Project Thumper.

[Plain Old Dave]

I have had in mind for 20+ years to build a big bore Krag; a .30-40 Krag that duplicates Krag ballistics with a larger bullet and have finally located a good donor Krag on GunBrokeR. Already drilled and tapped for a Lyman reciever sight and comes with it, too. Rotten bore, but as the barrel is to be replaced with a .358 (or rebored to .358, very common Depression era mod), that's OK.

Questions:

1) Who makes bullets that will reliably expand at @2100 f/s for a .358 rifle? Seems like all I find are designed for a .35 Whelen/.358WCF and probably wouldn't do well that slow or for a .35 Remington and probably wouldn't hold together that fast,

2) Anybody know of a good smith with Krag experience that would take on the project?

3) Is there a barrelmaker that has a .358 barrel close to the dimensions of the .405 barrel on the 1895 Winchester? The .405 weight barrel was a mod Major Townsend Whelen recommended on Krag sporters.

Please no comments on how the Krag has "only one locking lug" (it actually does have 2 AND a safety lug, but that's beside the point) or how it's "weak". I have been rolling my own for my Krag for quite a long time and am well aware of the few weaknesses of the Krag action.

[Guest GunTroll]

On your bullet question. I have had great expansion and penetration as well as weight retention with Hornady's FTX lever-revolution bullets .35 caliber 200 gr. I use them in a 350 rem mag but I load them down to about the 2200-2300 FPS range for my use/intention. They might do well for you 100 fps slower.

[dlm37015]

why not make it a 405 same basic case i have a swedish 30 40 craig rebarreled to 405 shoots great also have 257 roberts ai on a us craig no pressure problems