How to Reload .30-40 Krag (.30 US Army) Ammunition. Complete Tutorial Process in HD

[@tdggrasshopper]

Thank you for this video, i've recently been considering reloading my own Krag ammo. This video sealed the deal.

[@justinsomerset5587]

Awesome! We always need more 30-40 Krag videos, especially on re-loading. I recently got my hands on an old Lee Loader for hand loading. I've got a very nice pro-refinished circa 1911 with Lyman sight and sporterized stock, I think it was some sort of gunsmith program, you can barely see the stamp. My best friend has recent gunsmith re-furb 1896 to original Milspec, Even just neck sizing, his chamber is just a hair more worn than mine and we can shoot each others brass, speaks to the precision of the Springfield Armory back in the day. Still, I made a present of 100 rd. for him when he got his rifle and have about 200 myself, that way we can keep track of performance and accuracy. Years ago when I got mine I got a couple of boxes of Winchester and wisely kept the brass for future re-loading. They were spendy but available. Last year when my buddy got his there were Remington boxes everywhere, a stack down at my local store, once again spendy at about $40 a box, but there. Now I see everything is gone. Ammoseek shows zero results, every place I saw it before is now empty just over the last year. I know they only make it in runs occasionally during hunting season, but that is disconcerting to hear the major manufacturers may call quits. It doesn't make sense because all of it has sold! Well, The Krag is definitely turned into one of those guns you have to load for if you want to shoot, but it's worth it, especially done cheaply. Thanks for the vid, I definitely want to see you plink that stuff!

[@HughesEnterprises]

From what I've heard from Remington, they're not planning to make more ammo or brass for the foreseeable future. There's probably not much money in it considering 95%+ of the guns chambered for the cartridge are destroyed or are wall-hangers. I've been trying to collect up as much brass as possible, but I think I'll eventually start converting .303 British brass for plinking and save the Krag brass for hunting loads. I'm running these out of an 1895 Winchester so case dimensions aren't quite as critical as they are with the feeding mechanism of the Krag Rifle.

[@justinsomerset5587]

477,000 units + Winchesters, Spencers etc chambered, and seems to be getting popular again.100+ on Gunbroker at any given time. I do see parts, so I'm sure some are getting parted out, but a receiver is a receiver. I see a bunch lately getting re-Milspec or un-bubbaized, if you like, like my buddies. beautiful in original form.Some get done with original parts, but there are places making new stocks and barrels, for a price of course. - Yeah, I'm not sure if that age and demand level puts it more into the Norma or Hornady level of "Specialty".brass. All I know is everything that was around ammo-wise last summer has been bought up, so if someone makes it, it will sell. I hope to avoid the cartridge modification hell if I can help it, already been through that with my Arisaka 7.7, you know modified 30-06 cases, but I guess we will do what we have to. Thanks man.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Justin Somerset Brass is back at Grafs.com. $0.86 per case. Just ordered 150

[@justinsomerset5587]

Wuuuhoooo! Thanks!

[@justinsomerset5587]

Yippie, just ordered 300! My buddy and I have been re-loading a smattering of Winchester and Remington with that Lee classic hand loader kit that neck sizes only. We were down to 100 for my friend and I have exactly 178 cases left. It was all we could get our hands on. Graf & Sons says you must full length re-size this factory fresh brass, so I broke down and got a Redding set up for my Dillon. I ordered a neck size/decapper and a Lee factory crimp along with the cases. They are out of stock on case gauges though. - I guess they say you should still full length resize every so often anyways as the shoulders will start to slip and deform if you just keep neck sizing. I'm pretty sure I have my annealing process down, but I guess we will find out if I start getting split necks. It's said you should get maybe 8 reloads out of an average rifle case. If you take care of the brass by neck sizing only, polishing, and anneal every so often, you might be able to multiply that by ten... maybe. So the question is; how much brass does one need to keep shooting a healthy amount for another lifetime on these rifles? At 122 years old, my chamber is still tight and my barrel is perfect, so long as I load mellow, I hope it lasts forever. - I'm thrilled Graf & Sons have made a batch finally. We were all griping and hollering since Remington and Winchester skipped a couple years ago, and it seemed this last year there was no ammo anywhere! So the other question is; will Graf keep making it, only run it seasonally, or just this batch and how much did they make? Maybe I'll give them a ring. Too bad no factory stuff yet for non-loaders, but I always recommend everyone start reloading, even if it is just a little Lee handload kit, especially for stuff like this. Factory ammo was just too bloody expensive. Especially for what the left overs go for online. $40 a box of 20 was bad enough, but you will pay $60-80 now. .25c a round is much better. - Thanks for the video and THANKS A WHOLE BUNCH for the tip! Wuuuhoooo, we've got fresh brass again!

