Working on accuracy of 1896 saddle ring carbine. Probably this has been reviewed before, but what bullet and load were used in pre 1900 krags so that the yardage marks are correct on the rear sight?

From 1894 to 1903, the Krag cartridge used a 220 grain jacketed Round-Nosed projectile moving at 2,000 FPS.

It took years to overcome some problems.

During early development, the composition of the bullet jacket evolved to overcome problems with metallic deposits.

Priming composition was changed to eliminate fulminate of mercury, which compromised brass. The Priming continued to be corrosive.

There was an ongoing search for suitable propellants to eliminate instability, reduce bore erosion and extend storage life. Spanish American War time demand saw some use of  British Kynoch manufactured ammo loaded with Cordite. The eventual powder choice was Whisler & Aspinwall #30.

In 1898, the .30 cal. U.S. Army cartridge was 'stoked up' to move the 220 grain projectile at 2,200 FPS. This ammo was abandoned due to 'cracking' of bolt lugs.

Basically, the model 1896 sights (front-blade height and rear graduations - carbine & rifle) were sighted for 220 grain projectile moving at 2,000 FPS.

Thanks, I am basically using cast 160 gr. cowboy bullets, and was looking for a starting point. My light load is 9.5 grains of Unique, for 50 yards. Want to stretch out now.

Regardless of whether you are shooting a carbine or rifle, the original 220 gr load was designed for both. The original rear sight for each firearm was designed around this load, except for the short period, as noted above, when the powers at the time tried to kick the muzzle velocity up to 2200 fps. Those sights that were designed for that increased load were abandoned and/or redesigned back to the original load.

So, you should be safe to try any properly documented load for the 30-40 Krag. Always start low and work your way up. As many of us have discovered through experience, each of our Krags has a favorite load for best accuracy and function. They are not always the same.

Watch using Spitzer bullets in the Krag. Some of the firearms do not feed pointed bullets around and up the magazine to the chamber. They might have to be loaded one at a time. Round nose bullets, whether jacketed or cast, work smoothly.

Keep us informed. We like to hear of successes with the Krags and sometimes we even learn something new from new members!

Enjoy and post some pictures!