Hello, I am from central Massachusetts, 77 years old, and still blessed with pretty good eye sight. I grew up in New York State's Adirondack Mountains and remember many native old timers using .30-40 Krags as their deer rifle.  As a kid, I was intrigued by the Krak's capsule magazine. My Dad told me that shortly after WW1 (in which he served), the Army sold Krags to the civilian market for $5.00. after WWI. As most Adirondack natives were 'dirt poor' in those days, many of them jumped at the Krags as the lever action Winchesters, Marlins, and Savages were too expensive for them.

I recently acquired a model 1899 .30-40 Krag carbine which my gunsmith certifies is in NRA Excellent condition.  The only issue is the stock does not have a cartouche. I am a reloader and I bought a set Lee Pacemaker dies and Hornady brass.  I had on hand Hornady .308, 180 gr., RN Interlock bullet which I use in my .303 Savage Model 99.  I loaded up 50 rounds using 25 grs. of IMR 4198 which I also had on hand, and, yesterday headed to the range.
Mechanically, the rifle performed well.  It cycled perfectly with no jams or hang fires. However, at 50 yards, I COULD NOT GET ON PAPER! POI's were 24" high.  The rifle carries the 1901 rear sight, and I was able to adjust the windage to be OK horizontally, but with the ladder sight set at its lowest elevation I was consistently 2 feet high. ]Is my only solution to this elevation issue to install a front sight with a higher post?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.