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Thread: Reloading dies for the 30-40 Krag

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy para45lda's Avatar
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    Reloading dies for the 30-40 Krag

    Hi all

    I am wanting to get the old girl running again and have a question on dies.

    I am wanting to primarily run cast and I have other dies I can possibly substitute.

    The 30 M1 Carbine (it has the mouth expander) and 308 Winchester (to neck size and crimp if necessary) appear to be likely candidates.

    Thoughts?

    I will continue to look for correct dies but does anyone here have any experience using these as substitutes?

    Thanks for your input

    Wes
    If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
    SASS 17373
    Proud Dad of a USAF Airman

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    On my U.S. Krags, I just neck size the cases. I am using cast bullets, so the pressure is not that high. The cases have almost an infinite life at those pressure levels. Probably most any 30 cal sizer die would work, as long as you can get the case into it. All you would have to do is get in far enough to get some portion of the neck sized. The seater process would be the same, get the case in far enough, to get the bullet guided in straight. Should be a temporary workaround.

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    I used the 308 neck size die by RCBS which doesn't touch the body. I also used the lee dies to full size when needed. I had the crimp die from the lee set.

  4. #4
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    Guess I'm old fashioned, or extravagant, or something unmentionable, but I use a .30-40 die set. There have been a couple of sets for sale here on the Forum in the last month or so. That having been said, if you're going to shoot the reloads in the same rifle that fired them originally, neck sizing will probably be sufficient. Eventually, though, they tend to get tight and will need to be full length resized.

    DG

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy para45lda's Avatar
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    A resizer is the minimum goal. But I'm impatient and want it now! (to paraphrase my granddaughter).

    I'm gonna give it a whirl and see if my logic holds up.

    Thanks for the feedback. Let me know if you think of anything else.

    Wes
    If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
    SASS 17373
    Proud Dad of a USAF Airman

  6. #6
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    Texas by God's Avatar
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    I reload .303 British with a shortened 7.7 Japanese sizer and an unmodified 7.7 seater die so I can’t say anything.....

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Have used a 308 Win die to neck size 30/40 and it worked without issues.

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    I just got a Lee Collet neck sizer for a .303 Brit. Lee doesn't make one for the Krag. Tried it out and wow! It leaves just enough neck unsized to act as a funnel for my .311 boolets to sit in the neck for seating! Sizes the neck to .309" ID so it's just right to not overwork the resizing.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy para45lda's Avatar
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    Thank you all for your input.

    Now to make time for loading

    Wes
    If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
    SASS 17373
    Proud Dad of a USAF Airman

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    My die lineup for reloading for my 1895 Winchester in 30 U.S. (that has bore and groove diameters that you would expect on a .303 British), is a bit complicated.

    I have a set of Baer reloading dies, probably purchased by my grandfather or father back in the later 60's. They still work fine, but the rifle needs a .313" cast bullet to get good accuracy out of the rifle. So a .33 Lyman M die expands the neck, and then the original sizing die creates the false shoulder for first firing of the new brass. Then a neck expander to expand the neck to .310" with .311 jacketed bullets - seated in a .303 bullet seater.

    And after that, the .303 British neck sizer gets used again, followed by using one of NOE's really nice neck expanders to open the neck up to the I.D. that has proven to be best for this load, and bullets seated finally in a .303 British seating die.

    I need to get in touch with Lee and ask if they will make me at least a custom collet sizing die for 30/40 for the oversize bullets that work best: neck sizing in one pass to the desired I.D. for seating cast bullets.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check