[@steelhelmetveteran3966]

I REALLY LIKE THE WAY YOU WORK. I WOULD TRUST YOU TO RELOAD MY AMMO ANY TIME, AND GO RIGHT INTO COMBAT WITHOUT CHECKING IT KNOWING THAT IT WOULD BE DONE EXPERTLY AND CORRECTLY, NOT HALF-ASSED ! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND NEVER COMPROMISE.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Thanks! Hopefully we won’t need to got to war with our 130 year old Krag rifles!

[@TheSfoil]

Fairly new to reloading (especially rifle cartridges). This video was a great addition to the load manual I was using. Everything set up perfectly.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Nice! Great news is the setup is the same for almost all rifle cartridges. If you can load .30-40 Krag, you can load any common rifle caliber

[@TheSfoil]

Hughes Enterprises so the cartridges worked great last weekend. I should have mentioned my Lyman 50th edition does have a listing for IMR-4895 for the 220 grain jacketed round nose bullets you were using. On page 240 they have a suggested starting grains of 35 with a velocity of 1896 FPS and max grains of 38.5 with a max velocity of 2132 FPS.

[@HughesEnterprises]

TheSfoil IMR4895 is a great powder that’s perfect for the Krag. I don’t use it much any more because the big logs of powder crunch in my powder hopper. Glad everything worked out for you! Now you can tune for accuracy in your specific gun.

[@michaelflynn3970]

First time reloader, this video helped me a lot! Thank you!

[@HughesEnterprises]

Michael Flynn Enjoy that nice home made ammo!

[@berhorst59]

.30-40 was first adopted in the 1892 Krag-Jorgensen, 3 years before the 95 Winchester.

[@brucevaughn2886]

Just found and watched your video. Where might your follow up video be found?

[@tomsebren1177]

Just what I needed.

[@Isaihernandez777]

Where do you get your lead castings from?

[@HughesEnterprises]

The bullets? Grafs.com I cast some of my other bullets myself.

[@Isaihernandez777]

@@HughesEnterprises thank you!!!! I found them :) I’m planning getting into realizing for this round. Would you recommend the hornady reloading kit?

[@Isaihernandez777]

@@HughesEnterprises sorry to bother you so much, but on that search website can you check it item # LU4PL7062 is good for this caliber. I think it is but I just want to be EXTRA sure and safe.

[@HughesEnterprises]

@@Isaihernandez777 Sure those will work fine they’re the right weight and diameter, feeding may not be very smooth though with the pointed bullet in a Krag magazine. If you’re single loading or using in a Winchester ‘95 it’s not a problem. Krag rifles prefer rounded nose bullets and the pointed bullets may jam up a bit feeding them. Totally depends on the rifle. May not be an issue at all.

[@HughesEnterprises]

@@Isaihernandez777 Yes the Hornady lock-n-load kit is what I use and would recommend for new reloaders. Lee dies work fine as well.

[@raashes]

Thank you for this video. I recently got an 1894 mfg. Krag, and have been looking up on reloading. I've had an RCBS kit for years, but have never had the chance to use it, and this seems perfect for it.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Rare ammo is always the best to reload because you can really see all the money you’re saving and knowing your ammo is better made than factory stuff.

