While the .30-06 has a slightly greater maximum authorized overall length (3.34″ vs 3.29″), they are close enough in size that both cartridges are used in standard/long-action rifles. 30/40 Krag Rifle Cartridge by Nosler Inc. TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Adopted by the US Army in 1892 to replace the 45-70, the “Krag” has served both military and civilian needs for over a century. The rifles also could only be loaded one round at a time, instead of using a stripper clip like the Mauser. Additionally, the .30-06 has a rimless case while the .30-40 Krag has a rimmed case. The .30-06 Springfield is a fantastic hunting round and is one of the most popular cartridges used by hunters in the United States. Scoring 442 3/8″, that bull was the world record until 1999. The Springfield Model 1892–99 Krag–Jørgensen rifle is a Norwegian-designed bolt-action rifle that was adopted in 1892 as the standard United States Army military longarm, chambered for U.S. caliber.30-40 Krag cartridges. .30-30 AI vs .30-40 krag. So, they came up with the .30-40 Krag. The table below compares Hornady factory loads shooting 180gr Hornady InterLock (.425 BC) loads for each cartridge as well as a load for the .30-06 from the Hornady Precision Hunter line using a 178gr Hornady ELD-X bullet (.552 BC) All of these loads used a 24″ barrel and a 200 yard zero. Also at 100 yards, Hornady 110 grain GMX in .300 Blackout drops 3.3”with a 13.6” drop at 300 yards. In addition to the .405 Winchester cartridge most commonly associated with that rifle, Winchester also produced their Model 1895 lever action rifle in .30-40 Krag for a time. On the contrary, the .30-40 Krag is a wonderful all-around hunting cartridge. While .30-40 Krag was a well designed cartridge and performed ably in the hands of American Soldiers during the cartridge’s short service in Cuba and the Philippines, the Army received a sobering lesson regarding the effectiveness of the 7mm Mauser during the Spanish-American War. While it’s easier to find Ruger rifles for the cartridge in good condition, things get a little more complicated with those older Winchester, Remington, and Springfield rifles. However, that comes at the expense of substantially more recoil. Even so, the cartridge was very popular among particular segments of the hunting community during the 20th Century and still has a very dedicated following to this day. The buckhorn sights were the main limitation, not the cartridge. The same goes for Remington with their Rolling Block rifle. F. Guffey Modern .30-40 Krag factory loads fire a 180 grain bullet at approximately 2,430 fps (2,360 ft-lbs). Copyright © 2021 Big Game Hunting Adventures LLC | All Rights Reserved, BEST 6.5 CREEDMOOR AMMO FOR HUNTING ELK, DEER, AND OTHER BIG GAME, The 300 Ultra Mag (300 RUM): Your Complete Guide. The .30-06 has a longer (2.49″ vs 2.31″) case with less taper and a shoulder moved farther forward than the .30-40 Krag. Like you said, this can result in too much expansion at the expense of penetration, especially at close range. Recoil is heavier than the .30-40 Krag, but it’s still very manageable for most hunters. For instance, Norway adopted Krag–Jørgensen rifles (the Norwegian Krag) chambered in 6.5x55mm Swedish as their standard infantry rifle at the end of the 19th Century. The first use of a smokeless powder round by Winchester was a single shot in 30-40, and it was one of only three rounds for which the 1895 Winchester lever action, introduced in 1896, was originally chambered.[3]. For instance, the 30-06 commonly uses bullets in the 110-220 grain range with 150 grain, 165 grain, 180 grain, and 200 grain bullets being most common. It’s not usually thought of as a premier deer hunting cartridge, but it excels in that role and will get the job done on most other species of big game as well. Like the venerable .30-30 Winchester, the .30-40 Krag does not have very impressive ballistics on paper. I’ll also provide some information on how the .30-40 Krag stacks up next to the .30-06 Springfield so you can decide which one best fits your needs as a hunter. The 30-03 (became the 30-06) was adopted shortly there after. Modern factory loads for the .30-40 are still available from Remington and Winchester, both with 180 grain bullets. Finally, Ruger manufactured a good number of the No.1 and No. The data used to compare the trajectory of the cartridges was obtained from Hornady (here, here, and here). The original 30-40 Krag ballistics were a 220 grain bullet at 2,000 fps (1,954 ft-lbs). Impressed by the performance of the cartridge, Remington and Winchester both rushed to offer rifles and ammunition for civilian hunters and shooters in the years following adoption of the cartridge by the Army. In fact, traditional cup and core bullets tend to perform very well on a wide range of game at the more sedate velocities of the .30-40 Krag. However, that sequence of events also perfectly describes history of