.30-40 Krag

Last updated
.30-40 Krag
30-40 Krag cartridges.JPG
Type Rifle
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service1892–1903
Used by United States
Production history
Designedearly 1890s
Produced1892–present
Specifications
Case typeRimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.308 in (7.8 mm)
Land diameter.301 in (7.6 mm)
Neck diameter.338 in (8.6 mm)
Shoulder diameter.423 in (10.7 mm)
Base diameter.457 in (11.6 mm)
Rim diameter.545 in (13.8 mm)
Rim thickness.064 in (1.6 mm)
Case length2.314 in (58.8 mm)
Overall length3.089 in (78.5 mm)
Case capacity58.0  gr H2O (3.76 cm3)
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.)47,137 psi (325.00 MPa)
Maximum CUP40,000 [1] CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
100 gr (6 g) SP2,898 ft/s (883 m/s)1,865 ft⋅lbf (2,529 J)
130 gr (8 g) HP2,746 ft/s (837 m/s)2,177 ft⋅lbf (2,952 J)
150 gr (10 g) Nos Part2,575 ft/s (785 m/s)2,209 ft⋅lbf (2,995 J)
180 gr (12 g) SP2,276 ft/s (694 m/s)2,071 ft⋅lbf (2,808 J)
200 gr (13 g) RN1,974 ft/s (602 m/s)1,731 ft⋅lbf (2,347 J)
Source(s): Hodgdon [2]

The .30-40 Krag, also known as the .30 U.S. and .30 Army, was a rifle cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1892 small arm trials. Since the cartridge it was replacing was the .45-70 Government, the new cartridge was considered small-bore at the time. The rifle ultimately selected for use by the Army was the Krag–Jørgensen, formally adopted as the M1892 Springfield. The cartridge was also used in the M1893, M1895, M1897, and M1900 Gatling guns. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

History and development

Though the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps had adopted limited numbers of smokeless powder and bolt-action rifles, the .30-40 was the first cartridge adopted by the US Army that was designed from the outset for smokeless powder. It was patterned after .303 British, to which it is very similar geometrically. [7] After a brief experiment with a 230-grain bullet loading, the .30 Army loading was standardized in 1894 using a 220-grain (14 g) metal-jacketed round-nose bullet with 40 gr (2.6 g) of nitrocellulose powder. This loading developed a maximum velocity of 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) in the 30-inch (760 mm) barrel of the Krag rifle, [8] and 1,960 ft/s (600 m/s) in the 22-inch (560 mm) barrel of the Krag carbine.

Due to its dimensional similarities .303 brass can be annealed and pressed into .30-40 dimensions in a full-length sizing die. A converted .303 case will turn out ~2 mm shorter than a factory new .30-40 case, but it is still a viable option for handloaders when new factory brass is scarce.

The rimmed .30-40 round was also known as .30 Army or .30 U.S. Although the .30-40 Krag was the first smokeless powder round adopted by the U.S. military, it retained the "caliber-charge" naming system of earlier black powder cartridges, i.e. a .30-caliber bullet propelled by 40 grains (2.6 g) of smokeless powder. 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. [9]

From the outset, the .30-40 cartridge proved popular for hunting and was chambered in a variety of firearms. In 1899, a Krag in .30-40 caliber was used to shoot the world-record Rocky Mountain elk. The record stood until the latter half of the 20th century.

In October 1899, after reviewing the experiences of the Spanish–American War, U.S. Army ordnance authorities developed a new loading for the .30 Army used in the Krag rifle, in an attempt to match the ballistics of the 7×57mm Mauser cartridge employed by Spanish forces in that conflict. The new loading increased the muzzle velocity in the rifle version of the Krag to 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s) at 45,000 psi. However, once the new loading was issued, reports of cracked locking lugs on service Krags began to surface. In March 1900, the remaining stocks of this ammunition (some 3.5 million rounds) were returned to the arsenals, broken down, and reloaded back to the original 2,000 ft/s (610 m/s) specification.[ citation needed ]

In 1903, after recommendations from the infantry Small Arms Board, the U.S. Army formally adopted a higher-velocity .30-caliber replacement for the .30-40 or .30 Army cartridge. The new cartridge was designated by its year of adoption, the .30-03.[ citation needed ]

A replica of the McKeever-pattern .30 US Army cartridge case US Army .30-40 Krag cartridge box.JPG
A replica of the McKeever-pattern .30 US Army cartridge case

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krag–Jørgensen</span> Norwegian bolt-action rifle

The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 were delivered to Boer forces of the South African Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.45 Colt</span> Revolver cartridge designed by the U.S. Army

The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), often called the .45 Long Colt, is a rimmed straight-walled handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1873 and served as an official US military handgun cartridge for 19 years, before being replaced by the .38 Long Colt in 1892. Although there has never been a ".45 Short Colt" cartridge, the .45 Colt is frequently called the ".45 Long Colt" to better distinguish it from the shorter and less powerful .45 Schofield cartridge, which was also in use around the same time as the .45 Colt.

