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#215394 01/30/11 02:48 PM
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I have had one in mind for years. Not going to chop up an original or even an existing sporter with a good bore. Plan follows:

-Find Krag reciever already D&T for reciever sight or sporter with ruined bore

-Rebarrel to make a "Big Bore Krag"; short list of calibers: .35WCF, .35/.375/.400 Krag (wildcat based on .30-40), or .444 Marlin. All these would work through the magazine with little if any alteration.

-Stock in pre-Depression era idiom; Griffin and Howe or the Krag I have seen attributed to COL Whelen.

The floor is open for input/discussion/suggestions. Been thinking about this for 20+ years.

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Townsend Whelen's Krag was made by Fred Adolph and is owned by a forum member. He has been ill of late and not on the computer.

The rifle was on display in Reno a couple years ago.

This is by G&H,



If I were making a Krag sporter I would us the 30-40 Krag. It will take most north American game if you do your part.


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That is an absolutely beautiful Krag; but I already HAVE a .30-40. Mine's in a white line Bishop stock I would like to replace and has the 1901 sight and issue frontsight. I would like to build up a second Krag for Bear/moose/etc.

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Also consider the 40-70 S.S. and the 405 WCF, both will work with some attention to overall loaded length. The 40-70 S.S. is basically a 400 Krag in a factory version and the 405 is only a few thou larger.
Regards, Joe


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Hi I have a Krag action and I think the rest of the parts minus barrel (which is off and no good) Already had the bolt bent some and missing the ejector. If you are interested I can take some pictures and email. Seems to be a good sound action. Thanks Gary


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1) Gbehrman: PM me.

2) The .405 to my mind would be a little stout for the Krag action; what I want to do is duplicate Krag ballistics with a bigger bullet; the .40-70 sounds intriguing. Bullet choice might be the deciding factor.

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Bullet choice will depend upon groove diameter/maker chosen; the 40s range from 0.406"(Shilen) to 0.410"(McMillan) with most others falling in the 0.408" size. 405 WCF is slightly larger, 0.411"/0.412". Many makers will supply moulds in any of these sizes and Barnes offers excellent jacketed bullets in the 0.408" diameter, intended for the various UK 40 cals.

I'm currently in the throes of a high wall 40-70 S.S. build but haven't shot it yet.
Regards, Joe


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Where is Mr. Mark "Krag" Benenson?

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Originally Posted By: SDH-MT
Where is Mr. Mark "Krag" Benenson?


Mark has had some health problems and is recovering. Hope to see him back online in the near future.


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If you go .405 get a Shilen barrel, they make them in the correct .411" diameter and Hornady makes .411" bullets & .405 brass.

http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html


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.400 Whelen Shilen barrel.



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Mr. Petrov:

At least have the decency to tell us that those groups were shot with a scope and not iron sights, lest we all feel compelled to put away our rifles and take up golf or something equally repellent.

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Ron,

As a matter of fact it was a Lyman Alaskan 2.5 power. The crosswire is so big at 100 yards I had to use a 200-yard target to see the white center.

Back when I was hunting here in Alaska my Krag sporter had a Lyman-Alaskan on it. I like the scope so put one on my new .400-Whelen. This rifle shoots about the best of any big-game rifle I have shot.


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I'll clarify my ballistic goal: What I want is a .400 Krag that makes around 2000-2100 f/s at the muzzle with a 250-325gr jacketed bullet with less than 40,000psi chamber pressure. The .40-60 might be a good choice...

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You might have a look thru back Handloader magazines for an article by Steve Garbe on the "Return of the .40-60 Maynard." He used .30-40 cases as the basis of this rejuvenated BP round. Can't remember if he had smokeless powder handloads too, but I believe he did. This might be a great medium ctg. that would fit the Krag action a little more easily than the .405 or .40-70. You can make great midrange loads with .41 Mag bullets like I do for my .40-50SS.

If you can't find that article, PM me and I'll dig it up and snail mail you a copy.

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I think I am going to go .35 Krag (aka .35WCF). Load data exists and there are more .358s than .41 cal rifle bullets of ANY size.

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Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will the magazine accommodate your new cartridge? I suppose that any wildcat built on a .30-40 Krag case would, but what about others? TT


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Someplace there's a ".35 Krag" article, too. But the one I remember used a Siamese Mauser action, I think. I can also try to dig that one up, if you want a copy.

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Originally Posted By: Two Triggers
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but will the magazine accommodate your new cartridge? I suppose that any wildcat built on a .30-40 Krag case would, but what about others? TT


People have built .35 Krags where the rounds work through the magazine; I wouldn't think @.05 wider of a neck would make a difference. .444 Marlin Krags require minor work in the feed area.

UPDATE: Found a *little* info on the .35 Krag; ballistically it should fall between a .35 Remington and a .358 Winchester. Thought: Might I be gettin' ready to make a Krag that duplicates the semi-obsolete .356WCF, only with better bullet selection?

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.35 Krag it is. Bullet selection and riflesmith selection time. Anybody know of a good Kragsmith?

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Here's one I picked up years ago in Michigan...

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For the unclean and unwashed, what, exactly, is the fascination with Krags? Is it simply their place in history? Or do they have some intrinsically desirable features that are readily apparent to the cognoscenti that are lost on us heathens forever stuck in and on the 19th century?

What I see is a gangling action with a big footlocker-sized shoe box hanging off one side and what appears to be seriously weaken bridge between the wrist and fore stock.

