QUOTE/I wonder how the new 308 Express will compare to a 30-40 Krag in real life...Looking at the pressures Hornady is stating for it...it looks closer to the Krag than the 308 for performance..Mt3030...What kind of performance have you gotten from your 30-40...
Mac/UNQUOTE
I fully understand Mac and Tim trying to get the other thread back on it's original course. So when Mac posted the above question I thought it best addressed in a new thread.
Although I've had several Toppers and NEF rechambered to 30-40, my intent with these were never to see how hot they would go. My intent was to handload to the original factory pressures with what I considered more ideal hunting bullets, specially the various 150 and 165 gr spitzers.
The factory 180s that I have shot in all of them to set a guide line for accuracy, for the most part have all went into 1.5 MOA or better. The fact that the original 30-40s were loaded with round nosed 220s, the reamers have always had a generous leade. For this reason, I have never been able to get significantly better with the 150s. For that reason I settled on the 165s.
I load in other 30s the Nosler 165 B-Ts, Parts, and the Sierra soft points. In previous Handis, the Sierras held the best groups, but I have not had a chance to test all three in this latest rifle yet. I already had some Sierras loaded, and they will go into 1.5 MOA, which happens to be my target for this rifle/caliber/bullet/target(deer). As time allows, I might try the others. (And that might take a while, since most of my play time now centers around Browning lever actions and AR-15 platforms.)
I went thru several powders, ie: I-4064, I-4350 and I-4831. As we all know, every rifle is it's own island. Since the last handi 30-40 liked I-4831: 48.0 gr, that is what I had loaded. Since they will meet my requirements, I will probably not invest anymore time into further testing.
I had both Winchester and Remington brass loaded. I tried both, and can see no difference in groups size or POI. I have always used CCI 200s.
I have no documentation of velocities. These loads have never been across a 'graph. If put to a guess, I say between 2400 and 2500 fps. Maybe someone who has a Krag and 'graph could test this load for me.
I had one rechambered to 30-40AI. I thought it might allow some hot rodding. But at 51.5 gr of I-4831, I ran into that old Handi problem of stuck cases. I once thought of having a Ruger #3 rechambered, but since have moved to different projects. Besides, my other rechambered Rugers (7 Rem Mag to 7 STW and 7x57 yo 280 Rem) were disappointments.
So, this 30-40 I will keep as is. I will kill a whitetail from time to time with it, and if I ever get back to cast bullets, I think it will perform as well as my 30-30 Savage 340s and Remington 788s once did.
No, a 30-40 Handi is not for everyone. Some members will have no interest in this rechambering. I'm not trying to sell it to anyone. Others have their own interests. Some will wonder why not just get a 308 or 30-06. But as I have already stated in other threads, I wanted a Handi in 30-40. And this is a hobby, in which we all should be able pursue our own ideas, without defending it to other members. I can understand why we've had members get fed up and move to other forums. We should be supporting each other and not putting members on the defensive because they want to do something different.
Just my two cents.
Fred: Thank you for your PM on our exchange on the other thread. I understand where you are coming from, and I alway welcome your insights.
