The 30-40 Krag (30 U.S. Army) was adopted as America's primary military rifle cartridge in 1892 in the Krag-Jorgensen rifle. Fielding of the Krag was never quite complete; in the Spanish-American War it fought alongside out-dated trapdoor Springfields. Its service life was also short; in just 11 years it was replaced by the 1903 Springfield, initially in 30-03 and, after 1906, in 30-06. Perhaps because of surplus Krag rifles that flooded the market the 30-40 Krag became an extremely popular hunting cartridge and remained so until at least the 1940s. The Krag rifle is legendary for its butter-smooth action, and its rimmed 30-40 cartridge was also chambered to Winchester's Model 1895 lever-action and numerous single-shots. Current loadings are a 180-grain bullet at 2430 feet per second, still a potent and effective cartridge for game up to elk. New rifles in 30-40 Krag are unusual today, but ammunition remains readily available.