I don't mean to disparage, but I'm obviously missing something when it comes to Krags that is even more fundamental than simply an aesthetic appreciation for bolt actions in general.


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They're just cool...Old guys play toy!
A bit of AMERICAN history...

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And their operation is as smooth as a hot knife through butter.

IMO kinda like a H-D motorcycle: certainly not the latest technology or the best performer but entirely adequate for the job at hand if you're willing to accept a few limitations.

And also a certain ongoing charisma that carries with it some absolutely IMPECCABLE braggin' rights!

Brent, in your case you might liken it to a slightly-updated BP arm, perhaps a Sharps like yours? Think about it, it's very similar in its own milieu, a truly legendary performer in legendary times.
Regards, Joe


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WOW !!! now the war has started. Smileeeee Whitey

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Originally Posted By: BrentD
For the unclean and unwashed, what, exactly, is the fascination with Krags? Is it simply their place in history? Or do they have some intrinsically desirable features that are readily apparent to the cognoscenti that are lost on us heathens forever stuck in and on the 19th century?


First off, a very long freebore that makes a Krag a true joy with cast bullets.

Quote:
What I see is a gangling action with a big footlocker-sized shoe box hanging off one side and what appears to be seriously weaken bridge between the wrist and fore stock.


Had the same chunk of wood on mine since 1988 (and probably since 1958) and not even a crack. I don't have a barrel band front sling swivel, either.

Quote:
I don't mean to disparage, but I'm obviously missing something when it comes to Krags that is even more fundamental than simply an aesthetic appreciation for bolt actions in general.


Rack the bolt on one; Griffin and Howe never made a smoother action than a Krag. And there's the fact you can reload the magazine at Condition One (cocked with one in the pipe), a VERY serious advantage with dangerous game.

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Like I sad the war has started. smileee. Whitey

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Dangerous game with a Krag.....??????? Really

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Originally Posted By: rifle
Here's one I picked up years ago in Michigan...


That's a nice looking rifle do you know who made it?


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My love affair with the Krag started in the fall of 1966 when I was trolling the pawn shops in Denver with a $50 budget for big-game rifle for Alaska.

I bought a custom sporter and five boxes of Remington 220 grain ammo for $50. I shot both Moose and Caribou with it and never felt under-gunned around big bears.

When I was young and did not know enough to stay in out of the cold I hunted caribou at well below zero. I wore insulated coveralls with big pockets in the front and I just dumped some cartridges into them. I could load the krag without removing my mittens, does not seem like a big thing now but it was then.

I also learned that the big Remington Core-Lokt 220's entered any game, expanded, retained most of their weight and stayed in a straight line.

One of the younger "Tree Trimmers" at work in the front yard. I took the picture about 30-minuets ago.



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I just sold a Krag sporter to a fellow who is going to build a 35 Krag on it. I've never heard of that caliber, but it probably would do OK.

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In the Ken Waters' "Pet Loads" book there is an article on loading for the .35 WCF in an 1895 Winchester. If you are thinking about a .35 Krag, that is a starting point. The article also has a properly dimensioned drawing of the cartridge.

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Originally Posted By: LRF
Dangerous game with a Krag.....??????? Really

444 Marlin with 300-330 gr bullets, 405 WCF, 40-70 S.S., 35 WCF and 30-40 with 220s-250s. Perfectly adequate for anything in this hemisphere and any of the big cats anywhere.
Regards, Joe


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I was told it came out of the old Niedner shop?? Solid gun,not the normal basement sporter....It loves cast bullets!

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Another cartridge that might be interesting is the 38-50 Hepburn. It's a midrange target cartridge and older than the Krag but is basically a Krag case necked up to 38 (.375 to .378). It should make a dandy hunting round.

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Based on the calibers and power of the loads you guys are talking about, I gather the Krag frame, despite its age and the materials used, is able to handle those kinds of pressures without concern. I'm glad, but kind of surprised, to learn that, given the rap on at least some other rifles of the same approximate era. Although I have no experience with them, I've always been attracted to the Krag sporter, mostly for the nostalgic reasons others have mentioned. TT


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Originally Posted By: Vol423
I just sold a Krag sporter to a fellow who is going to build a 35 Krag on it. I've never heard of that caliber, but it probably would do OK.


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I'm a Krag enthusiast. If you have ever hunted with one and tried some fast shooting, you will know why. That said, they are products of an earlier era. Why do Krag bolts crack so often? Is it related to design or headspace problems?

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Neither, really. I have always said the Krag bolt cracking was from too hot of loads for casehardened steel; showed up with the abortive attempt to make service ammo make 2200 fps in 1898 and disappeared when the M1898 ammo did. Came right back in civilian rifles as they became surplus and were shot IMHO with loads suitable for High Walls and 1895s. I have had my Krag since 1988-89 and never have had a problem with it after probably thousands of handloads.

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Well, thanks for the comments on the Krag. I guess nostalgia seems to be the big selling point for this rifle and I have no argument with that. I'll keep passing them by for you guys that will enjoy them so much more, but I'll think about the comments here when I do stumble across another.

Brent


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Originally Posted By: rifle
I was told it came out of the old Niedner shop?? Solid gun,not the normal basement sporter....It loves cast bullets!


I like it regardless where it came from. I assume (always a mistake) that you have had it apart and the wood and metal are not marked in any way?

What kind of buttplate does it have? If you could post other pictures of the rifle I would enjoy looking them over.

Of particular interest to me is if the forward sling swivel has an German silver escutcheon?



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Update: I have found a place out west called JES that re-bores rifle barrels. Only prob I see there is his .35 Krag re-bores are .359 and I intend this to be a large game rifle and that means jacketed bullets. Newest decision: Rebore the extant barrel or get a new one with taper/weight identical to an 1895 Winchester in .405?

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Another possible rebore is to the .375 BSA ctg. made by necking up the .303 British (I can't remember the exact Brit designation). Somebody over here must have a reamer for that, and it is a very mild but effective load for hunting in CONUS. I had a friend who had an original BSA sporter made on a No. 3 Enfield action; nice plain gun. Ought to work just fine in a Krag.

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The Brit name for the ctg. cited above is the .375 Flanged Express 2 1/2". A good choice if you want to use heavy bullets. Only caveat is to make sure the .375 reamer would clean up the back of the .30-40 chamber; it is a very tapered cartridge and I'm not sure if it is as wide as or wider than the Krag ctg. just in front of the base.

An advantage of the .405 which I'm sure you are aware of is that there is brass and ammo available. Not sure if a rebore to .405 would leave sufficient "meat" in a Krag barrel; might need a rebarrel with a slightly heavier profile blank.

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Well, if someone is building a Krag Sporter and needs a Lyman 48 for it, I think this one is correct. I am not the seller nor do I know the seller, just trying to be helpful.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=214558769

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Looks like rebore's the way to go. JES has 3, 4 and 5 groove boring; I know a 2-groove barrel in .30 makes less chamber pressure than a 4-groove does. Wonder if there would be enough difference to go with 3 over more?

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Late to the discussion here, but I have a '96 Krag in a Bubba'd military stock that evidently was reamed to an improved 30-40 and then later rebored to .338. Unfortunately, whoever did it opened the neck a bit on the long side, so it's not as accurate as it should be...but it's still fun with cast bullets. One of my future projects, should I ever find the time, is to re-stock it.

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Another possibility would be the little-known-but-long-remembered 35-50 Maynard, a very late development in Maynard's history just prior to their bankruptcy. Parent case is generally conceded to be the 30-40 but little reliable original data is extant. James Grant treats of this subject in 4 of his 5 books and still didn't arrive at any firm conclusions.

However the NRA has legitimized at least one version of this cartridge for use in the BPCRS game and therefore reamers, dies and loading data already exist for it. For details you can contact Dangerous Dan the Torpedo Man (Dan Theodore), he was the driving force behind the NRA's decision and he'll know where to find the gear for it.
Regards, Joe


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Update: Read the Handloader .35 Krag article last night. That is definitely one way to go; only thing I am lukewarm on is the minimal neck on the brass. Best way to describe it is very similar to fired brass from a Ross .303. Something else that article has is they cut away about half of the stock covering the sideplate on the left side. That's one of the more distinctive features of the Krag; that stock to my mind splits the difference between hiding the left sideplate and excessively weakening the stock admirably. Leaves enough wood to keep the stock strong enough, yet shows off the distinctive Krag magazine. Something else I might do with Thumper is color case harden the sideplate and/or steel buttplate.

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I am happy to reappear. have over thirty US Krag sporters, all in "big game" calibres, .25-35 to .405 WCF, allrepeaters. They range from simple cut sown militaries to custom jobs from several of the famous interwar makers and a few known contemporaries. I have never been able to corral a G&H .30-40 although I do have a .25-35, Michael found it in a G&H used gun list from the 1930s. There are quite a few G&H SS Krag varmint rifles, I hear of one or two a year, but have never run into another repeater. If you had a few hundred bucks to spend on a hunting rifle at G&H in those days you either joined the NRA and bought a 1903 or used an Oberndorf 98, notan obsolete old Krag.
At any rate, there are a few Krag fanatics left and I seem to be one of the leaders. At the moment I am away from home without acess to my lihrary or the guns themselves so I am speaking from memory. First, both .405 and .35 WCF in factory loads are too hot for the Krag. The issue is academic for the .35 since there has been no factory ammo for more than fifty years. It is also too long for the magazine box, on
my rebored rifle notwithstanding grinding out both ends of the magzine to the max the factory loads need bullet noses trimmed what I remembher by .06". I think the box on my .405 needed a little work but it wasn't much. The gent who had the rifle built took it to Africa. The pressure problem is readily solved for a .35, you would have to handload anyway so make a .35 Krag wildcat. On a .405, one should take advantage of factory ammo and strengthen the action by setting up a rear locking lug like a Norwegian or Deanish Krag. The rear of the front locking lug can be ground off to let the bolt set to the rear if you are rebarreling. Or the front of the receiver "bridge" or the rear face of the bolt rib can be built up by welding. This last method has been used on several of my rifles including the 405, no other work was needed when I had this done the previous custom work could be left alone.
Krag bolts are in good supply and if yuu spoil one it's not the end of the world. One caveat about this double lug conversion, it's asymetrical. The Norwegians found in their rifle matches that in rainy weather the zero changed and a lot of their ranges were made with covered firing points to keep the rifles dry.

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Welcome back Mark!
I was hoping you would join this thread.

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Interesting post, Mark. I had heard that the reason so many Krag sporters were single shots is that the repeater conversions were very difficult to make, especially in smaller ctgs like .25-35 and .219. Seems not to be so. I envy you all those "old smoothies". That safety lug conversion deserves an article someplace, or at least some pix!

