Pennsylvania Game News - August 2009 - 61

The .30-40 Krag uses a rimmed 308-caliber cartridge (some went as large as .311) with a 220grain roundnose bullet at 2,200 fps. It was a tremendous improvement over the older .45-70 slug in several respects, and it OLDIE but goodie cartridges from left to right: .45-70 Govt., was certainly more user .30-40 Krag, 6.5x55 Swedish, 7mm Mauser. friendly in training new recruits because of its less recoil, flatter tra- taken with it). For those of you who are jectory, the increase in rapidity of fire, and lucky enough to have a rifle chambered in the fact that the smokeless powder didn’t .30-40 Krag, it’s a nice cartridge to readily give away the shooters’ positions. handload, and will handle any of the 308The Krag is one of the smoothest bolt ac- caliber bullets ranging from 110 to 220 tions ever built, but it has pressure limita- grains. tions due its single locking lug. Not that many years ago Krag rifles were Its claim to fame was in the 1898 Span- fairly inexpensive. In the mid-1980s I ish American War, with Teddy Roosevelt bought two for under $150 apiece. But tocharging up San Juan Hill (even though day, depending on condition, a halfway more .45-70 Trapdoors were used in that decent one will fetch from $1,000 to whatconflict). The Krag-Jorgensen rifle had a ever the better ones, as well as the more short military life of only 13 years (due to rare, demand. the superior design of the Mauser), but the It was the superior/stronger design of the .30 Army ammunition did enjoy a more Mauser Model 95 bolt gun (the previous successful sporting life, because it was com- model 93 and 94 and future 96 were basimercially chambered in the Winchester cally the same, but each had minor imHigh Walls and Model 1895 lever action, provements over the previous model) that Remington Rolling Block and a few oth- dealt the death blow to the Krag. The imers. provements the Mauser offered included Even after rifles ceased being chambered dual locking lugs, the faster loading 5for it, there were enough firearms out there round stripper clips into a staggered colto keep the ammunition alive. Wildcatters umn magazine (rather than single column did a lot of experimentation with the case, that needed a protruding magazine), a in custom single-shot rifles, and one of the larger rotary extractor claw that would conmore famous/popular cartridges was the .25 trol-feed rimless cartridges into and out of Krag, which was on par with today’s .257 the chamber, making it far less likely to jam Roberts. when loading than the rimmed cartridges. Ruger gave the .30-40 Krag a little bit Another feature of these series of of a boost in the 1970s, when it chambered Mausers that was different from the Krag it in its Number 3 single-shot, and in the was that the firing pin would cock when mid-1980s, Browning came back for a short the bolt was closed, rather than when it time with a copy of the Winchester 1895. was lifted, which was neither an advantage Since then no rifles have been chambered nor disadvantage. The Mauser also had the for it, but .30-40 Krag ammunition is still 3-position safety on the bolt. being made, with 180-grain bullets, which The Model 95 was chambered for the is perfect for hunting deer and bears (al- 7x57mm cartridge (also known as the 7mm though larger game has certainly been Mauser or 7mm Spanish Mauser) that sent AUGUST 2009 61

Pennsylvania Game News - August 2009

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