30/40 Krag reloading?

[madsenshooter]

Considering the size of the critters one might run into there, I'd carry mine loaded with 220s also. Most reliable feeding, if by chance you needed another one or two.

[Preston]

GAB!!! That 42.5 grain load will crack your bolt lug!

I'm glad I decided to read some of these posts regarding 30-40 reloads. I loaded some Hornady 220 rn with 43gr IMR4350 last night. Sounds like I should pull those and reload with 40gr. I'm a total amateur at reloading. I was using the Lyman 50th edition as a guide. They list 40gr as a start load and 45gr as max. I was curious because the Hornady guide listed for most powders max loads under the start load Lyman listed. Really confusing for me! I didn't look at the Hornady until I was finished. (Not the best time to check other reference material)

[psteinmayer]

I would look at the Lyman guide with care. Some loads listed are great, and some border on dangerous. I recall the case of someone who destroyed a rifle recently and cited the load from the Lyman manual. Upon checking, they Lyman 49th did list the load he used, and further checking of Hornady and Sierra data placed his load at beyond dangerous levels. In short, either the Lyman manual had a serious typo, or the data was just flat bad! The Hornady 9th and 10th editions are my bible!

FWIW, a good load for the Krag using 220 gr bullets and 4350 is right at 40.0 grains. There really is no reason to go any higher!

[Preston]

I will go with 40 gr. I'm going to note in my Lyman guide to not use the data for 30-40 Krag. What a bad deal! I loaded about 50 rounds with several loads of IMR 4064, 4895, and 4350. I used the Lyman guide so I probably over loaded all of them. Next purchase, bullet puller for the press. I'm not going to use a kinetic bullet puller for all of those!

Thank you for your advice! I'll be sure to reference the Hornady manual going forward.

[FredC]

Please note this is a question!
Could it be the what would be a dangerous load in the Lyman manual is actually for a strong rifle like a #3 Ruger? If so there should be a note saying not to use the load in a Krag.

When I used to load for my son's 45/70, most manuals had 3 levels of loading, one for trap door Spingfields, one for lever actions and one for strong bolt actions. My sons 45/70 is a small framed NEF single shot so NEF said we could use the lever action loads.
Loading for a 45 colt is similar, old revolvers with Ruger and Freedom Arms in a different class.

[madsenshooter]

Good point Fred. I got one of those little One Book/One Caliber manuals for the 30-40. It has Lyman data that goes up to 45gr of IMR4350 with the 220. However, in the introduction, it states that the loads are for use in the Ruger single shot only!

There is also two sets of Hodgdon data. For the Krag with a 220gr and H4350 it goes up to 42gr. Then there's a section titled 30-40 Heavy Loads for Modern Rifles which tops out at 45gr for the same bullet/powder.

[Preston]

The Lyman 50th Edition manual talks about how the MAP (max average pressure) of 40,000 CUP is what SAAMI has established for this cartridge. It gives the history of the cartridge and discusses the Krag as an elderly military rifle, but it never gives any warning to not use these loads in the Krag. It mentions you may encounter the 30-40 in the Winchester Model 1885, Model 95, and the Ruger Number 3.

[psteinmayer]

Homework and prudence are definitely key! We all know what happened when the military tried to squeeze an extra couple thousand FPS out of the Krag! Much better to be safe than sorry... and 1950 - 2000 FPS is plenty fast enough to take game and score tens with a Krag shooting a 220 grain bullet!

My Lyman 49th shows considerably higher loads than I would ever be comfortable with for 30-40, and has no mention of whether it's for a Win 95, Ruger #1 or #3, or the High-Wall. Now I have consulted the Lyman with regards to loads for cast, but I also take them with a grain of salt, and bounce the data against other sources!

[Preston]

I had the Krag out this past weekend with my hand loads made with your formula of 40gr IMR4350 with a 220gr Hornady RN bullet. They worked great! Shot point of aim and I was ringing the 8"x18" steel plate at 300 yards!

[psteinmayer]

Sounds like you found your magic load! Now... load up 40 or so rounds, and prepare to muster at Camp Perry for the Roosevelt Match soldier!!! ;D