Norwegian Krag Jorgenson ammo

E

Eaglelord17

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
62   0   0
Location
Sault Ste. Marie
Hi all,

I should be having a Norwegian Krag Jorgenson in 6.5x55 coming in soon and in anticipation I bought a box of Sellier and Bellot 6.5x55 SE ammo which I was hoping to test it with. After doing a bit more research some people recommend that you don't shoot any modern ammunition through the Norwegian Krags (a fair bit of this seems to be based on the American Krags which are weaker in design). I was wondering if anyone knew if this ammo would be too strong (i.e. a higher velocity then standard) for the Krag. Or is this a reloading only gun.

Looking forward to any responses,
Thanks
 
I only reload for mine, I have shot commercial loads in my swedish Mauser but never in my krag, if your interested in a reduced power load for the krag let me know I can dig up my load data when I get home.

Will it blow up with a commercial load? probably not but there's always a chance, it is a weaker action than the Mauser.
 
gyped said:
I only reload for mine, I have shot commercial loads in my swedish Mauser but never in my krag, if your interested in a reduced power load for the krag let me know I can dig up my load data when I get home.

Will it blow up with a commercial load? probably not but there's always a chance, it is a weaker action than the Mauser.
Click to expand...

A reduced power load would be great. I just want to test it out, more or less to make sure it works more than anything (I hate not being able to test out the gun I just bought).
 
I have fired two different brands of factory ammo through mine, no issues. I do generally hand load though. Great little gun, the bore is pretty much shot out but it'l still ring a 12" plate at the 200 meter.
 
I don't know what pressure S&B loads to but any US ammo should be safe.
US companies generally load older and European cartridges below their published limit in case they are used in older rifles (.303B, 8x57, 6.5x55, etc.).

Max loads for "surplus rifles" (usually in reference to the Krag's weaker action) in 6.5x55 are usually middle of the road in terms of data for "modern rifles". If you use published data for a modern rifle but just stick to the starting load (or even reduce it 10%) you are safe (assuming the rifle has been checked out and is safe itself).

My favourite powder for 140gr bullets in my Swede is H4831. I load to 45gr which is sort of the middle (max is 47gr) and great in my Mauser. Hodgdon lists a starting load of 42.5gr with a MV of 2382 fps and pressure of 38,100 CUP. That would be a safe moderate load for a Krag action that is still good enough for hunting.

If you want to go reduced there are a few loads in the Lyman Cast Bullet handbook. I use cast bullet data for reduced loads all the time and just swap the cast bullet for a jacketed bullet of the same weight.

140gr bullet with rifle powders:
IMR4198 - 15.0gr to 26.0gr - 1443fps to 2091fps
Reloader 7 - 15.0gr to 27.0gr - 1425fps to 2182fps
SR-4759 - 13.0gr to 25.0gr - 1375fps to 2199fps (this powder was discontinued this year :()

Rest of the data uses shotgun or pistol powder.
At the starting load of 15.0gr I would swap H4198 for IMR4198. At such a low pressure there is little risk but you'd definitely want to work the load up for each powder separately.
 
Last edited:
The bore on mine is basically mint, which is a plus. Unfortunately someone at some point cut a inch or so off the barrel and removed the bayonet lug, I am not sure if it was re-crowned properly. I think I will give it a shot this weekend coming up, ill post the results.
 
The N. Krag has an additional bearing lug at the rear of the bolt.
The (forged) bolt handle root seats deeply into the receiver's recess, and acts as a safety lug.
My Globeco sporter handles it's medium pressure .308 handloads just fine.
A fun to handle/shoot action, is the Krag. So smooth, fast, and sure feeding.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom