 800 yards as I have shot my C. Sharps 1875 at that range several times. If you are only interested in 200 yards or so get a marbles tang sight. They are cheaper than most ladder sights of any quality and work quite well. I have one on my 1886 winchester and it is on at 200 yards with a 45-70. With a 3040 Krag going around 1600 it should work at even longer ranges.

[6.5 mike]

Nick ss, thanks for the info. I'll proably go with the tang if I do this. Seems the older I get the less interest I have for the new wizzbangshoulderthumpers I have. A good 6.5 or 7m/m will kill anything I hunt just as dead. If that doesn't my 35 whelen will.

[Throwback]

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of speed were you getting? I'm more looking for a paper puncher."

I shoot a wide range of loads in the .30-40. I recently used 311413, 311291 & 311014 160 to 180 grain bullets with 9-grains of TrailBoss for a light fun load that I haven't chronographed yet. (less than 1,000 fps?) This is a seriously fun load with nice accuracy. 8-grains of Unique or 9-grains of Herco with bullets of 160 to 200 grains also work well and are a little bit faster.

The bulk of my loads run 1,600 to 1,700 fps and this is where your best accuracy happens. You also need not cast your bullets especially hard. Quenched wheelweight works well. Favorite powders here are 2400, SR4759, and Accurate 5744. My High Wall liked 5744 best.

Some options for 160 to 180 grain bullets: 16 grains of Accurate #9 or 2400, 17 grains of SR 4759, 18 grains of IMR 4227, 20 grains of Accurate 5744 or IMR 4198.

With 200 to 220 grain bullets: 20 grains of 4227, 2400, or 4759, and 23 grains of 5744 or 4198.

I have run velocities in excess of 2,000 for hunting with only slight degredation in accuracy compared to the above loads. Varget, IMR 4064, IMR 4350 are worth trying. Jacketed load data is safe with cast bullets but max loads will often be less accurate than mid-velocity data.

[marlinman93]

I've got an old restored Hi Wall from 1889 that was fitted with a .30-30 Win. barrel, in 1-10" twist. Just started shooting it, so haven't tried any really heavy bullets yet. 170 gr. is the heaviest so far, but I've got an old Ideal mold that throws a 195 gr. SP, so I'm going to cast some up and see how they work.
I'm toying with running a .30-30 Ackley reamer into the chamber and rechambering for that. I want to get this thing wrung out by fall, so I can use it for mule deer season!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v691/marlinguy/hw3.jpg

[Throwback]

Beautiful rifle! Appropriately throated, it will handle any .30 cal bullet including the 220 grain 311284. If you are inclined and mic your cases you can work up a load with Varget or IMR 4350 that will push the heavy bullets over 1,800 fps. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the 170-grain bullet. The .30-30/.32 Special case is a natural for cast bullets in the hunting role. So too the .30-40.

[6.5 mike]

Throwback, thats the info I was looking for. Thanks
Marlinman, now that I've drooled all over my keyboard, all I can say is very very nice.

[Doc Highwall]

marlinman93, I would leave that rifle as a standard 30-30 if it was mine, drool drool

[Throwback]

marlinman93, I would leave that rifle as a standard 30-30 if it was mine, drool drool

I couldn't agree more

[6.5 mike]

Ya, if is ain't broke,don't fix it.

[marlinman93]

Not the original barrel, so it really can't hurt it whatever caliber it is. The .30-30AI will make it a bit more versatile for the open country I hunt in Eastern Oregon.

[Char-Gar]

The original Krag rifle has a 1-10 twist. The 1903 Springfield keep the same twist. They do will with a wide range of bullets from 110 grains to 220 grains.

I have a Browning Traditional Hunter if 30-30 that has a 1-12 twist. It does very well with both jacketed and cast bullets. If you stick with cast bullets I don't see any reason to rechamber to the Ackley version as the standard 30-30 case has plenty of powder capacity and that long neck which is always a nice thing to have.

If a fellow wanted to shoot condom bullets they might gain a hundred or so more fps with the Ackley version if that is important.

[marlinman93]

I'll be shooting a bunch of various .30-30 loads this weekend, so after I see how it shoots I'll decide which way to go. Don't want the Ackley for the extra velocity as much as case life. The straight wall, and 40 degree shoulder really makes them last forever.