ORIGINAL: CZ2506
Dad has an old 30-40 Krag that used to be grandpa's. For nostalgia reasons I want to resurrect it and kill a dear with it in Northern MI.
I've done a little research on the cartridge and looks like 180gr and 220gr bullets are the preferred size.
I'd appreciate any input on handloads and / or comments in general. I haven't seen the gun in over 30years and don't recall mfg or model. I do remember it has a top mounted vernier sight and uses a clip instead of a box mag. I going to pick up the gun this weekend then look for some dies, bullets, powder ect.
Thanks in advance!
If you have a .30/40 that uses a clip instead of a box magazine, I'd have trouble guessing what it might be. The U.S. Krag has a box lid sticking out theright side of the action that opens out and down, allowing you to dump cartridges into the magazine, which lies beneath the bolt raceway. Then when you close the magazine box, the cartrdges are fed across under the bolt, and rise up into the path of the bolt from the side opposite the lid that opens the magazine. If your rifle is like this, it is a Krag.
There are quite a few other rifles that were made at one time or another to shoot this same round, and most of them are stronger than the actual Krag-Jorgensen itself. But if you stick to a load that uses from 44 to 46 grains of IMR 4350 with the 180-grain bullet, you will have a good, safe and effective load for deer and black bear hunting. It is a good practce to use the slower powders like 4350 in the Krag. That way you can obtain decent velocities without especially high pressures. You don't want to strain any old Krags!