Grandpa's Krag Carbine.

[psteinmayer]

I started reloading for 30-40 Krag (the first cartridge I reloaded) in 1985 with a LEE handloader kit, loading one round at a time! A decent press starter kit will run you between $85 and $200 depending on the brand and what features you are looking for. Now there will be some reloading "Experts" who will swear that you must buy a Dillon which will run you upwards of several hundred dollars, and be totally unnecessary for a novice. For what it's worth, I've been using an older LEE Challanger single-staged press for 30 some-odd years now with zero problems! A new LEE set is on the lower end of the price spectrum, and will serve you well. To be honest, once you offset the cost of startup (brass, press, dies, powder scale, etc.) you will be able to reload your 30-40 for dimes instead of dollars!

Now for the loads: First of all... NEVER try to make your own brass, and especially aluminum cases. You will be inviting disaster!!! Shoot up some factory Remington ammo and save the brass. That's how most of us got ours!

Everyone has a pet load that they shoot, and which serves them well. Krags are funny beasts, and almost human in that every Krag has a different taste. Not every load works well in every Krag. For instance, I have a friend who shoots matches with 150 gr RN bullets and he wins every match he shoots. I couldn't get accuracy with his loads if my life depended on it!!! Some shoot 130 gr Spitzer bullets and love em. My match load is a 220 gr Hornady RN bullet with 40.0 grains of IMR-4350. This is as close as you can get to the original Krag load, and my 1898 loves em! My point is this: when you find a load that works for you... stick with it and you'll be happy with your Krag!!!

Where are you located? I'm in Ypsilanti, Michigan, just outside of Ann Arbor, and about an hour south of Butlersrangers, who is a very good friend of mine! I'll be at Camp Perry this year, for the NM, as well as the Roosevelt Match!

Paul

[Man-Goat]

Thanks for the info Psteinmayer! The spinning of my own cases was a flight of fancy really, but thank you for being concerned for my safety. I like what I see with the Lee presses. They are nice and simple along with being very sturdy and reliable.

I feel the peer pressure!! I truly want to go to the matches but I'm out in New Jersey, it's not an awful drive. It's only 500 miles and about 7 hours. Unfortunately I would have to take two days off of work, which would not be ideal. However, I'll keep it in the back of my mind. Do you know if they will have the same match next year?

Happy fourth of July everyone!!

~Man-Goat

[Cat Man]

About hand loading, find someone at your local gun club that can show you the step by step process to get you started. You can read and study a dozen source books and become very confused and discouraged. Watch some one do it and be able to ask questions and in one evening, it becomes a very safe and worthwhile hobby.

About the space required, I knew a guy that started hand loading in an apartment that was so small he actually sat on the bathroom toilet with the press attached to a board over the sink. That is small. My first setup was a small folding bench I built and set up in our apartment bedroom. Told my wife it would fold up out of the way. I used it all the time and never folded it up. She still reminds me.

Have fun and keep that Krag "talking"

[Cat Man]

Hey Goat Man,

Here is a snap shot from the CMP web site that lists the vintage military matches in New Jersey. GSM means Garand, Springfield and As Issued Military. Should be something not too far from you. Closer than Camp Perry.

[butlersrangers]

Too bad Sea Girt got developed. It was the original site of the 1st National Match in 1903.

[psteinmayer]

Just to take the pressure off, and answer your questions, yes, they hold the National Matches every summer (end of July/early August time frame). The Roosevelt Match is new this year to commemorate and Honor Theodore Roosevelt, who is the father of the CMP and the National Matches. Now, I will have to admit, I've never seen someone shooting a Krag Carbine at the matches... but there's no reason someone couldn't... and I think it would be a welcome sight! As Cat-Man stated, there are always local matches to get you started in match shooting... and there will be plenty of people there that will help you get started.

Cat-Man, I started with that Hand Loader at the kitchen table, LOL! Can't tell you how many primers I set off with that stupid priming tool that came with it (a little too aggressive with the hammer). :D

[Man-Goat]

Sea Girt held the first National Match!? That's really cool! I bet if I hang out here long enough I'll learn something new every day. Unfortunately almost all of NJ has been developed. I'm lucky that I work and live on a farm that can never be developed.

Thanks for the infos Cat Man! Some of those are actually pretty close to me. It would be a good way to check out ranges without having to join. I'm currently in the market for a good outdoor range in NJ and attending these would help that decision immensely.

As for the reloading, I've been watching some youtube videos about how different presses work and the like. Isn't the advantage of a progressive press taken away because you have to trim the rounds after they are sized? I like the idea of dialing in how much powder you need and then the machine putting that much in rather than weighing every scoop.

I wonder why no one shoots Krag Carbines at the matches. And on a related note, what's the accuracy potential in a perfect world where I am made of granite and never flinch when firing off the rifle? I would assume that they are accurate to a point. Sort of, 'Minute of Bad Guy', if you will.

Thanks again everyone and I hope that your fourth was fun and safe.

~Man-Goat

[psteinmayer]

You should go and check out a local Vintage match too... just to see how they are conducted... and to see how much fun they are!

As for progressive presses, my feelings are this: if you are loading a thousand rounds of pistol ammo a month, then get one! If you're loading a couple hundred rounds of Rifle ammo a month, they are (IMHO) totally unnecessary! I load (on average) 200 to 250 rounds each month to support my son and my self with three relays per match a month. I do all of this with my 30+year old LEE Challenger press at a rate of around 100 rounds per couple hours, after work in the evenings. It does me well. Heck, My press doesn't even have the quick change die capability that the newer presses have! Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I load for 5 different rifles calibers (30-40 Krag, 30-06[1903A3], 30-06[Garand Rifle], 7.7x58MM[Arisaka], 7.5x55 Swiss[K31]), and 6 different pistol calibers (.45 ACP, 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum, and a very rare 10.4mm Italian Ordnance [I have to convert .44 special brass for this]).

Also, with regard to those automatic charge devices, many use them with great success... but I am just a little too OCD, so I weigh each and every charge (if something went wrong and I blew up my Krag because I got the charge wrong, I have no one to blame but myself... and I'd also never forgive myself!). Also, you have to clean them very carefully when changing powders. One grain of Bullseye in with a charge of 4064, and it's goodbye Charlie!

I think the main reason Carbines are not used has to do with the sling. An "As-Issued" Krag carbine would not have sling swivels, and most of us use the sling for position shooting (they are not permitted for off-hand/standing). However, if you're good, it wouldn't be necessary. I would think the Carbine would have the advantage in Off-Hand, as you wouldn't have that heavy 30 inch barrel to heft and steady for each shot.

[butlersrangers]

Sea Girt was a famous Rifle Range. IIRC the New Jersey National Guard hosted the National Matches in 1903, 1905, and 1906. Ft. Riley, Kansas hosted 1904 and Camp Perry, Ohio, opened in 1907.

I believe the N.J.N.G. has a museum at Sea Girt. I do not know what other use is made of the site. (I've never been there).

[Culpeper]

Yeah What Steinmayer says. I use Corbin's Mega-mite 2 fifty cal press. Don't buy one unless you are insane then by all means knock your self out. I was going to shoot fifty cal benchrest rifles but life got in the way. This press weighs 70 pounds. So instead of buying another press I just put in the adapter and pressed on. My first go at reloading Krag ammo was 140 cases and it took me an hour or so. All primed first then one powder and one bullet and repeated 140 times. You can never be too paranoid to load ammo.

The thing you can really do for yourself is get Hornady locking rings for your die sets unless you are using Hornady dies. They clamp to your dies, do not damage your threads and have flats so you can use an open end wrench to get the dies off the press without moving your settings