So I apologize if this topic has been covered before. I did search and browse the history before posting.

A few weeks ago I posted some photos and information regarding  my first Krag - an 1899 Carbine. A friend of mine gave me about 60 rounds he loaded with 220 RN to get me started, but I can tell that won’t last long. I’ve been thinking about reloading for a while now and this round finally pushed me over. I figure reloading will save me $0.75 - $1.00 per round over the life of the brass. Ammunition for the 30-40 is a rare find locally and only a few places will ship into MA. Those that do charge about $1.50 - $1.75 per round.

I have seen a lot of discussion around the types of bullets, weight and powders. Also many good discussions on specific recipes, powders and loads for both hunting and accuracy.  Due to cost and availability, I plan on the Krag being one of the first calibers I load.

My question is, what die set would you recommend for a single stage press and why? If it matters, the press I’m waiting on is a Forster Co Ax. I view the dies as a long term investment (as was the press), but I also see a quick payback relative to this caliber. As such, I don’t mind investing in a good set of dies, but also don’t want to overpay for a name or capability I’ll never use or need. I don’t have current plans to shoot competitively or hunt with the round. I mainly plan to shoot targets and steel at my local range. My range is currently limited to 100 yards, but will be pushed back to 250 by the end of summer. So far, I’ve read general good things (and bad) regarding Lee, Hornady, RCBS and Redding. I’ve read very little about specific dies and their pros and cons for the 30-40.

Thank you,
Mike

For your purposes, any of the listed die sets would work well, as long as they are in good condition and you use them as directed. The Redding dies are top quality for competition shooting and usually very expensive. They are not necessary for your Krag but would be fine if you could get them cheap.

The dies usually aren't the problem, though. Make sure your Krag is in good condition, cleaned well and shoots well. The bore doesn't have to be perfect for your Krag to shoot well. Choice of components will have a lot to do with how you enjoy your Krag, also.

Read through the posts and you'll find all you need. When you get into it a little more, keep us informed and let us know how it all works out. Reloading is fun and will save you a lot per round but you'll wind up shooting more and costing you more in the long run while enjoying your Krag to the fullest.

Frugal as I am, I go with Lee. Still American made and will give you better reloads than you can buy loaded ammo (so I hear). Many will snub their nose at Lee. But a Chevy or Ford will get you to work just as well as a Cadillac can. But if you want more luxury, that is a personal choice and there is nothing wrong with that. If I reloaded more my choice may differ. But I use Lee for 30-30, 30-40, 30-06, 35 Whelen, .223 Remington, and 7.62x54R. Sassified I am.

I agree that any of the die brands will do a good job. I use dies from all manufacturers. I have an RCBS set for my Krag, but the Lee set is good, too. In fact, the Lee set is a 3-die set because it also includes the Factory Crimp Die.

At others' suggestion on this board, I've been doing Partial Full Length sizing with my Krag: I back the die out a full turn rather than screwing it in an extra 1/8 to 1/4 turn. This sizes just the neck. About 3/4 of the neck shows the sizing. If you only have one Krag, this will save wear and tear on the brass.

I can only speak to the LEE dies because nearly every die set I have are LEE dies.  That said... the LEE dies are absolutely excellent, and their customer service (should you have a problem) is second to none!  (The only problem I ever had was with a stuck 30-06 case, and I bent the mandrel trying to pound the case out.  LEE sent me a new die and spare mandrel - no questions asked!!!)  LEE will cost you the least - something of importance to me since I ain't JP Morgan!

You'll hear people touting their brand as the end-all/be-all (especially Dillon products, which by the way will cost you a second mortgage), but the only advice I can give is go with your gut... they're all pretty good. 

Thanks for all the input and suggestions. The members of this forum have been nothing but kind and helpful as I venture into the world of Krags.

While i haven’t committed yet, I’m leaning towards Lee. It sounds like the Pacesetter would serve me well and allow me to learn the ropes of reloading.

