New To Me from 1900

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I picked up a new to me Springfield M1898 rifle. According to the serial, it was an Infantry rifle made in 1900. It might have been pulled out of storage for WWI but it's doubtful it ever saw any real service at all before being sold by the NRA in the 20's as surplus. Then, like most cheap surplus rifles, it got the long barrel trimmed to carbine length and the stock was shortened and the top hand guard went missing. There is a period front sight on it but a much more recent rear sight - my guess is an incident while out hunting damaged whatever was there before and the most recent owner before me had that one installed.
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(crappy phone photo.)

The wood diamond shaped inlays are kind of cool.

Yes, it would be nice if it hadn't been molested all those years ago but I could do the layaway thing for 3 months on $300, but the prices of intact ones are much higher than that.

Now the real problem is the cost of ammo. Or the cost of brass and dies (anyone got a spare set?). Can't find any ammo around here and online it's ~$40 a box :shock:
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

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I've made brass from .303, I think I just ran it through the die and it was OK, its a little shorter than .30-40 but I think that was all it took. Otherwise Buffalo Arms has .30-40 brass from remington for $0.69 a pop.

I just sprang for a couple boxes of factory stuff when I first got mine and then started reloading those. I usually see the cheaper Remington ammo start to show up around deer season.

Re: New To Me from 1900

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krags are, for all their quirks, beautiful rifles. i think if i ended up with only 2 rifles , one of them would be a krag. in your shoes i'd buy a box or 3 of remington core-lokt and a lee loader (if you don't have a press) and you'd be set for a good long while. no, you can't have my dies. here's the stock rear sight on my '92.
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lovely, simply lovely.
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i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: New To Me from 1900

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Oh, a Lee Loader would be near perfect for this. Good thought. I'll keep an eye open for the annual run from Remington too.

Edit: Out of production at Lee and unobtanium elsewhere. They'll make a custom set for like $70 but at that point, I'll just get a regular set of dies for my press.
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

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actually, now i think on it, my krag is my most expensive out-the-door gun. i've spent more on others over time, but the krag was $900otd. most of them saw very little use, hence are in great condition.
Last edited by lurker on Tue Jul 07, 2020 8:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: New To Me from 1900

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I dunno what the rear is, but the front is an 03 sight.

Graf’s had brass not long ago. I suggest neck sizing with standard Lee dies since the loader is unobtanium. Lighter powder charges and neck sizing should make brass last forever.

My chopped up Krag might be my favorite gun.
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Re: New To Me from 1900

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Marlene, the rear is some very modern thing with a clear light gathering plastic insert. I thought the front was from an 03 but wasn't sure. If I can find an original carbine rear for a price I can swing I'll get a smith to swap them but in the meantime, what's there is functional.

Grafs still has brass including some Winchester for only $25/50, though Matt, I'd be happy to put it to good use for you.

I'll get a set of Lee dies and some 220RN soft points and start at 32 grains of IMR-3031(Lyman 44th) since I have that.

I may only have three rifles but what a combo - Rossi 92 in 357, CZ VZ24 in 7 Mauser and now this Krag. Fun :D
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

10
I load mine with twentysomething grains of 3031 and 175 Sierra Match Kings. Very light, shoots tiny groups in both my guns

The great choice for a sight is the old Pacific no-drill peep sight. They come up from time to time on fleabay. They can get a little pricey, but if you count the money you save by skipping a trip to the smith, then you're in the same ballpark. Sight has a post that replaces the magazine cutoff, then you just tighten a setscrew. Also, a peep receiver sight that requires drill and tap would also be a reasonable addition to a gun like this. Dunno where the combo of parts and labor for that lands in relation to the others.
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Re: New To Me from 1900

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Thanks for the tip on the Pacific sight. There is one on EPrey right now but $175 seems a bit much to me, but I can work out a standing search now.

