does anybody reload thier own ammo? I was thinking about reloading my own and don't know where to start and don't know what I need for equipment. I have an understanding but not exactly. Where can I get this info? Also, does anyone reload a little hotter than the commercial rounds? Thanks
reloading
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Don_B._in_KS.
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Sat May 11, 2002 4:09 am
Re: reloading
I'd suggest purchasing a good reloaders guide from your friendly neighborhood gun store. Lyman, for example, and a number of others all publish good sane manuals. The guys who make departures from original military loading specs usually are going with either a lighter or softer bullet and going slower than original. We all like the Krag or we wouldn;t own them but they weren't the strongest design possible when they were new and didn't like hot loads even when new. If a person wants a .30-06 it is best to buy one and not try to get a Krag to equal it. The design is not prone to self disassembly like the 03 Springfield but hot loads are never good for them.
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Richard_Sherman
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2002 2:17 am
Re: reloading
Sorry about being a little slow on the responce but I hope this helps.
Reloading for the Krag is pretty straight forward. If you have never done any reloading, find someone who reloads to lead you thru the first few reloads. Check with your local gun store or shooting club for a name. Just tell him you're a new guy and you would appreciate some help.
All the tools and supplies you'll need are readily available. Try midwayusa.com as one stop shopping. Start with a booklet called "Relaoding Manual for the 30/40 Krag". It gathers in one book various well tested bullet weight and powder combinations (note this data is for the hunting folks with 24" barrels. The extra 6" of barrel length on a Krag rifle will accelerate the bullet about an additional 150fps +/-. So you can back the powder loads off a little and still get the 1900fps mzl vel that your sights are built for).
You don't need to buy the high priced press and die sets. I bought a basic set of tools when I started about 8-9 years ago and they still work great. Just treat them as well as you treat your guns. Remington and Winchester make Krag brass. 220RN bullets are made by Sierra and Hornaday. Use large rifle primers. Slow powders like 4350 or 4064 are good for pushing heavy bullets down old long barrels. My Krags like 220RN pushed by 40 gr of 4350 - just like SA built them.
Note that different Krag sights come in 300, 200 or 100 yard zero. The odds are the above advice will give you high groups on the 100yrd range. Enjoy.
Keep up the fire.
Richard Sherman.
Reloading for the Krag is pretty straight forward. If you have never done any reloading, find someone who reloads to lead you thru the first few reloads. Check with your local gun store or shooting club for a name. Just tell him you're a new guy and you would appreciate some help.
All the tools and supplies you'll need are readily available. Try midwayusa.com as one stop shopping. Start with a booklet called "Relaoding Manual for the 30/40 Krag". It gathers in one book various well tested bullet weight and powder combinations (note this data is for the hunting folks with 24" barrels. The extra 6" of barrel length on a Krag rifle will accelerate the bullet about an additional 150fps +/-. So you can back the powder loads off a little and still get the 1900fps mzl vel that your sights are built for).
You don't need to buy the high priced press and die sets. I bought a basic set of tools when I started about 8-9 years ago and they still work great. Just treat them as well as you treat your guns. Remington and Winchester make Krag brass. 220RN bullets are made by Sierra and Hornaday. Use large rifle primers. Slow powders like 4350 or 4064 are good for pushing heavy bullets down old long barrels. My Krags like 220RN pushed by 40 gr of 4350 - just like SA built them.
Note that different Krag sights come in 300, 200 or 100 yard zero. The odds are the above advice will give you high groups on the 100yrd range. Enjoy.
Keep up the fire.
Richard Sherman.
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Kyjames
Re: reloading
Richard,
Have you tried any of the 180gr RN bullets from Hornady? I have some on order from Midway along with some 180gr Win PowerPoints. I thought about gettting some 220s and may still. However, the 180gr Win factorys shot point of aim at 200yds with 1901 sights set at 200yds.
Have you tried any of the 180gr RN bullets from Hornady? I have some on order from Midway along with some 180gr Win PowerPoints. I thought about gettting some 220s and may still. However, the 180gr Win factorys shot point of aim at 200yds with 1901 sights set at 200yds.
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Richard_Sherman
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2002 2:17 am
Re: reloading
Yes, I have shot some 180RN although not a lot. I normally stay with 220s and have never used any cast or pointy bullets.
Actually I was doing a little experimenting. I have an 1898 Carbine that has a poor bore out near the muzzle. I was trying to find a bullet weight/powder load/ mzl vel mix that would shoot a decent group. Never found a 220 or 180 combination that was any good. Its a great looking Carbine - and good for shooting horses at 100 yards or less.
Some time ago I loaded up some 220s and 180s for 1900fps mzl vel to compare them. Same rifle, same old eyes, same 100 yard paper target. Could not see much difference in group size or group placement. BYW, I used my best rifle which shoots at or close to 2moa groups (when I do my part) so any big difference would have been evident. Maybe a difference would show up at longer distances. Of course group growth may make it difficult to make comparisons. You can trust me on this one, I shoot some at 300 yards and group size tends to "grow".
