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After watching Mark unload his 1895 safe I felt shamed enough to haul out several of my own 95’s and shoot them since I have had two of them since 2018 and never shot them. I had loaded ammunition for them in ’18 as well, mild loads with cast bullets going probably 1700-1800fps Next session I’ll bump that velocity up to 2000fps, I think they will tighten up some at that speed.
I shot three guns. The .303 made in 1905 shot well as i could see, but I can’t see the blasted brass blade front sight well. The 30 40 ca. 1925 which has curly stocks, shot to the left, after close scrutiny, the front sight is bent and somebody fooled with it with a file, removing the bead more or less. Probably going to have to look for a replacement sight. Some knuckle head mounted incorrect swivels on it in its lifetime too. But it did shoot well. The 30 06 ca 1924 shot incredibly well, plunking 10 shots in 4″ @ 100 yards off of a rest. Having a Lyman 21 on it probably had a lot to do with how well it shoots! I had reservations buying this one at a local shop. The bore had stuff growing in it and has been stored poorly in the past, active crusty rust patches on the outside. The bore had improved a lot with some scrubbing with chore boy and ended up excellent after shooting. I’m pretty happy with it now! All three guns performed better than my expectations. So thank you Mr. Douglas for giving me inspiration!
These guns are much more pleasant to shoot than my .405!
Brooksy,
You’re very welcome! I enjoy hearing about these old guns coming out of the safe and having a field day, doing what they were made for. I find all my 95’s pleasant to shoot except for the 35 and 405 calibers with full power loads. One of my many planned projects is to work up mild loads for both in order to make them more enjoyable for target shooting. Let us know how you progress on getting your 95’s dialed in. Mark
November 7, 2015
Offline
Good job, Brooksy! The 30US is my biggest reason for owning an 1895. Interesting to load and cast for, fun to shoot. Thanks to recent posts here it is an active project again.
Mike
Brooksy said
After watching Mark unload his 1895 safe I felt shamed enough to haul out several of my own 95’s and shoot them since I have had two of them since 2018 and never shot them. I had loaded ammunition for them in ’18 as well, mild loads with cast bullets going probably 1700-1800fps Next session I’ll bump that velocity up to 2000fps, I think they will tighten up some at that speed.I shot three guns. The .303 made in 1905 shot well as i could see, but I can’t see the blasted brass blade front sight well. The 30 40 ca. 1925 which has curly stocks, shot to the left, after close scrutiny, the front sight is bent and somebody fooled with it with a file, removing the bead more or less. Probably going to have to look for a replacement sight. Some knuckle head mounted incorrect swivels on it in its lifetime too. But it did shoot well. The 30 06 ca 1924 shot incredibly well, plunking 10 shots in 4″ @ 100 yards off of a rest. Having a Lyman 21 on it probably had a lot to do with how well it shoots! I had reservations buying this one at a local shop. The bore had stuff growing in it and has been stored poorly in the past, active crusty rust patches on the outside. The bore had improved a lot with some scrubbing with chore boy and ended up excellent after shooting. I’m pretty happy with it now! All three guns performed better than my expectations. So thank you Mr. Douglas for giving me inspiration!
These guns are much more pleasant to shoot than my .405!
Great story and outcome Brooksy! And yes, Mark can be kind of like a drug dealer – it’s easy to get pulled into what he has to offer 
Of course, most of us are already plenty pulled in already, so he really can’t be blamed. I really enjoy his videos and have forwarded them to several friends and acquaintances. I have a co-worker who doesn’t own a single Winchester or collectible firearm – and he’s seen every one of Mark’s videos.
Hi all. New member. I see it’s an older thread but this seemed to be the most relevant. I picked up a circa 1925 1895 30-06 SRC after watching marks videos. The custom light ammo he recommended works well. I’m trying to work up a load that matches it and would also work in my 30-40 Krag SRC. I understand I need 2 separate loads, just wanting to use the same components. I’ve never loaded cast bullets. I have some 150gr jacketed rn and some btsp. Hoping someone here loads both and would have some component recommendations.
Thanks
Each barrel even in the same caliber takes a different load. Yes, you can get someone else’s load to shoot but it may not be what your barrel likes.