The .30-06 Springfield cartridge, 7.62×63mm in metric notation, and called the .30 Gov't '06 by Winchester, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and later standardized; it remained in military use until the late 1970s. In the cartridge's name, ".30" refers to the nominal caliber of the bullet in inches; "06" refers to the year the cartridge was adopted, 1906. It replaced the .30-03 Springfield, 6mm Lee Navy, and .30-40 Krag cartridges. The .30-06 remained the U.S. Army's primary rifle and machine gun cartridge for nearly 50 years before being replaced by the 7.62×51mm NATO and 5.56×45mm NATO, both of which remain in current U.S. and NATO service. The cartridge remains a very popular sporting round, with ammunition produced by all major manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.44 Special</span> Revolver cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson (S&W)

The .44 Smith & Wesson Special, also commonly known as .44 S&W Special, .44 Special, .44 Spl, .44 Spc, or 10.9×29mmR, is a smokeless powder center fire metallic revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1907 as the standard chambering for their New Century revolver, introduced in 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.308 Winchester</span> Rimless, centerfire, bottlenecked rifle cartridge

The .308 Winchester is a smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge widely used for hunting, target shooting, police, military, and personal protection applications globally. It is similar, but not identical, to the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.44-40 Winchester</span> American firearms cartridge

The .44-40 Winchester (10.8x33mmR), also known as .44 Winchester, .44 WCF, and .44 Largo, was introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first metallic centerfire cartridge manufactured by Winchester, and was promoted as the standard chambering for the new Winchester Model 1873 rifle. As both a rifle and a handgun caliber, the cartridge soon became widely popular, so much so that the Winchester Model 1873 rifle became known as "The gun that won the West."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7×57mm Mauser</span> German military rifle cartridge

The 7×57mm Mauser is a first-generation smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed by Paul Mauser of the Mauser company in 1892 and adopted as a military cartridge by Spain in 1893. It was subsequently adopted by several other countries as the standard military cartridge, and although now obsolete as a military cartridge, it remains in widespread international use as a sporting round. The 7×57 Mauser was a popular stalking cartridge and sporting rifles in this chambering were made by the famous British riflemakers, such as John Rigby, Holland and Holland, Westley Richards and others. British cartridge nomenclature designated caliber in inches, and the cartridge was known as the .275 bore after the measurement of a 7 mm rifle's bore across the lands. While some have stated that the cartridge is erroneously referred to as the ".275 Rigby", both Rigby & Sons and Kynoch sold the cartridge in boxes labeled .275 Rigby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6.5×55mm Swedish</span> Nordic 6mm centerfire cartridge

6.5×55mm Swedish, also known simply as 6.5×55mm, 6.5x55 SE, 6.5x55 Swede, or in its native military as 6.5 mm patron m/94, meaning "6.5 mm cartridge model 94", referring to 1894, is a first-generation smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The cartridge has most users in the Scandinavian countries, where it is known as the 6,5×55 or just "the 6,5".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.25-06 Remington</span> US hunting rifle cartridge

The .25-06 Remington was a wildcat cartridge for nearly half a century before being standardized by Remington in 1969.

The M1895 Lee Navy was a straight-pull magazine rifle adopted in limited numbers by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in 1895 as a first-line infantry rifle. The Navy's official designation for the Lee Straight-Pull rifle was the "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895, caliber 6-mm" but the weapon is also largely known by other names, such as the "Winchester-Lee rifle", "Lee Model 1895", "6mm Lee Navy", and "Lee Rifle, Model of 1895".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.45-70</span> Rifle cartridge designed by the U.S. Army

The .45-70 (11.6x53mmR), also known as the .45-70 Government, .45-70 Springfield, and .45-2110" Sharps, is a .45 caliber rifle cartridge originally holding 70 grains of black powder that was developed at the U.S. Army's Springfield Armory for use in the Springfield Model 1873. It was a replacement for the stop-gap .50-70 Government cartridge, which had been adopted in 1866, one year after the end of the American Civil War, and is known by collectors as the "Trapdoor Springfield".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.458 Winchester Magnum</span> Rifle cartridge

The .458 Winchester Magnum is a belted, straight-taper cased, Big Five game rifle cartridge. It was introduced commercially in 1956 by Winchester and first chambered in the Winchester Model 70 African rifle. It was designed to compete against the .450 Nitro Express and the .470 Nitro Express cartridges used in big bore British double rifles. The .458 Winchester Magnum remains one of the most popular large game cartridges, and most major ammunition manufacturers offer a selection of .458 ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.30-30 Winchester</span> Rifle cartridge designed by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company