I noticed a remark by George Nonte in his old column "Cartridge of the Month" in "Handloader" #59 (Jan/Feb 1976) on the .35 WCF where he mentions "....surplus Krags so altered (to .35 WCF) are not unknown. I once owned a full-stocked, 18-inch barrel, flush-magazine Krag whose original barrel had been rebored to .35 Winchester--a very nice woods rifle."

Anybody know what he meant by "flush-magazine"? Single shot? Reduced cartridge capacity magazine?

Anybody notice other mention of this rifle in Nonte's writings?

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The 'flush magazine' probably refers to the not-unusual practice of making the magazine's door fit flush against the line of the stock's wood along the right side of the action. This conversion is detailed in The American Rifleman, I believe the article I saw was published sometime in the '50s or early '60s. Apparently the conversion made the rifle a LOT easier to carry in the field and some folks even thought it looked better....
Regards, Joe


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Brothers of the Steel:I must have Ol' Timers Disease,(58)because I can't remember who but I read that someone in the 50's-60's made a parts kit that converted Krags,to a slimmer 3 round magazine from the standard 5.Larry Koller who wrote "Shots at Whitetails" hunted exclusively with a custom Krag he built and I believe he installed such a kit.For what it's worth.


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Neat. That Hart conversion rifle looks like the gun Nonte mentioned. Thanks for answers, all. I'm gonna have to dig up that American Rifleman article.

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The article about flush magazines for the Krag is in "The NRA Gunsmithing Guide-Updated", mines the 1982 edition and usually still available at abebooks. Great book by the way, with plenty of how-to-do articles that we all grew up with in the 50-60's from the American Rifleman.

Larry Koller was also a big fan of the .250/3000, which made me go out and find a cherry Savage 99 EG back then.

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The scan is from Ellis Lenz' book Muzzle Flashes. My copy is the 1944 second printing. The paper is thin wartime stuff and the print from the reverse page shows through. Lenz wrote that the stock work was done by Harvey W. Rogers, a stockmaker employed by Hart Arms Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. Rogers worked for Hoffman before he worked for Hart.

The stock itself is the issue military Krag stock with the upper part of the comb removed and a comb of proper height and appearance added. A pistol grip has been dovetailed into the lower part of the military stock and the grip area checkered to hide the joining line. The long military barrel was cut off and the military fore-end was cut back to make a Mannlicher-type fore-end. The lightening cuts were filled in the standard manner. Lenz wrote that the labor involved was little short of making the stock from scratch.

The Hart flush magazine was apparently an aftermarket assembly. Is there any relationship between the Hart Arms Co of pre-war Cleveland and the present suppliers of stuff to the benchrest crowd?

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This thread gets more and more interesting... I think I will go with .35 Krag; a .30-40 opened out to .358. Already have tons of new and used .30 Krag around, you see.

Current sub-projects:

Stock. Haven't found a suitable candidate yet.

Front sling swivel attachment. If anybody makes the sling swivels that attach through the stock to the barrel, you can't prove it by me.

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The Lenz book has a diagram of how to modify a Krag military stock. All you need is patience. (VBG)

My late friend Jim Hogan installed a "through the stock" barrel band and sling swivel on my Bannerman Krag sporter about 10 years ago. I seem to remember that I sent a check to Brownell's for the parts.

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The Lenz book has a diagram of how to modify a Krag military stock. All you need is patience. (VBG)

My late friend Jim Hogan installed a "through the stock" barrel band and sling swivel on my Bannerman Krag sporter about 10 years ago. I seem to remember that I sent a check to Brownell's for the parts.

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I have Hart kits as installed on a couple of Krags and it was rather more than a quick do it yourself job. I am not at home and can't look at the rifles to be specific but some metalwork was required. Also, the magazine door is a stamping and the conversion is really not suitable for an absolutly top grade sporter. I do have a Hart sporterizaed military riflewith a cut down stockand a Lyman 1A cantelivered out behind the cocking piece on two struts screwed to the bolt sleeve. This rifle has a machined magazine door which is quite elegant. I have guessed that this preceded the kit offering. There is plenty of provenance paperwork proving the whole rig is Hart.

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I'm loathe to mention it since I no longer own the rifle, but I had a Krag sporter which had been altered to a three shot design (two in the magazine + one up the spout), the side door having been totally eradicated. The stock flowed seamlessly over where the magazine box would be. The design was exquisite, utilizing the original follower and spring, and functioned flawlessly- cartridges being loaded into the magazine down from the top. The whole rig screamed Sedgely due to the stock design, but with no markings on it I couldn't be sure.

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Originally Posted By: mkbenenson
I have Hart kits as installed on a couple of Krags and it was rather more than a quick do it yourself job. I am not at home and can't look at the rifles to be specific but some metalwork was required. Also, the magazine door is a stamping and the conversion is really not suitable for an absolutly top grade sporter. I do have a Hart sporterizaed military riflewith a cut down stockand a Lyman 1A cantelivered out behind the cocking piece on two struts screwed to the bolt sleeve. This rifle has a machined magazine door which is quite elegant. I have guessed that this preceded the kit offering. There is plenty of provenance paperwork proving the whole rig is Hart.


Would love to see a pic of this rifle if possible mark. I've seen a Krag with the Hart conversion and it was the rather cheap looking stamped affair.

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What the...? I wonder if the floor plate is functional somehow. 'Twould almost be worth $300 to find out just what's going on with it!

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It looks like a 54-Winchester carbine stock and floor-plate to me.