[@raashes]

@@HughesEnterprises yeah, I'm thinking of trying to reload 9mm Largo as well.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Ham Sammich Yeah that would be a great one now that surplus has dried up.

[@raashes]

@@HughesEnterprises do you have any suggestions about what a good powder would be to keep 30-40 under 2000 FPS but still be good for hunting?

[@HughesEnterprises]

Ham Sammich Depends on what bullet weight you want. 220’s will be easy to keep under 2K. You also have to consider a lot of soft points will start to fail to expand if you go too slow. Most fail around 1500fps. One I can think of off the top of my head would be a 180gr Hornady Interlock with a 60% of max charge of Hodgdon 4895. Those will feed well but you’re talking maybe 50-100 yards max for the bullet to expand reliably. If you single load and forget the magazine, a 60% of max load of H4895 and a 125gr to 150gr soft point would be a very light shooting deer load for ~100 yard shooting. The ballistic equivalent to like a .32-40/.30-30/hot .300 Blackout, etc. Any reason why it needs to be under 2Kfps? You can get ballistics nearing .308 Win. while still keeping pressures in check with the right powder and bullets.

[@Peanutdinos3000]

Just a heads up, SelwayAmoury.com occasionally stocks some cheap HSM Krag ammunition. I bought 80 rounds at $23 a box last fall. Great video.

[@HughesEnterprises]

Do you happen to know what the head stamp is on the brass? I'm trying to track down sources of brass.

[@Peanutdinos3000]

Top Hemisphere reads: W-W SUPER Bottom: 30-40 KRAG

[@HughesEnterprises]

+TrevorMyrtleBeach Thanks. Looks like I'll be calling up Winchester to see when their next batch of brass is being made. As far as I know Remington has called it quits with .30-40.

[@Peanutdinos3000]

That's sad to hear. I've only had my Krag for about a year and have only managed to try different charge weights with the cheap Hornady 150 gr fmj-bt projectiles. I noticed the spire shaped bullets don't feed well from the magazine so what I'll try next is a Speer 110gr RN made for the .30 carbine. A reduced, plinking load could lengthen the case life a little but even if accuracy suffers past say,75-100 yards, I could settle for that. Good luck on the hunt for brass. :)

[@HughesEnterprises]

+TrevorMyrtleBeach I've loaded the 110's and they just don't feed nicely in the Krag or 1895 Winchester- the bullet just isn't long or heavy enough to keep the nose of the cartridge down and feed reliably. The best are the 180-220gr round nose bullets which also are correct for the fast twist of the Krag rifling. A good plinking load would be to buy or cast some 200-220 grain cast lead bullets @ .311-.314" diameter (depending on how you bore slugs out) and load with trailboss powder. You'll get a nice subsonic plinking load for 50-100 yards and your brass will last forever if you neck size and shoot the brass in just 1 gun.

[@spencermurphy5796]

What edition is your Hornaday book ? Is it 9, 10 or 11 ?

[@HughesEnterprises]

Shown is 9. I have 10 and Krag data is the same

[@cathat227]

What would be a good subsonic load I'm using varget powder

[@HughesEnterprises]

Varget is not a safe powder to use for subsonic loads! See my video on loading subsonic 7.62x54r for a load that will also work in a Krag.

[@cathat227]

@@HughesEnterprises what's wrong with varget

[@cathat227]

@@HughesEnterprises I'm loading for a 1889 schmidt rubin it has to be a krag load

[@HughesEnterprises]

@@cathat227 7.5 Swiss data is not interchangeable with Krag data. Varget is too slow burning for subsonic ammo. Contact Hodgdon and ask them for a start load for 7.5 Swiss, Varget, your bullet weight, case brand, and primer type you have. They will give you a load within a day or two. It will not be subsonic. Subsonic loads are dangerous for new reloaders because it is very easy to double charge and blow up the gun. Hodgdon has articles where they recommend certain pistol powder for subsonic rifle ammo.

