30-40 Krag brass found

S

shuvelrider

New member
From a previous posting I recently acquired a Krag rifle around a month ago. I tried to find some new brass to supplement the live rounds I got with the rifle, of course no luck. I did learn about "seasonal brass" though, I never had to deal with that before.
I was in Peru, Illinois over the Christmas weekend to visit the old homeland where I grew up, while there I wandered into a local gunshop that is pretty full of everything. There I found a new bag of Winchester 30-40 Krag brass, pretty much inline with internet prices when you figure in shipping cost. I bought that brass real quick, and was glad to have it. Got a set of dies under the tree also, so I'm happy. The shop name is Boomers & Blasters, downtown on the main drag, if I'm allowed to post that.
 
Prime Directive for Krag owners: purchase brass, bullets, and loaded ammo on sight.

I found two boxes of loaded Winchester ammo at a gun show, being sold as collectible ammo. Boxes were a bit ratty so $40 for all of it, nice clean ammo. I heard others asking for 30-40 ammo all morning.

Got enough new brass to make up a few combat loadouts for a day of Kragging. Slickest bolt rifle ever made, bar none.
 
I live in Michigan now, on the west shoreline. Every time I visit my LGS I always check the bins of once fired brass, usually the common calibers but I do find oddball stuff for the older sporting guns. Even if I don't own the gun in that caliber, I'll pick it up in case I come into something that uses it :). Yeah, reloaders tend to be scroungers.
 
To make .30-40 brass out of .303 British you really need a small lathe and forming dies. Krag's rim has a chamfer and is 5 thou bigger than a .303's.
Cartridge dimensions are here. http://stevespages.com/page8d.htm
However, RCBS 'Trim and Form' die is currently on sale at Midway for $30.49. $29.99 for the regular die set.
"...Prime Directive for Krag owners:..." And as much as you can afford. Bullets aren't really an issue though. Uses regular .308" bullets. This Directive applies to any odd cartridge too.
 
I was wondering how hard it would be to reform/resize the cases. I think there is a slight difference in length, no? In a worst case scenario, rim trimming could be performed using a drill, too.

If it's a fairly easy job, .30-40 brass shortages shouldn't be too much of an issue since .303 brass still tends to be plentiful.
 
I've seen instruction on how to form the brass from .303 Brit, just seems like a hassle when 30-40 is still available. You might have to search for it, or buy/trade for some loaded cartridges, eventually you will end up with a sizable stash of brass if you follow Kilimanjaro's advice :). My trip today to the LGS got me some .44mag, .38spcl, 8mm, and some .250 Sav once fired brass. I own three Savage 99's, it's a sickness to find another in a different caliber. That justifies picking up obscure brass.
 
This year I bought a 250 Krag Ackley reamer and dies.

~~10 years ago some high pressure sales worked on me. A guy with a pawn shop back East talked me into buying a couple thousand pieces of used 303 Brit brass. Some have primer crimps, but it mostly looks good.

I have half a case of Greek 303 Brit ammo that tests for concentricity better than Federal Gold 308 ammo.

tobnpr on this forum sold me a French Walnut Mosin Nagant stock that he must have made with a duplicator and then sanded it.

My plan is to use the 303B brass in the 250 Krag Ackley, build a rifle on a Mosin Nagant action and shoot a deer in 2016.
 
My plan is to use the 303B brass in the 250 Krag Ackley, build a rifle on a Mosin Nagant action and shoot a deer in 2016.
Click to expand...

IIRC, there is an Australian wildcat based on the .303 necked down to .25. I believe it was born of necessity due to an old law that forbade rifles in a military calibre (the .303). Of course that situation has changed since then.

You might want to look into that.

Edit: I did a little further research, and round I was thinking of was called the ".303-25." Not very imaginative, but it works. LOL

In fact, there was also a necked down from .303 to .270 wildcat. Apparently, some shot out .303 barrels were bored, relined and rechambered for the wildcats.
 
Last edited:
Clark, Maybe that is what I am doing wrong. I used to build one or two new rifles every year to hunt deer. The last two years I did not get time. Poor hunting year last year and this year. I think I need a change of rifles for luck. I was really on a roll for a couple years when I was doing the build thing.
 
In WA state I hear about unlucky rifles.
20% chance of deer.
5% chance of elk.
But that takes into account private land and experienced hunters.
A green horn hunter on public land is more like 5% deer chance 0% elk chance.
There are so many hunters in one place, it looks like Woodstock in orange.


Then I started hunting other states. Right away I could see 76 elk walking toward me. I was stalking herd after herd of deer. Antelope were running along side my vehicle. I had to slow down so I don't hit deer. More than half the vehicles in town have deer guards.

That is my new motto:
Bars on the windows, bad neighborhood. Bars on the truck bumpers, good neighborhood.

After a lifetime of bad luck hunting big game in WA state....

In 2007 I was 56 years old and had never killed a big game animal. I drove 900 miles and shot 5 deer that year with a Win M70 270 I built.
The next year 4 deer with the same rifle.
The next year 3 deer with a stock Ruger #1 7mmRM
The next year 1 deer 1 antelope with a VZ24 7mmRM I built.
The next year 4 deer with a Win 1885 257 Roberts Ackley rimmed I built.
The next year 1 deer with a Rem 700 7mmRM I built.
The next year 1 deer 1 antelope with a stock Browning 1885 7mmRM
This year 2 deer with a 6.5-06 Mauser I built and 1 deer with Mosin Nagant 300WinMag I built.
Next year..... probably a 25 Krag Ackley, the game department says they are going to sell me more tags than usual in 2016.
 
I have seen on the Redding sight than they have listings for all kinds of dies for forming all kinds of cases.

Also I believe they will cut dies that are not on their list.

Happy New Year
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top