A KragChester if you will....;-) With the wood gone under the floor plate can't be a lot holding it together. I agree, it Would be fun to look it over


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Finally got images for the .35 Krag round. It really resembles a .35 Whelen made on the .30-40 case. I would post a pic if I could figure out how. Anybody got a line on classic Krag wood?

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The black silhouette is from Lenz, showing where to cut a military stock to turn it into a rather classy sporter.

The Krag in the 2nd set is Terry Buffum's M-1898 Gallery Practice Rifle in .22 rimfire. This was originally a full-length infantry rifle. You can see that the magazine has been completely removed and the gap filled with a nearly matching piece of walnut. The barrel has been shortened to 25" and a 1903 Springfield front sight fitted.

The rear sight is a Pacific. It just screws into the place for the magazine cutoff. I had the elevator piece and the arm that held the aperture off the rifle when the photos were taken.

The first Krags converted to 22 rimfire were those fitted with Stevens-Pope barrels. Stevens sold a conversion kit. The original barrel was unscrewed and a Stevens-Pope barrel was installed. The barrel was bored eccentric to the line of the barrel, with the chamber high, at the 12:00 position, so that the issue bolt could be used. The soldier had to set his leaf sights at about 600 yards to get the bullet on target on an indoor range. The Stevens-Pope kits were apparently first sold about 1902. National Guard units in at least 4 states (PA, NJ, OH & WA) bought them and converted several of their rifles to full-time gallery trainers. If you have been in the military, you know that is not permitted. But the conversions produced results; soldiers who knew how to shoot. In 1905, the Army Chief of Ordnance ordered the Krags converted back to military rifles. The NG asked Springfield Armory to make Krags in 22 rimfire. Some 820 of them were produced in 1907 & 1908. Terry's rifle is one of the first, apparently chambered for 22 Extra Long RF. It has a .226" groove diameter and an 18" twist. Later rifles were given properly dimensioned barrels. Whether they were chambered for Long Rifles is unknown to me. Maybe they had Short chambers.

All the 22 rimfires were single shots. The empty cases fall into the space that used to be the magazine. To get rid of the empty cases, you open the bolt and turn the rifle upside down and then shake the rifle like a piggy bank.

The Springfield-made 22 rimfires have the eccentric chamber at the 6:00 position, so that the sights can be used in a more normal setting. The original bolt is used, but the extractor operates an auxiliary extractor much like the extractor on a Winchester Single Shot in 22 RF.

Terry loaned me this rifle last spring and I have been trying to get it to shoot accurately ever since. It is a frustrating process, made worse because the barrel looks OK, with only 2 pits and a bit of frosting. The best results so far are with hypervelocity ammo. I am now resizing loaded 22 LR ammo to .226, but those tests are not complete. I have also obtained some primed empty cases and I intend to cast some oversize bullets and breech-seat them.

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The bottom photo of this pair shows how the long military stock was shortened. The lightening cut in the forearm was filled with a piece of walnut.

The top photo in this pair shows the trip pin. This was set into the left side of the receiver rail, with a corresponding small hole in the outside of the left side of the receiver. The trip pin causes the extractor to release the auxiliary extractor. The auxiliary extractor then snaps back into place, leaving the fired case on the loading tray or just barely in the chamber. There is no ejection. The shooter has to use a finger to flick the empty out of the way and into the void below the loading tray.

These Krag actions were the last ever made. SNs are higher than 475,000. I am not sure that they were case hardened in the same manner as the purpose-made military rifles. The bolt works with a herky-jerky movement, not at all the slick motion we expect from a Krag. Much of that is because pulling the bolt back compresses 2 small coil springs that are part of the auxiliary extractor. The trip pin adds to the bolt's tendency to bind.

The original magazine & follower were retained in the full military GPR. With the magazine in place, the left side plate was commonly removed to allow empty cases to escape from the rifle.

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Most of the cut-down Krags have a filler in the front of the forend, that's why I spliced on a piece.

Would it shoot better with a complete rear sight grin



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The rifle has a complete rear sight. Removing the bolt requires removing the upper part of the rear sight. I had the bolt out when I realized that our newsletter editor & photographer would be at the range for a morning offhand match. I already had my competition rifle packed up, so I put the Krag in its case and took it with me to the range. But only so that it could be photographed. The weather cooperated.

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This thread's awesomeness knows few if any bounds... I am still amassing parts, and mainly am looking for vintage (or vintage styled) wood at this point. Any input?

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Posted on the wrong thread, sorry.



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Just ran up to town a few minutes ago and stuck my nose in the gunshop while I was at it. low and behold, there was a Krag sporter (poorly) for sale for $369.

Just to see if the magic would rub off on me, I picked it up and worked the bolt - indeed it is smooth. But no magic. I put it back. anyway, if one was looking for a good action the quick once over suggested this would be a good one - no pitting or anything obvious. I have no idea if that price is good or bad. Anyway, I can find it again if anyone is interested.

Brent

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Interesting Brent I was just at a gun show in Pine City Mn and there was a sporter there also. However it appeared to be in pretty nice shape. It may have been reblued but was very good if it was. I didn't linger on it long but the seller was asking $475 if I remember right. I was writing in to see if anyone could tell me what the price range on these is. By the way no magic for me either. In total there were 3 of the krags at the show. Didn't really look at the others.

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$475 is a LITTLE steep for a plain old Krag sporter...

