30-40krag

[muzbuster]

As I was pokin though the gun safe, I started looking at my dads old riffle, a 30-40krag that he had given me a few years before he passed away. It is in good shootable condition and I got toying around with the I dea of visiting my mom in Idaho next year and see if I can pop a whitetail with it. Was wondering if anyone could recommend a good deer load for it? Factory loads please, I haven't got into reloading just yet but that is on the horizon. I have been hunting with the muzzeloader for the last 12 years so I'm some what out of touch with what is available. Thanks

[jyerxa]

Nice piece of history you have. Good luck and enjoy.

Though the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps had adopted limited numbers of smokeless powder, bolt-action rifles, the .30-40 was the first cartridge adopted by the US Army that was designed from the outset for smokeless powder. After a brief experiment with a 230-grain bullet loading, the .30 Army loading was standardized in 1894 using a 220-grain metal jacketed round nose bullet with 40 grains of nitrocellulose powder. This loading developed a maximum velocity of 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) in the 30-inch (760 mm) barrel of the Krag rifle, and 1,960 ft/s (600 m/s) in the 22-inch (560 mm) barrel of the Krag carbine.

[338_Thumper]

Same here I got my Dad's 30-40 Krag when he quit hunting. As a teenager back in Penna. I shot alot of woodchucks and deer with it . I cut down the barrel and customized the stock . Being alot of people never cleaned the guns with the bolts out it is a good idea to have it re-crowned. I used factory Remington 180 grain bullets and if I did my part I can get 1 1/2" 3 shot groups with open sights at 100yards. I love this gun and the action while not the strongest is the slickest I have ever used ! I have not used it in years - I need to get it out again - It's not a long range gun but would be a great Blacktail rifle in the timber .

[thinkingman]

Nice way to respect your father's memory.
My regular bird hunting partner did the exact same thing...harvest a deer with his grandfather's 30-40 Krag.
I will ask him what ammo he used.
I'm sure there's modern-production hunting ammo available, given how many of these things are out there.

[AWS]

I gave my 30-40 to my BinL and he's been killing deer regularly with  WW 180gr PP factory ammo, I used 180gr hornady RN handloads when i had it.