The .30-30 Winchester / 7.8x51mmR cartridge was first marketed for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle in 1895. The .30-30, as it is most commonly known, along with the .25-35 Winchester, was offered that year as the United States' first small-bore sporting rifle cartridges designed for smokeless powder. Since its introduction, it has been utilized alongside the development of flatter shooting cartridges, most prominently those derived from designs subsidized by interest in military expenditures. The .30-30 has remained in widespread use almost entirely because of reliable effectiveness in civilian applications, and has put food on the table for millions of people in hunting situations.

The .30-03 Springfield (7.62×65mm) was a short-lived cartridge developed by the United States in 1903, to replace the .30-40 Krag in the new Springfield 1903 rifle. The .30-03 was also called the .30-45, since it used a 45 grain powder charge; the name was changed to .30-03 to indicate the year of adoption. It used a 220 grain roundnose bullet. It was replaced after only three years of service by the .30-06, firing a spitzer bullet that had better ballistic performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Model 1892–99</span> Bolt-action repeating rifle

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. All versions and variants were manufactured under license by the Springfield Armory between 1892 and 1903 and famously served as the longarm during the Spanish–American War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overpressure ammunition</span> Type of small arms ammunition

Overpressure ammunition, commonly designated as +P or +P+, is small arms ammunition that has been loaded to produce a higher internal pressure when fired than is standard for ammunition of its caliber, but less than the pressures generated by a proof round. This is done typically to produce ammunition with higher muzzle velocity, muzzle energy, and stopping power, such as ammunition used for security, defensive, or hunting purposes. Because of this, +P ammunition is typically found in handgun calibers which might be used for paramilitary forces, armed security, and defensive purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.416 Remington Magnum</span> Rifle cartridge

The .416 Remington Magnum is a .416 caliber (10.57 mm) cartridge of belted bottlenecked design. The cartridge was intended as a dangerous game hunting cartridge and released to the public in 1989. The cartridge uses the case of the 8 mm Remington Magnum as a parent cartridge. When the cartridge was released in 1988, author Frank C. Barnes considered the .416 Remington Magnum to be the "most outstanding factory cartridge introduced in decades".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6.5mm Creedmoor</span> Centerfire rifle cartridge

The 6.5mm Creedmoor (6.5×48mm), designated 6.5 Creedmoor by SAAMI, 6,5 Creedmoor by the C.I.P. is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced by Hornady in 2007. It was developed by Hornady senior ballistics scientist Dave Emary in partnership with Dennis DeMille, the vice-president of product development at Creedmoor Sports, hence the name. The cartridge is a necked-down modification of the .30 Thompson Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6mm Lee Navy</span> US Navy and Marines rifle cartridge

The 6mm Lee Navy (6×60mmSR), also known as the 6mm U.S.N. or .236 Navy, is an obsolete American rifle cartridge. It was the service cartridge of the United States Navy and Marine Corps from 1895 to 1899, when it was then itself replaced by the more modern .30-40 Krag rifle cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.32 Remington</span> Rifle cartridge

The .32 Remington is an American rifle cartridge. A rimless, smokeless powder design, this cartridge was once considered to be suitable for game larger than deer and black bear. Similar contemporary cartridges include the rimmed .32 Winchester Special, a cartridge introduced by Winchester and offered as a chambering in Winchester's lever-action rifles.

References

  1. Saami pressures. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm
  2. ".30-40 data at Hodgdon Online". Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  3. Laststandonzombieisland. (2020, February 7). Great War Gatling Guns?. laststandonzombieisland. https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2020/02/07/great-war-gatling-guns/
  4. Association, N. R. (n.d.). Men and guns of the 1900 China relief expedition. An Official Journal Of The NRA. https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/men-and-guns-of-the-1900-china-relief-expedition/
  5. Colt 1897 gatling gun rifle 30-40. Rock Island Auction Company. (n.d.). https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/61/1270/colt-1897-gatling-gun-rifle-3040
  6. Colt U.S. navy mark II model 1900 gatling gun with carriage. Rock Island Auction Company. (n.d.-b). https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/83/1219/colt-us-navy-mark-ii-model-1900-gatling-gun-with-carriage
  7. "A Tale of Three .30s". 7 March 2019.
  8. Johnson, Melvin M. Jr. (1944). Rifles and Machine Guns. New York: William Morrow & Company. p. 384.
  9. History of Winchester Firearms, 1866–1992, Thomas Henshaw, p 44-45