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load shows potential

Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 11:47 pm
by King carp
I was able to take my Krag out to the range this weekend. I shot a 170 gr. cast gas checked lyman bullet. It was cast from linotype. sized at .309 with whites hard lube. 21 grains of hercules 2400 powder. Yes i still have a bunch of that powder. It still does the job. The rifle drew a lot of attention from the black rifle crowd. Most of them had never seen or heard of a Krag. This load kicks light and with some work i hope will be more accurate than this outing. my best 50 yard group is below. That sgt. peep sight really tests the eyes!

Re: load shows potential

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:38 pm
by Whig
I prefer the M1901 rear sight for accurate shooting with my Krag. You can open up that Sgt Peep's sight to make it easier. Nice job, though. It's always fun to hear of Krag shooter's getting looks from other shooters who have never seen a Krag before.

Re: load shows potential

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2022 3:45 pm
by butlersrangers
'King Carp' - That's a fine looking Krag rifle. How is the bore condition?
Are you getting any Leading? Does your Lyman bullet use 'gas checks'?

I am a cast bullet novice, where 'small bore - smokeless' rifles are concerned.
The bulk of my Lead bullet experience has been with black powder muzzle-loaders, CW breech-loaders, percussion revolvers and more modern handguns.

Pure lead and black powder was easy. Using and making harder alloys for faster 'smokeless' velocities, I find to be tricky and variable.

(I have not made cast bullets from 'wheel weights'. I don't have a cheap source or even know what they are made of, now. My sportsmen's club does sell indoor range 'Lead Scrap'. I am tempted to experiment with cheap scrap, at some point, but that metal is likely to be a really big variable).

"King Carp' - Keep us posted on your progress with cast bullet loads!

Re: load shows potential

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2022 12:03 am
by King carp
I also like the 1901 sight. I might try putting one on this rifle sometime. I am going to try picking up a spare peep aperature and front sight blade. Maybe by opening up that tiny hole and fileing down the width of the front sight i might get a better sight picture.

Re: load shows potential

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2022 12:29 am
by King carp
This particular Krag has a pretty nice bore. There is a little light pitting with strong rifling. The cast lyman bullet does have a gas check. It is really not needed at the velocity i shoot it at (about 1700fps.). I have found that bullet to bore fit is important to avoid leading. Sized at .309 they are just a tad over the bore size. I have been casting for handguns for over 50 years now. I started on rifles about 10 years ago. It is more involved but i enjoy it. It certainly is more economical. I load the 30-40's for about .30 cents a round. (I stocked up on primers a long time ago when they were $30.00 per thousand.) Finding lead is not as easy as it used to be. Wheel weights used to work well for a lot of loading. Now they are mostly made from steel or zinc. Range lead can be a crap shoot. Most of it is on the soft side. A company called roto metals has a good supply of casting materials. The lyman cast bullet handbook is a good item to pick up if you decide to try casting bullets. As far as leading, below is a pic of the bore after 40 shots.