Long Road from last December

[operavoice]

Hi all, last year I came onboard looking for a replacement stock.
Got it, installed it, and began handloading.

I learned that my rifle had a Lyman sight system, and figured out why the previous owner sold the gun.
The stupid thing was shooting 1' low at 50 yards even at maximum sight adjustment.
(I was aiming at the top left circle)
.

I had a gunsmith replace the sights with an OEM rear, and an aftermarket ebay "Krag" sight. I'm guessing that it was designed for the later models than my 1894, because I had to have it customized.

Anyway, I'm a lot closer now, but it just does not group the way I think it should.
I can live with Kentucky Windage, but at 50 yards, I should be hitting at most 2" groups (if I can do it with a Mini 30, I can do it with a Krag)
Here's the pertinent data:
180 Grain Hornady RN Interlock
35.8 grains IMR 4064
Federal 210 primers
COAL 3.079
1x fired Winchester Brass (second load)

30-40 Krag_LI.jpg (921.33 KiB) Viewed 2142 times

30-40 Krag after Sight adjustment to 400 yard level_LI.jpg (922.13 KiB) Viewed 2142 times

As a comparison, this is one of my other antique rifles - this is 10 rounds of load development, and it's more accurate (admittedly the tight group is Sierra MatchKing HPBT):


I have a couple of other powders at my disposal: Varget, H4895. Am I barking up the wrong tree with the 180gr RNSP Interlocks?
Open to suggestions at this point. . .

[Knute1]

I have used Hornady RN 180gr interlocks myself. Just bought some Sierra 180 RN recently and will be giving them a try. I have used IMR4350 extensively and have not played around much more than that. New Winchester brass and Winchester WLR primers. The max load of IMR4350 as found in most loading manuals.
Are you using the round for hunting? I have not used my Krag sporter for deer yet, but have used it with the Hornady's on a black bear, albeit a small one. I could only get one shot off as I was in a heavily forested area and it did what it needed to.

[operavoice]

I do not hunt, my goal is best possible accuracy.
I was able to develop a 1.5 MOA load for my Mini 30 with Hornady 123gr SST's & H4198, and my 52gr Sierra HPBT matchking Mini 14 handloads are getting close to MOA with Varget, and 1.5 MOA with 52gr Hornady's & H4895.

The Krag is still a new platform for me, so I'm hoping that real world hand loaders have some real world advice.
Usually RNSP's are not particularly accurate, but not always.
For example, factory PPU RNSP's shoot almost as well as my hand loads in my Mini 30, while no other factory cartridge comes close.

Google-fu is split on Krags. Some say that RNSP's function best for loading, and other projectiles have issues.
Some say you get the best accuracy from spitzers, but they may not load well.

I tried 155gr Lapua scenar, but not in the leading gate. They seemed to shoot well enough, but were fairly underpowered given the powder load, and I had to guess at the COAL.

I guess that I'm just looking for some others who have had known successes so that I don't have to waste a bunch of money on things that are known not to work.

[Knute1]

I'm mostly interested in "moment of deer" accuracy with adequate power/expansion for humane harvesting. I do ascribe to the roundnose bullets feeding better than spire points, which is good for follow-up shots. Though I also ascribe to one shot kills if possible and making the first shot count.

There are a few others on this forum that shoot competitively that hopefully join in with there insights for reloading. There are some earlier posts where loads are discussed for competitive shooting if you go back a year or two in this part of the forum.

[butlersrangers]

'operavoice' - A fun thing about Krag rifles is that they seem to tolerate a wide range of bullet types and loads.
Round nosed 180 grain projectiles shoot well in most Krags.
Lots of Krags will feed a wide array of bullet shapes. Unless you are needing magazine 'Rapid Fire', the Krag is a great 'single-shot' rifle.

Since you already have the components, maybe try some (.30-40) rounds loaded with your 123 grain Hornady projectiles, powered by 40 to 42 grains of H4895.

It would be fun to see some pictures of your Krag and its sights. Is it possible for you to replace your current front-sight blade with a shorter one? A lower front-sight would raise your shot groups.

I recommend you check the 'tension' on your trigger-guard screws. I have had the best results with the front screw 'tight' and the rear screw just 'snug'. Over-tightening the rear guard-screw can 'lever' the barrel 'upward' off of the Stock's barrel-channel.

Does your Krag have a barrel-band or a screw that anchors the barrel to the stock, forward of the action?

(IMHO - Because the guard-screws are so close together on the Krag and so little wood connects the butt to the forearm, it is important the Krag's barrel is secured to the stock at a point just in front of the rear-sight).

Enjoy experimenting with your Krag!

[musketjon]

Have you slugged the bore? You MAY need to use .310 or 311 diameter bullets. Some Krag bores are slightly larger than the 308 we all take for granted. Try the IMR4350 powder. That's what I use and get consistent 2" groups at 100 yds.
Jon

[operavoice]

I have not slugged the bore.
I'm also not planning on adding another powder.
I have IMR 4064, Varget, and H4895.
Those powder are all cross compatible with my .308 & .223 rifles, so one of them will become my Krag powder.