I load for both the 30-06 and the 30-40 Krag cartridges using Sierra 150 grain SPBT bullets and IMR 4064 powder. That stated, that is a significant difference in the powder weight that I use for each. For the 30-06 I load with 52.0 grains, but for the 30-40, my load is just 42.5 grains for my old Springfield Krag rifle. For my two original old Single Shot (high-wall) rifles chambered for 30-40, I load with 43.0 grains of IMR 4064 (both rifles have a 30-inch No. 3 barrel). Loads must be tuned/tweaked for the individual rifle barrel.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Thanks Bert,
I’ve been staring at the Lyman book for a while comparing loads and not really getting anywhere. I had tried some imr4895 in the 1895 and the crescent butt was still a little hard on the shoulder. I’ll see if a can get some 4064 and work from there. The Krag I could only find cowboy action loads for locally. They shoot a bit low so it’ll be nice to get both of these old guns on paper.
Thanks
MidwestCrisis said
Thanks Bert,I’ve been staring at the Lyman book for a while comparing loads and not really getting anywhere. I had tried some imr4895 in the 1895 and the crescent butt was still a little hard on the shoulder. I’ll see if a can get some 4064 and work from there. The Krag I could only find cowboy action loads for locally. They shoot a bit low so it’ll be nice to get both of these old guns on paper.
Thanks
You might find this a useful reference…
One Book/One Caliber: The Complete Reloading Manual for the .30/.40 Krag | eBay
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 7, 2015
Offline
MidwestCrisis said
Thanks Bert,I’ve been staring at the Lyman book for a while comparing loads and not really getting anywhere. I had tried some imr4895 in the 1895 and the crescent butt was still a little hard on the shoulder. I’ll see if a can get some 4064 and work from there. The Krag I could only find cowboy action loads for locally. They shoot a bit low so it’ll be nice to get both of these old guns on paper.
Thanks
Welcome, Adam!
The Hornady manuals offer a bit of variety over the Lyman but only include jacketed bullet data. Bert’s link should contain the Hornady data. I’ll be reviewing Waters’ thoughts on the 30-40 Krag this evening. Anything in particular you are interested in?
Mike
TXGunNut said
MidwestCrisis said
Thanks Bert,
I’ve been staring at the Lyman book for a while comparing loads and not really getting anywhere. I had tried some imr4895 in the 1895 and the crescent butt was still a little hard on the shoulder. I’ll see if a can get some 4064 and work from there. The Krag I could only find cowboy action loads for locally. They shoot a bit low so it’ll be nice to get both of these old guns on paper.
Thanks
Welcome, Adam!
The Hornady manuals offer a bit of variety over the Lyman but only include jacketed bullet data. Bert’s link should contain the Hornady data. I’ll be reviewing Waters’ thoughts on the 30-40 Krag this evening. Anything in particular you are interested in?
Mike
Thanks Mike
basically I’m looking for a light load that’s fun for kids to ring steel with but also be able to keep varmits in check. I’ve shot some of the Remington 150 psp in this 1895 and it seemed too hot. The hornady 125 custom lights Mark recommended in a video have light recoil and shoot to point of aim at 50 yds or so but I haven’t sat down and put them on paper. Since I can’t buy ammo for the Krag I might as well make it. And to save money I’d like to use same components to work up a load that will keep the 95 from developing more headspace than it already has.
Thanks,
Adam
Brooksy said
I shot three guns. The .303 made in 1905 shot well as i could see,
I also have a m95 in 303 British made in 1905 ser 48990. I haven’t shot it yet so glad to hear it shoots well.
Did finally find an original vintage two piece box of ammo.
Rick C
Bert H. said
MidwestCrisis said
Thanks Bert,
I’ve been staring at the Lyman book for a while comparing loads and not really getting anywhere. I had tried some imr4895 in the 1895 and the crescent butt was still a little hard on the shoulder. I’ll see if a can get some 4064 and work from there. The Krag I could only find cowboy action loads for locally. They shoot a bit low so it’ll be nice to get both of these old guns on paper.
Thanks
You might find this a useful reference…
One Book/One Caliber: The Complete Reloading Manual for the .30/.40 Krag | eBay
I use these, and consider them the old bedrock foundation to start on towards any new cartridge or load! Then my bullet manufacturers manual and possibly on-line load data for possibilities? But in doubt, the One Book/One Caliber Manual!
This is a fun thread to come back around. I have shot several of my M1895 in various chamberings but don’t have anything significant to report. My eyes don’t work well with iron sights, but much better with Lyman 21’s. Sadly, the minority of my M1895’s have the No. 21 on them.
My main takeaway from this thread is I miss Brooksy. What happened to him?
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