I get almost as nervous about light charges as over charges, so at least with the 44th edition data I have a working point. The other thing I was thinking was getting some cast lead bullets of mumble gr weight and using Trailboss.
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

14
Ah, good to know. Thank you for the information.

Now just to gather supplies :)

Edit: Found a box of Hornady 165gr SPBT .308 bullets. So all I need to find is brass and dies. :thumbup:
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

16
I have several sets collecting dust I'd trade but the spares I have are pretty common (30-06, 30-30, .45 colt, etc) unlike 30-40. Even so, a set of dies and some brass is still cheaper than loaded .30-40!
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

17
The cheapest .30-40 brass I have seen in a long time is here:
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/pr ... ctId/75149

I have no connection to Graffs or the maker. Graffs has sold me a lot of brass, all of it good, but I have no experience with that maker.

Be careful loading for Krags: most were made before accurate temperature measurement devices were available, and I suspect the same problem that was noticed in low number Springfields was un-noticed, but present, in the Krags that preceded them.

Re: New To Me from 1900

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NuJudge wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:40 pm This forum could use a WTB subforum. Codgers such as myself frequently have multiple die sets that we would not mind giving away for postage. I don't have a second die set for .30-40.
Theres a Trading Post if you have enough posts in the Members section, you might also have to be an LGC member though?

Re: New To Me from 1900

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Out of stock there, though Graf's has the same brass at the same price. I just have to find the money in between bills (had the internet provider complaining last night so there went the leftover from next Friday's paycheck for example.) for the $66 at Graf's for dies and brass. At least I have powder, bullets and primers given the recent rush on these. Again.

OTOH, I was sitting at work, things are quite quiet. I wa reading earlier today about how the second round of stimulus checks is still alive because the GOP is desperate about November. Window shopping at gun stores as a result, laughing at myself when I get tempted by an inexpensive US made AK-47 at Palmetto State. 🤣

Gotta get one before the new administration bans them! 😇

Ah, hopefully I'll have a bit of range time on the Krag before then!
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

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Continuing the saga.

Have brass coming from mattgunguy (Thanks!), have ordered dies and found, wonder of wonders, a box of the Remington 180 gr. Core-Lokt at a local Ace hardware :D This allowed me to carefully do a function check and discover that it would not eject.

This lead to learning much about hardcore detail stripping that I had not done yet. The bolt has some quirks though not as bad as some others.

In the end it turns out that the extractor and the pin that holds it are missing. Fortunately there is a website ( http://www.grandpasgunparts.com ) that has it at a sane price though it's still a "wait two weeks till next payday because even $25 is too much right now" kind of time of my like. OTOH, it will work like this, just tip the rifle to the right after each shot in lieu of the ejector and it should be just fine. Depending on the weather, I'll drive over to the range on Sunday to find out.
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

Re: New To Me from 1900

23
NuJudge wrote: Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:40 pm This forum could use a WTB subforum. Codgers such as myself frequently have multiple die sets that we would not mind giving away for postage. I don't have a second die set for .30-40.
We do have, visible to members
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: New To Me from 1900

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Heh, gun nut I work with had a spare set of RCBS .30-40 dies. Much cheaper than even Lee at Amazon.

Depending on the weather, hopefully I can get to the range tomorrow afternoon, turn the ammo into empty brass and spend Sunday night reloading them 😎
Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

First Range Visit

25
Ok. Couple of quick lessons:
1) Heats up FAST :)
2) Sights are way way way off and I didn't have the right screwdriver on me. Mk I Eyeball windage works still.
3) Neat rifle. Fun to shoot.
4) The lack of an ejector is a pain. Easy enough to get around but still.
5) I need to get sling swivels for it as I really miss not having a shooting sling. They really help my minimal skills.

The range
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Before - 20 rounds is all I have but I'll fill the bandoleer eventually.
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After. Most of the holes are from my pistol as it took most of the rounds to even have a clue where I was shooting (puffs of dirt :laugh: ) and the wind was moving said target on me. Eh, I still had fun. I'll get precise later :D
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Live like you will never die, love like you've never been hurt, dance
like no-one is watching.
Alex White

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