Hello Guys,

I have a post on single shot rifles about a good cal. for a 1885 . I was going with the 300 wsm.

But I have read some on the 30-40 kraig . If you could please tell me something about this round and

what it would take to load it. I do reload but it has been for pistols so far. Any help would be gladly

taken .Thanks

It's obvious that your interested in guns that shoot 30 caliber bullets. You've made an interesting swing from looking at one of the newest style cartridges, the WSM, to an older cartridge that pre-dates the 30-06. Nothing wrong, just interesting. Reloading either round is pretty straight forward. Performance wise the WSM beats the Kraig handsdown.

My feeling is that unless your never going to shoot anything larger than a coyote, you "might" get the Kraig. That said the only short coming that I've ever found with my single shot is the time that it takes to reload. I recommend making the first shot the most accurate and hardest hitting you can because even with practice, it takes time to reload that second shot, and if your shooting fur, their not going to wait around.

Back in the day the Krag (not Kraig) was serious medicine for everything up to brown bear. The load that made it famous is the 200 grain round nose bullet at 2000 fps. That doesn't sound like much to those indoctinated on magnums but it penetrated like hell and killed with great efficiency. Great moose medicine too.

In a modern reproduction falling block that can handle 300 WSM pressures the Krag can shoot quite flat with 165 gr bullets too. It is fine to 300 yds.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
Back in the day the Krag (not Kraig) was serious medicine for everything up to brown bear. The load that made it famous is the 200 grain round nose bullet at 2000 fps. That doesn't sound like much to those indoctinated on magnums but it penetrated like hell and killed with great efficiency. Great moose medicine too.

Right-o- I'm using my 1894 Springfield on a boar hunt in the spring. Can't wait. BTW, the original load was a 220 gr bullet. I have some original military rounds (not orig box) that I won't shoot because of the corrosive primers and the bullet was 220 grs...

Glad to see that it was corrected to the Krag....Rhymes with Hag or Nag... If anyone is married... that should know those two words...

But the Krag is far from anything negative...People won't believe how far a heavy and slow 220 grain round nose will penetrate.... All anyone gives up in those old rounds is point blank range.. which means one has to learn to get closer to their quarry is all....Learn to 'hunt' better!

I reload for a 1898 Krag Carbine ( 22 inches was a carbine in the days of 30 inch barrels)....This puppy is a tack driver, despite its age....While 4350 and high case volume powders are usually quoted... as they fill the case and have a lower pressure when full.... My preferred power is the faster ones....

My Krag gets a diet of 25 grains of SR 4759 with a 180 to 220 grain bullet.. usually a round nose.

That gives me right at 2000 fps. I look at it as a 200 yd load rifle.. which takes in about anything I need her to do....

People get hung up on foot pounds.. Me, I was penetration.. and a low and slow 220 grain round nose will take out any Elk that ever walked the planet...And it has to be an awfully big bear to not say the same thing about....

cheers
seafire

Back in the day when folks talked about the "30", what they meant was the Krag. Albiet short lived as a military round, the .30-40 (aka .30 gov't) was a great round in its day, and ain't too shabby by today's standards when paired with the 220 grain bullet.

quote:

Originally posted by old4x4:

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
Back in the day the Krag (not Kraig) was serious medicine for everything up to brown bear. The load that made it famous is the 200 grain round nose bullet at 2000 fps. That doesn't sound like much to those indoctinated on magnums but it penetrated like hell and killed with great efficiency. Great moose medicine too.

Right-o- I'm using my 1894 Springfield on a boar hunt in the spring. Can't wait. BTW, the original load was a 220 gr bullet. I have some original military rounds (not orig box) that I won't shoot because of the corrosive primers and the bullet was 220 grs...

Thanks for the correction. I really mentally debated (if that's the word for premature senility) about whether it was 200 or 220 but I knew someone with hard-wired grey matter would correct the record if I screwed up.

Either one at 2000 fps is serious big game medicine. It's a shame that the effectiveness of heavy 30 cal bullets is lost in the magnum issue. Not because magnums are bad; far from it. It's just that the old workhorses functioned damn well too.