New Developments:

1) I am high bidder on a stock on Ebay that once had an inletted pistol grip. Were the inletted pistol grips I see on converted Depression era sporters something available in regular commerce or were they all handmade? For the unwashed, google image search "96/11 Schmidt Rubin" and you'll get the basic idea.

2) I have always thought a color casehardened sideplate and/or magazine box would be an elegant touch on a Krag sporter. Comments?

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I don't think I've ever seen a case colored side-plate or magazine box on a Krag sporter.

Mark would know more about this so hopefully he is reading.

I have seen a couple case colored bottom metal and floor plates, all on rifles by James V. Howe.



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That's sharp....

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Quote:
$475 is a LITTLE steep for a plain old Krag sporter...
Dave,
Thanks...glad it didn't do anything for me and I walked away.

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Lost the stock on Ebay. Anybody have a spare Sporter Krag stock or know where I can get one that DOESN'T look like it belongs on a new Ruger 77?

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Reverse taper on the CC TG bow.... different, is that Mr Howe's work ?

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Originally Posted By: RJH
Reverse taper on the CC TG bow.... different, is that Mr Howe's work ?


As far a I know it was all his work. If you ever see this rifle in the flesh let me know. I understand it was stolen in the mail.


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I borrowed this from a friend to photograph. A 1954 Jaeger, like new.



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Nice rifle! I'm not enamored with the comb, but...

Was dinking around with the camera today and took a pic of the barrel drawing for a custom Krag I'll be working on later this year. It is fullscale and a bit difficult to see in the pic. This barrel has already been made by Ralf Martini with integral full length rib, and front sight base. It is octagon to round with an overall length of 25" with a 9" octagon section. I designed it closely following an orginal Mauser sporter barrel from about 1910. It is quite light-weight and at the metalsmith Ed LaPour's being fit and chambered .30-40 to a 1898 Krag action.

The rifle is being built on commission for a very serious Krag guy who is NOT named Mark.

The action will also have a front guard screw and be fit for bolt handle to action contact. The rifle will have a cocking-piece rear sight, no scope and be stocked in a Germanic style in English walnut, with rounded grip and stock panels. It may have a keyed forend with two-screw wedge plates?

I'll will do making a fullscale drawing of the rifle in the near future and be posting pix on my website as it progresses.

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Sounds intresting, would like to see how you incorperate the stock panels on a Krag with the magazine and plate on either sides of the action. Love rounded grips, should be a beauty. Any idea of approx. weight?
Thanks
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OK, so $475 is pricey for a common Krag sporter. Where is the pictured Jaeger Krag on the pecking order? Jaegers and Sedgleys are found around the Philly area more than anywhere else. Mark B. can attest to that. I feel like my Krag sporter is a Stoeger but I don't know for sure.

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A difficult question about value. Some would say the same for any Jaeger rifle of this condition and vintage. One could argue that high-end Krags are a lot more harder to come by and should command a premium. Others would say not as many people want a Krag so they should be discounted.

See how easy it was for me to not answer your question. The $$$$ of this rifle are best left between the buyer and the seller. Although it might be fun to see what others think.

This rifle also has the mount and scope which would go a long ways towards that $475.



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I really like a lot of that stock; a schnabel fore-end would make it perfect.

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$475 is over the top for the average sporterized Krag. The usual range is $275-375 but if I were looking for guns to fix up and make over - I am not these days - I would pay $500 for one with a mint bore. A rifle or carbine with a simply cutoff stock and uncut barrel can be restored - someone sells forend pieces that can be grafted on quite heatly. A gun like that is worth more.

Case coloring unstressed parts on a custom job is a neat idea, you could do a steel buttplate, the magazine left side cover, the big magazine box, the trigger guard, and some of the bolt parts. I have a Holland & Holland Norwegian Krag with a colored guard, albeit done by Mark Silver while doing some other work on the rifle. I did not think of it for the Jerry Fisher Krag because thet rifle is on an "American interwar sporter" theme and colors would not have fitted in. But on the rifle Steve is planning, with a contoured barrel and Germanic stock, they would be excellent. If it works out as planned, Steve's rifle will be splendid. Including Steve's, I now know of four high grade custom Krags under order, three of them however from one customer, another Manhattan lawyer, two of them from one gunsmith. I hope we are starting a revival.

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The three rifles being made for my fellow Manhattant attorney are on American, Norse, and Danish actions.

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I would very much like to see pictures of Krags with color casehardened parts....

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Was there a receiver sight for the US Krag that mounted on the bolt handle side of the receiver. I have an old commercial sporter stock with flat diamond checkering, a horn grip cap, schnable tip and a winchester m70 type steel butt plate that was neatly inletted on the right side between bolt and loading gate, even with a small channel for a threaded rod like you sometimes see on a Lyman 48 stock inlett.
Thanks,
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Yes, there was; the one that will soon be mine HAS the sight on the bolt/magazine gate side. If you wanted to sell, I would be VERY interested in pictures.

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I don't know as these pictures of my Krag will help in your quest but I have had this one for years. It is birdseye maple from one end to the other. I don't know who the stock maker was but found this one shortly after I had bought a Krag years ago to do a custom build. I figured this one was pretty close to what I was going for so I sold the other Krag and kept this one. It has taken a few mule deer does and makes me smile every time I look at it. It did have the original front sight but had some damage to the crown and the front sight so had the barrel shortened about an inch and a new sight put on.

Marty




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Marty that is a charmer .

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Marty, I love the plain, businesslike lines of that sporter. Not sure I'd want to haul all that hard maple up to the treeline, tho!

