Getting the parked Krag sighted in

[madsenshooter]

I really don't compete with anyone but myself Paul. Just hoping to do better than I did the last go round, and having a little fun while doing so. Having said that, I wouldn't mind passing on a rifle that won a major match, give the kid something to shoot for. Other than that, I'm just a 55 year old kid playing a game his father wanted to but never could because of other responsibilities and an illness that got to him when he was about my age.

[MAG-63]

4350 is usually a good bet in a Krag. 220 grain bullet is also the norm... Is it a true carbine or a cutdown? In a shorter barrel, you could shoot a lighter bullet along with a faster powder like IMR 4064.

These days, for my 1898 Rifle, I only shoot 220 gr Hornady jacketed round nose bullets over 40.0 grains of IMR 4350. However, in my cutdown sporter (24 inch barrel), I shoot 165 gr Hornady boat-tailed Jacketed spire point bullets over 38.6 grains of IMR 4064. With the shorter barrel, the faster moving bullet doesn't need the lengthy burn of a slower powder.

It's a cut down rifle with a 1902 rear sight and an '03 Springfield front sight. Common, I know, but the work was very well done. I was thinking that bullets in the 180-200g weights might give me good results. I only have 2 .30 cal rifles, so my stock of powders has been limited to IMR 4350 and 4895. I will look into the 4064. With all of the current madness, the bullets might be the more difficult part of the equation.

[Mark Daiute]

The only clock I'm gonna be cleaning is my William Johnson 30 hour OG clock made in Connecticut circa 1840. Like Bob I'll be competing with myself. It'll be a victory If I don't screw up during the rapid fire round.

[madsenshooter]

This will be my third time, I need a little something more than a T-shirt for my $40! Speaking of that, I hope they have a different design this year, something other than that British rifle. Of course my choice would be a Krag.

Mag 63, I'd go with your 4895, powder is even harder to find than bullets right now. I usually cast, only reason I'm going with the Nosler 168s is that I got 1000 for $180 a couple years ago. That's 1980's price! Don't let the "light bullets don't shoot good in a Krag" fallacy deter you from trying them. Here's an oddball load, 123gr .310 diameter Hornady V-Max bullets, propelled by a caseful of surplus 50BMG powder: http://www.jouster.com/forums/showth...ag-myth-busted. And here's another with the same bullet, but Blue Dot as the propellant: http://www.jouster.com/forums/showth...oup-of-the-day. You just need to experiment with it, spend more time out at Blue Rock or a range closer to you. Just don't go overboard on velocity, work up from the lower published data, I wind up working loads down to find the best accuracy, all too often. I used that Blue Dot load at a ZRC clinic once. The instructor was asking me why my rifle sounded so funny! Said I was shooting pistol loads, but the bullet is going over 2400fps. The Blue Dot burns fast, so the bullet is sorta coasting with the pressure of the expanding gas pushing it out the 30in barrel. Pressure is down to around 5000psi by the time it exits. I know, experiments take time, but it's necessary as each rifle seems to have its own likes. What works good in mine, might not be the thing for yours. Found another Blue group: http://www.jouster.com/forums/showth...Dot-withdrawal!

[psteinmayer]

I really don't compete with anyone but myself Paul. Just hoping to do better than I did the last go round, and having a little fun while doing so. Having said that, I wouldn't mind passing on a rifle that won a major match, give the kid something to shoot for. Other than that, I'm just a 55 year old kid playing a game his father wanted to but never could because of other responsibilities and an illness that got to him when he was about my age.

The only clock I'm gonna be cleaning is my William Johnson 30 hour OG clock made in Connecticut circa 1840. Like Bob I'll be competing with myself. It'll be a victory If I don't screw up during the rapid fire round.

Yeah... all joking aside, I'm also going to be just trying to not screw up too badly. in all honesty, I would like to just improve on last year! Last year was my first Match, and I was feeling sick to boot because I hadn't eaten anything (not a smart move for a type 1 diabetic)... so I scored pretty low (near the bottom of the list). This year, I'll be much better prepared!

[psteinmayer]

It's a cut down rifle with a 1902 rear sight and an '03 Springfield front sight. Common, I know, but the work was very well done. I was thinking that bullets in the 180-200g weights might give me good results. I only have 2 .30 cal rifles, so my stock of powders has been limited to IMR 4350 and 4895. I will look into the 4064. With all of the current madness, the bullets might be the more difficult part of the equation.

MAG-63, unless you're going to shoot 200 grain or heavier bullets, I would stay away from the 4350. In MHO, it's much too slow of a powder for lighter bullets. 4064 is a pretty good universal powder for mid-weight bullets, and can translate across a very large array of different calibers/cartridges. I use it for my Garand 30-06 and 7.7x58 (Jap) loads, and with lighter bullets in my 30-40 loads. Also, as Bob said, 4895 is good as well!

[MAG-63]

Thanks for all the info guys. I should be back stateside in a few weeks and really want to spend some time at the reloading bench. Because I was focusing on my 1911s and pistol shooting, I haven't fired a round out of the Krag in a very long time, but I have been bitten by the "bug" again. Besides the 150s, I have enough 180s to workup some loads, and a decent amount of 4895 on hand to start with.