[@cathat227]

@@HughesEnterprises watch Iraqi veteran on you tube the 1889 schmidt rubin takes a 30 40 krag load because the round is obsolete it's the only thing you can go buy

[@christianfitzgerald6625]

Which edition of the hornady manual is being used?

[@HughesEnterprises]

Christian Fitzgerald This is the 9th edition. I own the 10th edition now, and load data is the same as the old book for .30-40

[@crossan008]

I recently picked up some hornady ELD-X 220 gr BT for a Remington rolling block in 30-40. I have only tried a few powder charges, but it doesn't seem to like them (2-3" groups) do you think it would like a bullet without a boat tail better?

[@HughesEnterprises]

crossan008 Have you slugged your bore? A well worn bore even if not pitted or frosted could still measure .309-.314" in the grooves. .308 bullets may be too small for your bore... Best bet for accuracy will be to slug the bore, and then cast a 200-220gr plain base bullet .001-.002 over your groove diameter with Lyman #2 alloy around 2,000fps. Load the bullet long until it lightly makes contact with the rifling. With a good crown on the barrel and well fitted ammo sub MOA with a rolling block is very possible. If you don't want to cast and find your groove diameter over .308, use .311-.314 jacked bullets intended for .303 British.

[@rogerstedina2202]

Why didn't you need to "bell" these cases? A second step that I've always performed. I would love to skip this step, also. Very good video!

[@HughesEnterprises]

It’s unnecessary with boat tail bullets and also those with enough of a rounded bottom to not shave the jacket off the bullet. If the bottom edge of the bullet isn’t rounded or BT, you’ll have to flare the case mouth. I also skip this step loading 9mm because the bullets I use have a very rounded bottom edge and don’t shave jacket when seated.

[@mikaelblomquist6805]

I would check your load data with the winchester/Hodgon/IMR online site. IMR 4895 is not recomended for 30-40 Krag in any projectile above 180g. also if you read the IMR comparison, in the 180g, you will note the H4895 min load recomendation is 35g, max being 38g. where the max load for IMR 4895 is 35.5. the pressure of a imr 4895 at 35.5g and a 180 grain bullet is 38.800 CUP. I don't know what it is for a over 200g bullet but more than likley its a pretty hot load.

[@HughesEnterprises]

+mikael blomquist My vintage 60's Lyman book lists a 220gr jacketed bullet at 36gr Min, 40gr Max. (That's a Krag killer; a replica of the military standard loading from 1896) A newer IMR guide I found lists a 220 grain at 31gr Min, 33gr Max. An old Sierra guide lists a 220 grain at 29.5 Min, 1600fps. 38.3gr Max, 2100fps. My 30 grain load is definitely on the low power and pressure end. Pressures, bullet weights, and powder burn rates aren't always intuitive. These of course are all IMR 4895 loads. .30-40 data is EXTREMELY conservative because it is more than likely being used in 100+ year old Krags with one wimpy locking lug. I'm shooting these in an 1895 Winchester, which can handle substantially higher pressures. I thank you for your concern and it's good you're checking published data and not using mine. I caution everyone reading this that any of these loads should be used with confirmation in your own manuals and in a firearm only in good condition.

[@mikaelblomquist6805]

+Hughes Enterprises thank youI have been reloading for more than 30 years and somtimes use powder older than I am.In my books have many different listings for the same powder load over the years. I would always caution anyone to check the powder manufactures WEB site for new data when using new powder.

