Page Index Toggle Pages: [1] 2  Send TopicPrint
 10 Best Target Ammo? (Read 5894 times)
Andylit
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Newcomer

Posts: 12
Location: Eagle, Wisconsin, USA
Joined: Nov 16th, 2018
Gender: Male
Best Target Ammo?
Nov 20th, 2018 at 4:44am
Print Post  
Yes, yes, I know. Never ask a room full of junkies what the best buzz is  Tongue

But seriously, I did some archive searching and didn't find much on ammo preferences for the 1898.

I've decided to purchase the rifle listed in the classifieds. Now the big question is, what ammo do I want?

The Poyer book doesn't have any mention I saw on ammo specifications. When searching online I see several bullet sizes/shapes and a variety of manufactures.

My plan is for range shooting, no hunting, so penetration and expansion are not a factor for me. I do want to avoid any rounds that are overpowered for the rifle.

Powder has improved quite a bit since those old days, so I wouldn't be comfortable just comparing powder loads of the day with modern ammo.

So, with all that said, what do you guys recommend? Or at least, are there any rounds you would avoid?

Thank you,

Andy
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
butlersrangers
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 6330
Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud
Joined: Oct 7th, 2009
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #1 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 5:58am
Print Post  
'Andylit' - U.S. factory ammo (Remington and Winchester) has long taken in to account the pressure limitations of the Krag action.

The commonly available commercial round is a 180 grain, Soft Point, hunting load, with the bullet moving at around 2,400 f.p.s. Most Krags shoot and feed this load without problems. Pressures are below 40,000 pounds per square inch.

Save your Brass. Most Krag shooters become reloaders. This opens endless possibilities.

If you start reloading, get a good recent reloading manual that mentions the loads being intended for the Krag and offers lots of bullet and powder options.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Andylit
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Newcomer

Posts: 12
Location: Eagle, Wisconsin, USA
Joined: Nov 16th, 2018
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #2 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 6:17am
Print Post  
butlersrangers wrote on Nov 20th, 2018 at 5:58am:
'Andylit' - U.S. factory ammo (Remington and Winchester) has long taken in to account the pressure limitations of the Krag action.

The commonly available commercial round is a 180 grain, Soft Point, hunting load, with the bullet moving at around 2,400 f.p.s. Most Krags shoot and feed this load without problems. Pressures are below 40,000 pounds per square inch.

Save your Brass. Most Krag shooters become reloaders. This opens endless possibilities.

If you start reloading, get a good recent reloading manual that mentions the loads being intended for the Krag and offers lots of bullet and powder options.


My plan is to pick up a case of 400 rounds or so. That should give me more than enough range time to decide if I'll be shooting this rifle frequently.

If yes I will get a die set. Do these rifles want jacketed or can they digest plain lead? Casting my own slugs would take the cost down even more.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
butlersrangers
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 6330
Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud
Joined: Oct 7th, 2009
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #3 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 6:33am
Print Post  
A Krag with a nice bore is a 'cast bullet shooter's dream'.

400 rounds of factory ammo will cost on the scale of $600.

IMHO - For that kind of money, you can buy a few boxes of factory 'fodder', a couple of hundred new unfired cartridge cases, primers, powder, jacketed bullets, Dies, a reloading press, scale, and manual (and shoot a lot more)!
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Kerz
KCA Official Member
***
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 307
Location: KY
Joined: Jan 13th, 2017
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #4 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:48am
Print Post  
Absolutely agree with bultersrangers. Reloading is the only way to go for "target" quality ammo.  You'll only be taken a chance on the purchase of several 100 rds of factory ammo.  What shoots well in my rifle may not repeat in yours.
  

Preparedness + Opportunity= Luck

NRA Benefactor Member
KY & WV State Rifle & Pistol Association Life Member
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Culpeper
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline



Posts: 904
Location: Right Coast of Africa
Joined: Mar 30th, 2005
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #5 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 5:05pm
Print Post  
Don't listen to any of those guys!  Dear lord!  Krags are dangerous.  Send all of your Krag stuff to me for proper disposal.

Hehehehe

Several things:

I have heard, heard mind you, that hornady brass is a hair shorter than Rem or Win brass.  Just a thing I need track down to verify.

Buy up a hundred rounds of commercial ammo and run off of it as you decide what you want to do.  Just remember that Remington and Winchester only make production runs every couple of years.  We are fat with Krag ammo at the moment because of the latest batch in the last year.  It was what, three or four years, trying to find any thing more than a couple of boxes here and there.  So buy up a couple of cases and set them back for the long haul.  Work off of two boxes and replace as the brass wears out.  Psteinmayer says he has reloaded his tens of times without brass failure using low pressure loads.

Speaking cast bullets.

(You need to Login to view media files and links)
(You need to Login to view media files and links)

Madsenshooter has posts about his adventures with cast bullets.

Sources

I am a fan of Winchester and Remington brass.  Call me fickle.  Soooooo.  Book mark the ammoseek web site for future reference.

(You need to Login to view media files and links)

Frankly buy as much as you can afford.  It'll never go bad as long as it is stored properly as you may well know.  Then you can post ammo porn photos on the days you are bored and want to liven things up a bit.

(You need to Login to view media files and links) Cheesy

  

Deacon in the Church of the Mighty Krag. Member of People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA).  (You need to Login to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Andylit
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Newcomer

Posts: 12
Location: Eagle, Wisconsin, USA
Joined: Nov 16th, 2018
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #6 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 5:24pm
Print Post  
Culpeper wrote on Nov 20th, 2018 at 5:05pm:
Frankly buy as much as you can afford.  It'll never go bad as long as it is stored properly as you may well know.  Then you can post ammo porn photos on the days you are bored and want to liven things up a bit.