Mike

My LEE Pacesetter 30-40 dies are more than 30 years old and have loaded literally thousands of rounds... with nary a hickup!

If you go to the "leeprecision" website you will find a lot of help videos on reloading.

I’ll vote for the rcbs style dies with the threaded expander rod and lockable die nut not the lee collet long expander rod gizmo that pulls out of the collet or the aluminum o-ring die nut that lee uses. The only lee die that is a good idea imo is the seater die with the big easily adjusted aluminum knob. I put a line on mine so I can do slight adjustments, 1/2 turn, 1/4 turn etc. You are in a good place for all things Krag which are from Norway not Denmark I’ve been told though there is a Danish Krag?. Good luck on your reloading.
I use a .308 Winchester sizer die that I neck size with that has a .310 expander button i think.

I use a Lyman die set I got off E-bay cheap.  These were the old long discontinued Precision Alignment dies with a sliding collet in the seater.  Got them because they align the bullet as it starts into the case and this is important to me as I only shoot cast.  Any set of dies will work fine, just remember to back off the full length sizer (unless you spring for a separate neck sizer die) to only neck size or if needed to set the shoulder back just enough to chamber. 

I use a couple different ones, just because they're slightly different sizes.  I generally use a Lee set so that I don't move the shoulder back, what some call partial full length sizing.  I also have an old Hollywood Gunshop full length sizer that is close to being a small base die.  I have one barrel that has a tighter chamber than the rest and I use the Hollywood when loading for it.  And, there's times I use 7.5x55 collet die for neck sizing.

+1 for Lee Precision.  I shoot my 6.5 creedmoor half-MOA or better on some days with my "cheap" LEE dies and equipment. Like some guys have stated, I too have been using nothing but Lee dies and presses for the last decade. Every time I want to "upgrade" to Redding or some other brand of die, I just look at my targets and other accomplishments I have done with my current process and just can't justify the "upgrade" when that will *maybe* shrink my groups another hair. I'm not an F-Class or Bench Rest guy. I shoot torso-sized steel at far distances and assorted animal vital organ sized steel a bit closer.

Thanks everyone for your help and input. I finally received all the pieces needed to load my first 50 rounds of Krag. Attaching a photo of the 1st, 26th and 50th round. I used 40gr of H4350 with 220 RN. The brass is new Hornady. I ended up going with Lee dies and a Forster Co-Ax press.

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Congrats, Mike. Good choices for getting the reloading done.

Now we'll patiently wait to hear the results of your planning and hard work. Shoot away!

Excellent choice for your loading setup.
Vic

Is your crimp a hair below the canneleur?  Good looking ammo nonetheless. 

It’s actually right on it. It’s pretty wide if you look at the bullet itself. This was my very first attempt at reloading, hence the reason for delay. I’m pretty happy with the results overall. If my brass holds out for 4-5 reloads, I calculate I’m saving about $1/round vs what I can buy it at. If that’s the case, the investment will have a HUGE payback. Especially if I start adding other (expensive) rounds.

Mike

We always say that reloading doesn't really save you any money because you wind up shooting much more altogether. But, you're having a ton more fun and that's well worth all the trouble.

I love spending time reloading and working every detail of the case and powder and bullet. Sure have learned a lot along the way and I get much better ammo than any factory stuff.

You'll see after you go through a few more rounds of reloading! Have fun!

Is there any concern about the missing "bevel" on Hornady brass that you fellas discovered in the "1898 Feed Issue" discussion?

My Hornady brass came with a bevel. I haven’t seen any rim lock issues yet, but will certainly keep you all informed if I do.

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There is no way to get rim lock in a Krag.  Except maybe trying to load in an un-natural way.

Beautiful ammo!! Now show us those groups and sounds of ringing steel!