I guess theory says the lighter bullet would require lower chamber pressure to get that lighter bullet up to the same mzl vel, therefore easier on old iron. But the inside of a cartridge case is a pretty "dynamic place" after the primer goes off. Theory may not exactly predict reality.
The bottom line in reloading remains KISS - Keep It Safe & Simple. Enjoy shooting your Krag.
Keep up the Fire.
Richard Sherman.
Actually I was doing a little experimenting. I have an 1898 Carbine that has a poor bore out near the muzzle. I was trying to find a bullet weight/powder load/ mzl vel mix that would shoot a decent group. Never found a 220 or 180 combination that was any good. Its a great looking Carbine - and good for shooting horses at 100 yards or less.
Some time ago I loaded up some 220s and 180s for 1900fps mzl vel to compare them. Same rifle, same old eyes, same 100 yard paper target. Could not see much difference in group size or group placement. BYW, I used my best rifle which shoots at or close to 2moa groups (when I do my part) so any big difference would have been evident. Maybe a difference would show up at longer distances. Of course group growth may make it difficult to make comparisons. You can trust me on this one, I shoot some at 300 yards and group size tends to "grow".
I guess theory says the lighter bullet would require lower chamber pressure to get that lighter bullet up to the same mzl vel, therefore easier on old iron. But the inside of a cartridge case is a pretty "dynamic place" after the primer goes off. Theory may not exactly predict reality.
The bottom line in reloading remains KISS - Keep It Safe & Simple. Enjoy shooting your Krag.
Keep up the Fire.
Richard Sherman.
Re: reloading
Richard,
Have you tried any of the 180gr RN bullets from Hornady? I have some on order from Midway along with some 180gr Win PowerPoints. I thought about gettting some 220s and may still. However, the 180gr Win factorys shot point of aim at 200yds with 1901 sights set at 200yds.
Richard, I'm using this formula: Projectile = Sierra Pro-Hunter Round Nose 180gr; Powder = 43.1 gr of Hodgdon H4350 ; case = once-fired Remington-Peters; primer = CCI Large Rifle.
Today's results:
Rear sight (model 1902 on my 1898 rifle) set at zero for 100 yards, set at 200 yards for that distance, and two notches below the 300 yard line for 300 yard target.
Re: reloading
Thanks, Kyjames. Fun, too! Forgot to add this pic (showing rifle with original sights)
It's also a fine shooting rifle. I can sure see why the old soldier marksmen didn't welcome the '03 Springfield when it was introduced (despite its obvious advantages). ;)
And for bwhntr's sake, I should add that, although I am a fairly experienced shooter, I am really new at this reloading thing. I have just about every military caliber rifle you could name except Japanese, Swiss, and .50, but started reloading only due to the cost of the Krag ammo (and total absence of any milsurp for it). It (reloading) has me totally hooked now, and I have recently expanded my die sets to include 7.65 Argy Mauser, 7mm Mauser, and .303 British. Down the road, I can also see .30-06 (same projectiles as Krag), 6.5mm Swede Mauser, and 8mm Mauser in my future, but right now I have literally thousands of rounds of milsurp on hand for those, so would only consider reloading those calibers for competitive shooting.
So much ammo, so many guns, so little time...
It's also a fine shooting rifle. I can sure see why the old soldier marksmen didn't welcome the '03 Springfield when it was introduced (despite its obvious advantages). ;)
And for bwhntr's sake, I should add that, although I am a fairly experienced shooter, I am really new at this reloading thing. I have just about every military caliber rifle you could name except Japanese, Swiss, and .50, but started reloading only due to the cost of the Krag ammo (and total absence of any milsurp for it). It (reloading) has me totally hooked now, and I have recently expanded my die sets to include 7.65 Argy Mauser, 7mm Mauser, and .303 British. Down the road, I can also see .30-06 (same projectiles as Krag), 6.5mm Swede Mauser, and 8mm Mauser in my future, but right now I have literally thousands of rounds of milsurp on hand for those, so would only consider reloading those calibers for competitive shooting.
So much ammo, so many guns, so little time...
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Richard_Sherman
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2002 2:17 am
Re: reloading
Beeker77:
Have you crony'd that 180gr/H4350 load? It should be smok'n out the muzzle of your 30" barrel at between 2200 or 2300fps. Not over the red line but 300 - 400fps over what those old boys up on the hill at SA planed for 110 years ago. Your left drift is normal.
I also reload for and shoot several old military rifles. Reloading is the only way to shoot them the way they were designed. It is history in my hands.
Keep up the Fire.
Richard Sherman.
Have you crony'd that 180gr/H4350 load? It should be smok'n out the muzzle of your 30" barrel at between 2200 or 2300fps. Not over the red line but 300 - 400fps over what those old boys up on the hill at SA planed for 110 years ago. Your left drift is normal.
I also reload for and shoot several old military rifles. Reloading is the only way to shoot them the way they were designed. It is history in my hands.
Keep up the Fire.
Richard Sherman.