(You need to Login to view media files and links) Cheesy



So....you're saying that size (of your cache) does matter?
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Culpeper
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline



Posts: 904
Location: Right Coast of Africa
Joined: Mar 30th, 2005
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #7 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 6:13pm
Print Post  
Well, yeah!

Finding the right load that wrings out the best accuracy in a given rifle is the important thing.  Oh we can go merrily along and just shoot at deer or groundhogs or paper with guns that are minute of barn door accurate but where is the challenge?  Shooting an inch group at two hundred is interesting.  Having the materials to get to that end is a good start.  Like say eighty-five pounds of new linotype for .309 cast bullets.

All I need now are a couple of molds.

Brass - check
Powders - check
Primers - check
Jacketed bullets - check
Time - um, check
Brain power to put it all together at the range - working on it





  

Deacon in the Church of the Mighty Krag. Member of People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA).  (You need to Login to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
butlersrangers
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 6330
Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud
Joined: Oct 7th, 2009
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #8 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 7:23pm
Print Post  
'Cache'? You waiting for an insurrection or Zombie Apocalypse?

Ammunition is intended to be shot!

Components are intended to be loaded into ammunition and then shot!
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Andylit
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Newcomer

Posts: 12
Location: Eagle, Wisconsin, USA
Joined: Nov 16th, 2018
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #9 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 10:11pm
Print Post  
butlersrangers wrote on Nov 20th, 2018 at 7:23pm:
'Cache'? You waiting for an insurrection or Zombie Apocalypse?

Ammunition is intended to be shot!

Components are intended to be loaded into ammunition and then shot!


Yes, yes, and I agree.

We rotate stock. Typically keep 5k of 5.56 on the shelf, 2.5k of .45 ACP, 9mm, .357, etc.

We go through that in a year or so, replenishing as its used.

Now that I have a permanent home in the sticks with 100 yards I will be picking up a progressive press. Lots of brass in buckets already, small melting pot for my cap and ball shooting already in use.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
butlersrangers
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 6330
Location: Michigan Bi-Peninsular&Proud
Joined: Oct 7th, 2009
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #10 - Nov 20th, 2018 at 11:21pm
Print Post  
'Madsenshooter' and others have provided a plethora of cast bullet and jacketed bullet load data on the KCA Forum.

Viewing previous threads, under "Ammunition, reloading, shooting, etc", would answer a lot of your questions.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Kerz
KCA Official Member
***
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 307
Location: KY
Joined: Jan 13th, 2017
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #11 - Nov 21st, 2018 at 2:35pm
Print Post  
butlersrangers wrote on Nov 20th, 2018 at 11:21pm:
'Madsenshooter' and others have provided a plethora of cast bullet and jacketed bullet load data on the KCA Forum.

Viewing previous threads, under "Ammunition, reloading, shooting, etc", would answer a lot of your questions.



Yelp, completely agree Madsenshooter has posted some very good reloading info in general and cast bullets in particular.
Vic
  

Preparedness + Opportunity= Luck

NRA Benefactor Member
KY & WV State Rifle & Pistol Association Life Member
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
psteinmayer
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 2391
Location: Ypsilanti, Michgan
Joined: Aug 30th, 2011
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #12 - Nov 22nd, 2018 at 3:11pm
Print Post  
All Great advice to be sure!!!

What you load and shoot depends on what you are trying to accomplish, and Krags are almost human in their love of "Food!"  Some Krags LOVE the standard 220 gr RN, while others thrive in cast-boolit land.  Some feed spitzer bullets reliably while others hang up and fight you on the subject!  The best advice I can give is to find what works best and most accurately in your Krag! 

I shoot 220 gr RN Hornady Interlock bullets with 40.0 grains of IMR-4350 and a CCI-250 primer - as close as you can get to the original .30 Army round.  However, I have a friend that WINS matches with a 150 gr RN bullet.  Again, find what works best for you!

As for Brass, I have literally hundreds (several) of RP brass that is more than 20 years old, and some more than 30 years.  I also have a few hundred Winchester approaching that age too.  I have some of the new Hornady and new GRAF brass too, although I haven't used those yet.  I find the Remington brass right up there on the ole durability scale, and I think the Winchester brass looks much prettier/shinier than the RP.

One final thought:  There is absolutely NO reason to try and get velocities and trajectories that approach 30-06/308 numbers!!!  Krags do just fine lobbing the bullets in at under 2400 FPS (my rounds are right around 2000).  The hotter you go trying to get those flat shootin' velocities, the more you risk damaging your rifle and shortening the life of your brass!
  
Back to top
IP Logged
 
Capt. Frank
KCA Forum Member
*
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 153
Location: Dover, Delaware
Joined: Jun 13th, 2018
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #13 - Nov 22nd, 2018 at 3:50pm
Print Post  
Since I tried your suggested load, but with Remington 9 1/2 primers, my 1898 original rifle has given me two 1 3/4" groups, at 300 yards. No reason to experiment with other loads. Thank you Psteinmayer!
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Kerz
KCA Official Member
***
Offline


Krag Enthusiast!

Posts: 307
Location: KY
Joined: Jan 13th, 2017
Gender: Male
Re: Best Target Ammo?
Reply #14 - Nov 23rd, 2018 at 3:40pm
Print Post  
Excellent accuracy!
  

Preparedness + Opportunity= Luck

NRA Benefactor Member
KY & WV State Rifle & Pistol Association Life Member
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: [1] 2 
Send TopicPrint