the .30-40 Krag, which came on the scene over a decade before the .30-06. The cartridges have similar velocity (2200+ fps) … Considering it’s age, the cartridge is also a surprisingly popular choice for many hunters and there are currently two factory ammo choices for the .30-40 Krag: one from Remington and one from Hornady. The 30-40 Krag cartridge, also known as the 30 Army, 30 Government, and even the 30 USA, was used by the US Army for about a decade before being replaced by a better-designed and faster-moving round that itself was replaced within three years by the 30-06 Springfield. The Remington Core-Lokt .30-40 Krag round uses a 180 grain soft point pushed at 2,430fps. At this time, I’m not aware of any .30-40 Krag rifles in current production. The same goes for even bigger game like moose. Medley Soup. As good as the .30-40 Krag and the Krag–Jørgensen were, the cartridge and rifle simply did not offer the sort of performance desired by the U.S. Army in the early 1900s. The .30-40 Krag doesn’t offer the same level of performance as the .30-06 Springfield, but it’s certainly no slouch either. Like the Remington load above, this Hornady load fires a 180 grain bullet at 2,430fps. Loaded with black powder, those cartridges fired heavy, large caliber bullets at a relatively slow velocity. Yes, the .30-06 does have a significant ballistic advantage over the .30-40 Krag that’s especially pronounced at longer ranges, but that doesn’t mean the Krag is a lightweight. For that reason, the .30-06 has about 20% more case capacity than the .30-40 Krag. Some of the best known military .30's include the 7.62mm NATO, .30-06 Springfield, .30 Carbine, 7.62x54R Russian, .30-40 Krag, .303 British, 7.62x39 Soviet, 7.5x55 Swiss, 7.7x58 Japanese, and 7.65x53 Mauser (used by Turkey and several South American countries). KWK provided case capacity data for the .30-40 Krag and .30-06 Springfield. The new rifle they selected, the 1903 Springfield, basically copied the design of the Mauser rifle. The .30-03 was also the first U.S. military cartridge to use smokeless powder. Maximum pressure for the .30-40 Krag and .30-06 Springfield were obtained from SAAMI (p17). It’s currently still the #2 typical elk in the record book. At this time, Hornady, HSM, Remington, and Winchester are the only companies I’m aware of that manufacture factory .30-40 Krag ammo. The .30-06 also has a higher SAAMI maximum pressure. If we’re being honest, the vast majority of hunters will never take a shot at a big game animal at ranges past 200 yards. Especially at the modest velocities encountered with this cartridge, the InterLock bullets used in this load should give reliable expansion combined with good penetration on medium and large game at reasonable ranges. i have a 95 browning and a winchester high wall and a 1917 enfield rebarreled and all will take more pressure than the old army krags. That stayed with me as the first time lack of absolute bullet speed had a reason. However, it’s also pretty clear that the modest ballistics of the .30-40 Krag translate into a relatively mild “kick” that makes the cartridge a good choice for the recoil shy. As you can see, the 30-06 delivers those ballistic advantages over the .30-40 Krag at the expense of nearly 40% more free recoil energy. In all honesty, there just aren’t many options for loaded .30-40 Krag ammunition. With a larger and more robust case, the .30-40 used about 40 grains of smokeless powder. That said, you can cook up some good custom handloads for the .30-40 Krag if you’re a reloader. Use presets! This year, they answered the prayers of many old Krag shooters with a run of .30-40 Krag alongside all of its cutting edge introductions. For these reasons, the .30-06 Springfield is probably the better all around choice for most hunters. The U.S. Army adopted a slightly modified version of the rifle chambered in .30-40 Krag as the Springfield Model 1892. Used reloads Sierra 180 grain RN, 46 gr IMR 4350, Winchester LR primers. Renamed the .30-06 Springfield, this new cartridge had a much flatter trajectory and offered better energy retention at longer range than the .30-40 Krag. Not surprisingly, several different countries adopted the Krag repeating rifle for use by their military. It came from my grandfather as well, but who know where he picked it up. Specifically, the 180gr .30-06 load has about 13.9″ (21%) less bullet drop at 500 yards and the 178gr .30-06 load has a whopping 20.8″ (32%) less bullet drop than the .30-40 Krag at the same range. Buckhorn sights, crescent steel butt plate and 26″ barrel. Find a load that you like, learn to shoot it accurately, and I’m sure you’ll be happy with how the .30-40 Krag performs for you afield. Make sure you follow The Big Game Hunting Blog on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The .30-06 may drop a bit faster than some of its brethren but it’s all about perspective. 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