I passed on a very similar rifle, maple and all, because of bore condition a few years ago in upstate NYS. Wonder if it was the same smith that made both....this one was a no-name, too, unfortunately.

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Mike A.

It is surprisingly light. I have never weighed it but I doubt it goes over 7.5 pounds. The old recoil pad needs replaced. It is hard as a rock after all these years. Maybe a Pachmeyer Old English would be nice on it.

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My son has a Krag rebored to .35 Krag and stocked in the Mannlicher or "Stutzen" style. There are no markings to identify who rebored and shortened the barrel. Although nicely done, I believe the stock was a home project, probably a Bishop blank. It handles and shoots very nicely. He paid in the neighborhood of $250 if I remember correctly and that included a Lyman 55 rear sight and fortunatly a set of RCBS custom dies were included. He lives in Illinois, so has not been able to use it on whitetails, but it worked quite convincingly on a Missouri hog.

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As soon as I can get up there, I am going to buy the rifle mentioned upthread by the other member. Any leads on a complete bolt for less than @$75 or so?

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I just bought a pretty nice Krag sporter from a retiring gunsmith. He said the gun was built by an Indian gunsmith in Oklahoma. Here are some photos:




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Nice!
Lone Waddie, Gunmaker.
That should be worth about $22,000, eh?

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The gun was purportedly built by Elmer Kay or Kaye of Oklahoma. Has anyone ever heard of him?

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Not to hijack the thread but I have a Krag 1898,I believe,front sling swivel and bayonet lug assembly in near perfect shape for whoever can use it.Give me a pm.

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When I see stuff like this, I just makes me want to re-kick myself in the azz for selling the nice Krag sporter I had.

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Update: Things got a LOT tighter, but now are slightly better. Watching the Waltons and have decided to start very slowly twiddling with MY Krag; keep trying to find a competent Kragsmith but either they are retiring or are too far to hand-carry my baby to. This rifle is actually mentioned in my will, and I am VERY jealously protective. I am so low-tech with my Krag that almost every round I have shot in the last 10 years has been made in an ancient Lee Loader I gave $11 for. But I'm blabbering. Any suggestions as to a Kragsmith in Appalachia? I define "apple-at-cha" (not "ap-uh-lay-sha") as East TN, Eastern NC, SW VA, and on up toward about Lynchburg, VA.

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For the love of Krag.
Just poking this old thread.

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I studied this thread many years ago and it was the inspiration for my 35 Krag build. We were having a wild hog problem back then and the 35 Krag seemed to be a desirable answer to the problem.I have been busy lately and have not had the time to use it and we are no longer raising peanuts so the pigs are not showing up anymore.
Anyone hear if Dave got to finish his?

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This is a fun thread to reread from front to back. With Michael, Mark, Whitey and JD (Joe Harz) all commenting along with so many others.

My own comments are interesting to me. Eventually, some of the magic wore off on me and I bought and now own a sporterized Krag by an unknown maker.

Michael mentioned one of his had a 4x Lyman Alaskan on it. I would love such a set up but what does one use for a scope base for such a scope and rifle? All my scopes are Unertle/Fecker/Lyman style. Not very adaptable to the Krag I think and certainly not as functional as what Michael described.

I'd love find one of Michael's old Krags. I don't remember seeing them in the estate auction.


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I just checked the member list and Plain Old Dave has not been on line since 14 January 2017, sadly.

Perhaps slightly off track, there is this nice Krag for sale at Amoskeag this weekend and many other Krags suitable for customizing, etc.



https://live.amoskeagauction.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/55/lot/30719?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F55%3Fpage%3D1%26view%3Dgrid%26key%3Dkrag%26sale%3Dundefined%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dyes%26featured%3Dno


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I don't see that gun on the upcoming auction. What is the item number, and what auction are your referring to?

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2472 - 2480 Looks like 8 at Amoskeag
But there are a pot full of Krags coming up on Proxibid.

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Originally Posted By: eightbore
I don't see that gun on the upcoming auction. What is the item number, and what auction are your referring to?


Amoskeag. I count about 15 Krags.

The pictured gun is #2480, but there are other sporterized Krags as well. I chose that one because it was unusual in that its mag door has been chemical case colored.


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I tried to post a photo or two of my 35 Krag but the only option I could get was uploading from a URL. Is there a way load photos from your own computer? I poked around on this site and did not find any instructions on how to do it.

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Not that I know of. Most use Imgur and its easy.

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No, you cannot do that. This a pretty primitive forum = about 4-5 generations behind the times. You need to put your photos on a third party photo hosting site and then link to them in your posts here.


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I guess that explains why I could not find alternate instructions. :-)
I am not ready to sign up with a third party photo posting site I am getting to old to deal with all the passwords i am dealing with now.

Is linking to another site like Krag Collectors Association acceptable here?

I post on the Practical Machinist forum and mentioning the CNC Zone site is forbidden.

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If you can email your pictures to me, I'll post them for you.

Use this email. Brentd@iastate.edu

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I have a wonderful Krag, sporterized probably by Stoeger, with a low bucks peep sight, uncheckered wood, steel buttplate. It is built in classic style and a bit of checkering would bring it to much higher level of value and wonder. I have never shot it.

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Post pictures! I'd love to see it. I have a nicely sporterized Krag but no idea who did it.


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these are for FredC.





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Excellent!

Get your Krag Sporter photos up here fellas - Eight bore and Brent

I'd like to see them.

