@ nigh $50/box, they can keep them!

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prices for krag ammo:
Ventura Heritage 30-40 Krag 220gr RN New Ammo - 20 Rounds $46.38

Ventura Heritage 30-40 Krag 180gr SP Ammo - 20 Rounds $45.83

Remington 30-40 KRAG 180gr Express Core-Lokt PSP Ammo - 20 Rounds $42.52

Checked the Ammoseek web site and there is a lot of 30/40 listed.  Prices ranged from just over $30 a box and up.  These guys were the highest listed prices.

You may have paid for your brass as loaded ammo way back when unless you got it as a bag of unprimed brass.  Nothing is diiferent for the new guys.  They pay the going rate for their initial feed stock the same as you did then and I did twelve years ago.  The only difference is the inflation of the money supply causing perceived higher prices.  At some point, the decision will be made by them to reload or continue to pay up.

I preach the gospel of Saving Brass by <fill in the blank with your favorite reloader> to every Krag shooter.  Heck, I tell everyone to save their brass even if they are not reloading at the moment because they might at some time in the future.

No offense intended, but I do not recommend progressive presses for beginners. It's much easier to keep track of things when one has only a single station/operation to watch. That, and for rifle cartridges such as the Krag, speed and quantity aren't factors.

All that said, read, several times, the sections in your reloading manuals on the process. I kept a copy of the Lyman manual in the reading...err, bathroom, for a couple of months before I touched my first case.

I can't think of any 'traps' awaiting you specific to the Krag. It is very much like other bottle neck cartridges. You'll need to lube the cases for sizing (neck sizing is preferred for a single rifle) and I strongly recommend a Lyman M-Die for loading cast bullets.

A friend close by who knows his way around loading can be very useful. Ask here if you run into specific issues. I, and I'm sure many others, will be glad to help.

Good luck, have fun and report back.

Culpeper wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2017 at 6:02am:


I've been saying the same thing to people shooting Krags for years.  Anytime someone gets their first Krag... I stress "Save Your Brass!" with any other advice.

As far as people new to reloading, although you CAN start with a progressive... but if you've never loaded rifle brass, I agree that a single stage press is far easier to learn with.  I also think that someone starting out need not buy the most expensive equipment out there!!!  I've been reloading for more than 30 years with a beat up old LEE Challenger press, and I do just fine and dandy... and I load several rifle and several pistol calibers with it too!  LEE Pacesetter dies are inexpensive, and work just as well as RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, Dillon, and other brands that will cost up to twice as much as the LEE... or more.

The Lee Dies work fine for most of us. The .30-40 cartridge is not finicky and is easy to reload. (FWIW - I have RCBS and Lee .30-40 Dies).

BTW - Many of us back off the Die one turn in the Press so that we are just 'Neck Sizing' part of the very long case neck.

(Hint - Keep your Brass separated by the Krag it was fired in).