Forgive me if this is obnoxious. It's a multi parter so bear with me. So I ended up purchasing my first Krag! It's a cut down (nicely) 1896. I've been reading as much as I can on reloading and casting bullets plus watching YouTube videos galore. Safety is my priority followed closely by doing it right the first time.

Immediately after the deal was done I purchased 50 unprimed 30-40 cartridges from Grafs.

Over the next few months I will be getting the necessary equipment to cast bullets, and reload the rounds. Here is where my confusion begins. I'm not exactly sure what to get. I'll be casting 50 bullets at a time so I don't *think* I'll need a large furnace.

I was thinking this
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What else aside from a dipper and skimmer do I really need?

What kind of lead is best for these old gals? Pure lead or a mix? I keep seeing people mention wheel weights so I'm more confused.

As to a mold, I will hold off until the bore gets slugged but I was thinking a two cavity mold. Are gas checks necessary? I was thinking round nose only since that is what it was designed for.

I'm only going to use the rifle for 50-100 yard plinking and want to have the lightest recoil possible. 2-5 inch groups will keep me more than happy. What combination of powder and bullet weight has worked for such a load? I know every rifle is different and I will need to tailor but a good base at the lowest end of power is a good starting point.

I have used a Lee turret press for years and have been very happy with it.

For what it's worth...  I've been using LEE Pacesetter 30-40 dies for more than 30 years now, as well as the same ole Challenger press, and I've never had a problem!  Yes, when keeping brass with the same rifle, it's always best to neck-size only.  I have brass that I keep designated for my cast Bench Rest Krag Sporter alone!

Madsenshooter got me going with cast, and he also casts my bullets for me.  He... along with Rich and others are a wealth of cast knowledge!  I shoot a NOE 311365 sized to .310 and at 185 gr gas checked.  I load these with 19.0 grains of AA-5744 and a CCI-200 primer.  I can almost plug the same hole twice at 200 yards with this round in my BR Sporter Krag (1898 cutdown to 24", Bishop Target stock, and with a KragHaus long mount and LER scope).  Recoil is quite modest with this round also!

That is very kind of you! I'll gladly pay for it. If you won't accept that then I will find something to pay it forward with.

I slugged the barrel today with an old lead sinker, did it per instructional guides and youtube videos. Seat, 7" sections of wooden dowel rod, lightly tap until it falls out. Then I ran out and got calipers.

Upon measuring, the diameter was between .3030 and .3070 after six or seven measurements all the way around at different points on the slug. Does this seem right? The barrel looks brand new, not a speck of frosting anywhere. There were also no loose spots when slugging and .

I keep reading on the 308-312 range is what people seem to use for bullets, would something as large as that be unsafe in the gun? This is all brand new to me so I'm trying to absorb like a sponge. The thought of shooting a 100+ year old rifle is exciting!

Part 2 of my rant:  Primer pocket cleaners are nice, but a little flat-bladed screwdriver is just as good.

Lead:  Get a batch of known alloy lead, 20 parts lead to 1 part tin.  Or get a Lyman #2 alloy.  That has more tin and a smidge of antimony. You can shoot #2 faster than 20:1 lead.  I buy from Rotometals.  They are good folks to deal with.  Stay away from wheel weights, dive weights & fish sinkers.  That is unknown crap.  You can ruin a good pot in a hurry.  That crappy alloy cannot be good for your rifle barrel.

Loading press:  You are loading a few Krag cartridges, not mass production for some auto-jammer. 1950s technology does fine.  I bought a Herter's C press (made by Pacific) in 1958.  I've had others & got rid of them.  Still use the Herter's, with the RCBS shell-holder kit.  The other guys like Lee dies.  I prefer C-H 4D.  It is just personal choice.  RCBS is unnecessarily expensive.

Powder:  Cast bullets in a Krag is jumping back a century, back to steam engines, passenger trains & Model A Fords.  Most new manuals are for jacketed bullets & high velocity.  Find 3 or 4 old manuals, plus Phil Sharpe's Complete Guide to Handloading (1937) (available on the net).  Look for loads in the 1300-1500 fps range.  Think about starting with IMR powders, because they were used in the 1930s.  Get yourself a relative burning rate list.  Remember that fast powders & heavy bullets in a Krag case can lead to problems if you overdo it.

Some of the handiest things you can get or make are wooden cartridge blocks.  They hold the cases rim down, just by sticking the case in a hole in the wood, so you can complete one step in loading on all your cases and then move on to the next step.

You need a good scale for weighing each charge of powder, and a funnel for pouring the weighed charge into the case.

Be sure to keep notes on everything.  And get a couple of good cartridge boxes to take your loads to the range.  Take more notes & save your targets.

Where to begin for a beginner?  Good advice above.  A known alloy is good, Lyman #2 will get you up to full Krag velocity and makes pretty bullets.  311284, from NOE Bullet Molds is a good choice.  They'll feed well in about any Krag.  Slugging, you'll get different measurements because there are two dimensions you're after.  Bore diameter will be the smaller measurement, you're measuring the distance from the top of one land to the top of the one opposite it, generally .301 on Krag barrels, but variable. Biggest thing this dimension is useful is if you have a boreriding bullet, you want the borerider to be the same as bore diameter or a few thousandths larger.  Groove diameter is the big measure, and that's the one you want to fill with your bullets.  In Krags that will run anywhere from .307-.314 with the majority being .310.  Oversize lead bullets do raise pressure some, but not nearly as much as an oversized jacketed bullet.  I have some interesting examples loaded that came out .3145 after sizing and lubing.  I found they just fit an unsized Remington 30-40 caseneck.  I can almost seat them with my fingers.  Need to get some range time to shoot em. Simplest sizing is the Lee push through dies, but you need to get the right size. Gas blowing past a bullet will lead up your bore quickly. Down side of the Lee push through is you still need to lube the bullets somehow. I will sometimes lube at a larger diameter than what I'm going to use, if I'm going for .311 I'll lube with a .312 size and lube die (or larger if the bullet casts larger), then finish by pushing the bullet through a .311 sizer. I know you're trying to get it all at once, but there's a lot to know and experience is the best teacher. Little steps at a time, and that goes for the velocities too. If you start out with full velocity loads, chances are you won't be happy with the results, get frustrated and quit. You can PM me anytime you want, either here, or on castboolits.com, with the same username

If the .309 isn't big enough, there's a couple 7.62x39 or .303 molds that will throw one big enough.  The tumble lube bullet shoots pretty good from mine.

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If all you are intending to do is some plinking and target shooting, then why the cast?  Why not standard jacketed bullets?  If you want light loads, you could shoot a Hornady 150 gr RN bullet, which should run around $25 for 100 bullets.  I have a friend who shoots these in CMP matches with his 1896, and routinely WINS the matches!  His load are light enough so that the recoil in the off hand position is quite manageable.