My Krag sporter has .301/.313 bore/groove diameters.  I had some .312 Lee 90371 GCs and some .311 Loverin GCs on hand.  Both around 180 gr.  I figured I'd give them both a try.

I used a 303 Brit expander for the .312 Lees and the standard 30-40 expander for the .311 Loverins.

Powder was 15 gr 2400.  I had to use the 25 yard range. 

The Loverins made one ragged 5 shot hole.

I set the rear sight for 400 yards to move the next group up a bit and shot the Lees.  The group was a vertical string about 3" tall.  What the heck?
I must add that there were no cars parked downrange to distract me.
It wasn't until I got home I realized the rear sight slider had been moving with each shot.  By the fifth shot it was back to the lowest setting.   I guess you really have to crank the lock on the slider to keep it from moving under recoil.

Anyway, the .312 Lees were difficult to chamber because of chamber neck tightness.  I think next I'll try the Lees sized down to .311".  I'll also try the Loverins loaded using the 303 Brit expander.  I think the Loverins got squeezed a bit while being seated after using the regular 30-40 expander.

All in all I think this rifle will end up taking a few groundhogs this summer.

My rear sight is the 1896 model.  I'm thinking about selling the 1896 and buying either an 1898 or 1902 model so I can have windage adjustment via a screw knob.

I have a 1901 model for sale in the classifieds because I don't like how it adjusts for elevation or windage.  I am so hard to please I guess.

I am optimistic that when I do get my elevation locked down tight that the Lee 90371s might do as good as the Loverins.  That would be nice since I don't own the Loverin mold anymore.  It didn't shoot well in my Lee Enfields so why keep it, I thought.  Definitely a lack of foresight and imagination on my part!

P.S.  Car was parked behind me this time!

Just to make some conversation, I'm going to load up some more cast bullet loads using 13gr of Red Dot powder just to see how it performs.  It's sometimes referred to as "The Load".  It worked very well in my 8X57 Persian Mauser with jacketed bullets.  It should work even better with cast bullets.

Kragluver, I need to tap into your experience!

Eventually I will run out of my Loverin bullets and start using my C312 185 mold that I use for my Lee-Enfields.  Do you size your bullets to .312?  Are you using gas checks?  Do you use an oversized expander and flare your case mouths?

I'm still fairly new at loading cast bullets so I appreciate any help I can get.

My Krag has a .301/.310 bore. My first load was the 311467 Loverin cast in lino and sized .309 at the check tapering up to .313. 18 grs of 4759 and Rem LP primers, got a 1.55 C to C group. The Lee 180 grain weighs in at about 168 grs (hard alloy) and .3115 dia., it does just as well.
I've gone to a .311 sizer for both bullets, much easier to size and accuracy is the same

4759 doesn't seem to be position sensitive. The times I tried fillers to keep the charges uniformly positioned had no effect on accuracy- but I only experimented with .30/30's and .30/40's. Perhaps it behaves differently in larger capacity cases?

Gnoahhh's reference to Lyman 311241 bullets got me thinking that you gents are not plowing new ground. You might even view your cast bullet loading as bringing back an old tradition.

Back in the days when Krags & New Springfields were used by the National Guard, some units reloaded their own empty cases.  The standard bullet used was 311241.  The standard load was 10.5 grains of SR-80.  This combination worked so well that it was loaded by Frankford Arsenal as the M-1919 Gallery Practice Load and as the M-1 Guard Load.  The load gave about 1150 fps & was even used on indoor ranges.  SR-4759 is the latter day replacement for SR-80.

At one time it was common to find WW1-era cases (for both Krags & 1903s) loaded with factory-made lead bullets. I think the National Guard reloading continued throughout the Depression.

Lyman (or maybe Ideal) made gang moulds for this bullet. I used to have one that cast 9 bullets at a time.  Dreadfully heavy & difficult to use, consumed lead in huge quantities and produced very poor bullets. Each of the 9 cavities produced a bullet of slightly different dimensions.