Finally had a chance to go to the range and try out my first hand loads. This was 10 rounds at 50 yards with 40 gr of H4350 and a 220 round nose using Hornady brass. I started at 50 yards not knowing how she’d shoot. Wasn't able to easily throw a target out to 100 yards today as there were quite a few people on the range. I was able to hit steel targets out at 100.

I may try going up and down .2 gr to see if the grouping tightens up at all. I may also try some 175 gr bullets. I guess now the real fun begins...

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Mike4MSU wrote on Jul 16^th, 2019 at 8:11pm:

. . . This was 10 rounds at 50 yards with 40 gr of H4895 and a 220 round nose using Hornady brass. . .

Since your earlier post on this topic cited "40gr of H4350 with 220 RN" as your load, I'm hoping "H4895" is a typing or memory error, as that could be a fairly stiff overload.

That would be a problem. Yes, I used H4350 and not H4895. Perfect example of why I always triple check the recipe and never rely on memory. I think I may have said H4895 because a good friend and reloader shared one of his recipes for Krag and it used 175 gr BTHP and H4895.

I’ve corrected the original post to prevent confusion or potential overcharged recipe

Mike4MSYU - It would be "OK" and a good idea to correct the error in the post detailing your load data.

Perfect example of why we never accept internet amateur load data without checking reliable sources like manuals and manufacturer websites.

Thank you Parashooter for bringing the error to my attention. It is now clear to me how an honest mistake could have caused a catastrophic result had the members of this forum not been so diligent.

On a lighter note, I wanted to share and post my results to hopefully learn from the group and improve my results over time.  I felt my 1899 Carbine and first attempt at reloading performed pretty well overall. I hope to play around a little with minor changes in charge (within max load limits) and in bullet weights to see if I can improve my initial results. Thanks to all for patience and forgiveness in my mistake.

'Mike4MSU' - That is a nice outing for your Krag carbine and reloaded ammo! I bet you had fun!

IMHO - You should stick with this load for a few more Range sessions and judge the consistency of performance (and also try targets at 100 yards), before tweaking things.

You have laid down a good baseline!

'Parashooter' - thanks for spotting the propellant error.

olderthansome wrote on Jun 29^th, 2019 at 1:41pm:

Is there any concern about the missing "bevel" on Hornady brass that you fellas discovered in the "1898 Feed Issue" discussion?

In a recent thread one new to the forum was having feed issues in a rifle that was to be used in competition. For him adding the bevel fixed the problem. In my 35/40 with shorter than standard rounds I could only get rim lock with the muzzle aimed down, cases loaded with rims the wrong way and snapping the door closed. My cases are beveled Remington. I have not tried the Grafs case yet but the do have a smaller bevel.
On mine with the rifle level or pointed up no rim lock. Others have had the problem and solved it by replacing springs and pushers. A lot of these parts have been modified by various bubbas, so rim locks are not impossible. SA did a lot of work to make the Krag mostly trouble free, little mismatches in tolerances and or worn or modified parts can ruin the magic. Some time back we saw a Krag action and barrel with cut outs for observing the internal movements, with a high speed camera and that demo piece it would be possible to understand what goes on in there when the door is closed.

While I didn’t go to the range for the purpose of testing the bevel on Hornady brass, I didn’t have any issues or rim lock with the 30 rounds I shot. From what I recall, I’d say the majority of my reloading occurred with the barrel level to pointed slightly down.

Just pointing out though infrequent it can occur. The ones that have had it jumped through a number of hoops to cure it. That one time I made it occur in mine I loaded shorter rounds out of echelon on purpose. Snapping the door closed righted them all except in the case when the muzzle was pointed down. As pointed out by parashooter in an old thread with original length loaded rounds all will be in echelon automatically. The case bevel is maybe a failsafe in case something got out of kilter with particular rounds or a especially dirty or out of tolerance Krags. We have seen the bevel in the photos of very old military and commercial ammo, if you ask me it should be there on every case made for a Krag. Sometimes a mistake (without a bevel) will work for most people but not always.