us 30 ammo

Ammunition, reloading, shooting, etc
Post Reply
kab37
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:37 pm
Location: Dedham, Ma

us 30 ammo

Post by kab37 »

Gentlemen, is it safe to shoot remington us 30 ammo in my '98 krag. I'd really hate to blow it up!

-thanks, Kab

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9827
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: us 30 ammo

Post by butlersrangers »

'kab37' - Various similar names have, in the past, been used on the 'head-stamp' of .30-40 and .30-06 cartridges.

The .30-40 cartridge was sometimes called ".30 Army" and ".30 U.S. or U.S.A." (I think .30-06 was called ".30 Government").

I assume, the cartridges you are asking about are a rimmed variant of the .30-40 cartridge.

A simple answer would be that "these rimmed .30 caliber cartridges were loaded for the .30-40 Krag". Normally, they are safe to try.

My more prudent answer is to save 70 to 100 year old cartridges as 'collectibles' - (they are worth a lot more as collector/decorator items, than as utility ammunition).

Ammunition will deteriorate with age and storage:
Brass 'work hardens' and becomes brittle in time. A lot of 'un-fired' .30-40 commercial ammo, from the 1920's and 1930's, will be found with split case-necks, just from being under tension for many years.
Powder and primers will chemically breakdown, given enough time or poor storage conditions.

I once shot some 80 year old .303 British ammo that seemed fine and reliable.
I have shot some 40 and 50 year old European cartridges, which gave many hang-fires and squibs. (I consider these situations dangerous, due to the risk of bore obstructions).
I have competed with U.S. Military .30-06 ammo, from the 1960's and 70's, that shoots great!
I have bought and fired about 300 rounds of Remington and Winchester commercial .30-40 ammunition from the 1950's and 1960's. It shoots consistently and the brass is good for re-loading, if the case-necks are annealed.

Personally, I don't see much utility in shooting really old ammunition, (pre-1950).
Sometimes though, it is fun to cautiously experiment with small samples of 'geriatric ammo', just to see if it works?

kab37
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:37 pm
Location: Dedham, Ma

Re: us 30 ammo

Post by kab37 »

thnx butlersrangers for the info and quick reply. this ammo looks almost new so i probly will shoot it. What did you think of the deshellac of my sporter ?

-kab

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9827
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: us 30 ammo

Post by butlersrangers »

Your Krag "Sporter" turned out rather nice. Enjoy shooting it!

A taller front blade may be needed. Your Krag will likely shoot quite high. At your initial range-outing, use a big 'backer'.
Place the 'Bull' so there is at least 2 feet of backer above the point of aim.

Shoot a 3 or 5 shoot group using the exact same 'aiming point' for each shot. (Don't jump all around the target trying to score 'bulls-eyes').

Correct the sights, once you learn where (and how tight) the rifle groups in relation to the point of aim.
Attachments
kab37 krag.jpg
kab37 krag.jpg (369.65 KiB) Viewed 908 times

User avatar
butlersrangers
Posts: 9827
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: us 30 ammo

Post by butlersrangers »

I recently shot an altered Krag with a carbine length barrel.
It had a Stokes-Kirk style front-sight, coupled with a very low Rice rear 'peep' sight.

This combination shot very high at 50 yards from the bench.

Photos of the target 'backer' and the rifle's front sight are attached.

I hate the Stokes-Kirk front sight and am replacing it with a taller 'banded' ramp and blade.
Attachments
IMG_0153-rice.JPG
IMG_0153-rice.JPG (207.04 KiB) Viewed 907 times
IMG_0157-stokes-kirk.JPG
IMG_0157-stokes-kirk.JPG (197.52 KiB) Viewed 907 times

User avatar
King carp
Posts: 539
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2019 4:43 am

Re: us 30 ammo

Post by King carp »

There was a .30 remington round that was made to compete with the winchester 30-30 round. It looks a bit like a 30-40 cartridge but does not have a rim. Double check and be safe. .30 remington Specifications
Case type
Rimless
Bullet diameter
.308 in (7.8 mm)
Base diameter
.421 in (10.7 mm)
Rim diameter
.422 in (10.7 mm)
Rim thickness
.045 in (1.1 mm)
Case length
2.06 in (52 mm)
Overall length
2.525 in (64.1 mm)
Maximum CUP
38,000 CUP

Post Reply