[@ShadowA4]

When I sat the bullet to the cannelure and I got a COL of 3.04 when my maximum COL is 3.08. Is 3.04 a safe measurement or did I really screw up? I’m new to reloading so I don’t really know

[@HughesEnterprises]

It depends! Are you loading with a start load, or a max load? Are you using the exact same brand, diameter, and weight bullet as the published data? Is the gun new, or 120 years old and worn? Is the bore bright and shiny or dark and pitted? 0.040” can increase pressure significantly if you’re loading at Max and the data you’re looking at was developed with the exact bullet you’re using. If you’re at start, it’s probably no big deal. Accuracy will suffer the more the bullet has to jump to hit the rifling and if the cartridge is too short you could possibly have feeding issues. But likely you won’t notice any problems. Also for future reference the cannelure does not necessarily always end up at the case mouth. The bullet may have been developed for .300 Win Mag where the bullet is seated much deeper than a Krag.

[@ShadowA4]

@@HughesEnterprises when i was reloading i was using the second powder load of 35.1 grains in my hornady manual for a 220 gr interlock RN bullet. i own a krag dated back in 1903 and has a pretty good bore thats relatively shiny throughout. i found out my plunger was too far in so the first 5 rounds are slightly shorter while the rest are roughly 3.08. thanks for the quick response

[@HughesEnterprises]

Shadow A4 As long as you’re around the start load you should be fine. Check the first one you fire to make sure the primer isn’t flattening. If the cup is still round, fire away. Five at maybe a little high pressure won’t hurt anything. Published Krag data is developed very conservatively because companies know people will make small mistakes reloading for very old guns. Also very important make sure all the case lube is wiped off the brass and the cases and chamber are dry. There was a lot of studying done by P.O. Ackley in the 40’s-60’s that showed the Krag action could handle very hot magnum wildcat cartridges over 60,000 PSI provided there was as little bolt thrust as possible- almost zero. Some of his early .30-40 Ackley loads were hotter than .300 Win Mag but didn’t even require the bolt to contain the cartridge case! Of course anyone would be crazy to load that hot in a Krag nowadays and would only MAYBE be safe in a converted P14 action but what he learned about case geometry and keeping them bone dry is important to know to prolong the life of a comparatively weak action.

[@HughesEnterprises]

I chronographed these and they came in at between 1580-1625fps.

[@bobcantputt]

Hi. Great video. I'm curious, did you measure the OAL? Or, just trust the cannalure position?

[@stansmith6743]

Well this is dangerous even it works

[@HughesEnterprises]

Reloading ammo and shooting 130 year old rifles with questionable heat treating and inferior steel isn’t a safe hobby

[@stansmith6743]

@@HughesEnterprises I would trust the metal on some of these old ones as long as it's not rusted compared to some of the new ones

[@stansmith6743]

@@HughesEnterprises seems like everyone's against using a borescope where main problems are

[@HughesEnterprises]

@@stansmith6743 I’ve looked at thousands of guns and have never seen a barrel I wouldn’t shoot after a cleaning. Sewer pipes can still be made to shoot well. Even ringed .22 barrels still shoot. I’m scared of cracked and deformed locking lugs and excessive headspace. I’ve seen many of these guns that were a couple shots away from a bolt going through your head. Falling block actions with a crack running 95% of the way through the block, AK’s with locking lugs made of silly putty, rebarreled non-matched bolt ‘03 Springfield with .100” extra headspace.

[@pesakhraap6657]

It would work better if you bolted your press to a sturdy work bench instead of a folding card table.

[@jmartin9059]

FYI: I have the exact same electronic scale... It "does not agree" with My RCBS 1010 "balance beam scale" ... My results are: the electronic scale shows things to be "lighter than they are". Your results may vary. Please do not trust that cheap digital scale for near maximum loads..... It might show safe charge weight and actually the load be "too hot".

[@HughesEnterprises]

J Martin I never load to maximums in my older collectible firearms and I trust myself being able to read pressure signs on certain loads I have developed above book maximums. The scale works well enough to produce ammo that shoots sub-MOA.

[@michaelsanders4550]

You don't show what you are doing.

[@HughesEnterprises]

The camera I was using didn’t have a viewfinder, so I couldn’t see what I was doing either