Cool rifle, Fred
Looking good!

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Well you can see it is not configured like a classic. The sight mount also serves as a pillar attachment point, with no barrel bands a US Krag needs a front pillar or something to keep it from trying to climb out of the stock when fired. The electronic sight is for hunting pigs in low light and fast getting on target. Disappointed that it does not transmit enough light to be used in moonlight. Interchangeable brass plates cover the 2 forward pillar screws. Stainless barrel sort of matched the patina of the old receiver. Should hit hard with 35 Remington bullets and a velocity 1/2 way between 35 Rem and 358 Winchester.

A friend of my uncle made or fitted a sporter stock, it was not well done and took many months to get it to the point oringinal type screws would line up with the receiver.

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The resurrection of this thread made me recall a Krag rifle I bought at auction several years ago and stashed away. A somewhat typical cut down rifle with the exception of the CAL.22 LR receiver. The barrel and bolt are standard .30-40. The rifle is equipped with a Pacific rear sight base but the slide is long gone. The barrel is drilled and tapped for a set of Weaver bases that are contoured to match the barrel profile which allows a Scout type scope mount. I removed the bases and attached a rear adjustable sight for preliminary load testing. The barrel was installed with a short head space. Consequently, I had to shorten a sizing die to enable easy chambering of the brass. That all done, the rifles accuracy is very good with both lead and jacketed bullets as the bore is excellent.

Question:
Does the CAL.22 LR receiver add any particular value to the gun? I would expect a .22 LR Krag barrel and bolt to be plenty scarce.

Thanks,
Ken





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Here's my Krag sporter. I wasn't really looking for a Krag, but this one came along at a really good price and had a nice old Lyman peep installed. The original stock was poorly sporterized by someone, complete with approx. 10 lpi "checkering". I figured on restocking it, but the original stock was sound and had some nice grain, so I decided to try saving it. With all the work I did removing the previous crudely done sporterizing and adding a pistol grip, I think restocking from scratch would have taken less time. Last step was polishing out nearly a hundred years worth of abuse and pitting, then bluing.




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That's a real beauty!

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That's a handy looking rifle Greg

How does it shoot?
What are some of your favorite loads?

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Originally Posted By: Ken Nelson

Question:
Does the CAL.22 LR receiver add any particular value to the gun? I would expect a .22 LR Krag barrel and bolt to be plenty scarce.


Ken, look here, these links might shed some light on the gallery 22 rimfire Krag subject

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail...-practice-rifle

https://www.cowanauctions.com/lot/springfield-gallery-practice-model-1898-krag-rifle-3759701

A little bit of information here

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=38310

Also this link will get you to a great video that discusses Krag history, including the gallery trainers

https://www.guns.com/news/2017/11/07/civ...eld-30-40-video


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Beautiful grip addition (along with the rest). I would not have guessed it was there except that it has to be given the original forearm.


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I agree with Brent on the quality of the grip addition job.
Do you have any photos of the process?
Did you do any sort of grain blending in the finish on the stock around the addition?

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Tinker,

Thanks for the links! It would be plenty cool to build a custom .22 sporter on the CAL .22 receiver but alas I don't foresee that in the budget. grin

Best,
Ken


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Originally Posted By: Ken Nelson


Question:
Does the CAL.22 LR receiver add any particular value to the gun? I would expect a .22 LR Krag barrel and bolt to be plenty scarce.

Question: Do we know that the Krag 22's were 22LR or is there a possibility they were 22WRF?

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Ken you are welcome

The gallery rifles used the standard bolt and firing pin.

Getting that rifle set up for rimfire might be less expensive than you think.
Some of the rifles were set up with the bore below the firing pin axis, some were set up with the bore above.
Extraction wasn't common on all of them.

Your project wouldn't need to be a clone of any of the original rifles, as yours is no longer all there anyway, and you wouldn't need to alter anything with your action or bolt to make it happen.

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LRF get your Google fired up and do some digging.
Let us know what you find out.

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Thank you Tinker, BrentD and halfadouble.
To answer some questions, it shoots OK, considering the barrel has some pitting. I only shoot cast in it. Lyman 311291 and Lyman 311299 were the molds that shot best. Five shot groups run around 2-3" at 100, off a bench. I can easily break small balloons offhand at 100. I initially had problems with uncalled fliers. I had already glassed the rear of the magazine box, as it acts like a recoil lug, while I was doing the stock work. I figured the barrel band might be the flier problem, so I glassed the forend under the band so that the barrel, band and stock were all fit snugly together. The uncalled fliers disappeared.
I do have a picture of cutting the stock for the chunk of walnut I used for the grip. You're going to laugh. I don't have a mill, so I set up my drill press to do the job. Crude set up, but it gave me the smooth, flat horizontal surface I needed. I hand chiseled the two vertical cuts with a left to right draft so I could tap the block in and have a tight joint. I sketched in the checkering pattern to make sure the joint would be deep enough to be completely under the checkering. I had to make the cut much longer than I would have if doing the job from scratch. The previous sporterizing included an added pistol grip, made of a piece of 2x4, and set so far back a shooter would have to have hands like an Orangutan to get any benefit from the grip. I also included a picture of the gun before I started in on it to show that. If I was adding a grip to an unaltered stock, I would have made the joints right at the back of the trigger guard and right at the rear of where the grip cap would be, to make them less noticable. On this stock I had to make the rear joint about an inch behind the grip cap in order to remove all of the 2x4. That's out there where it is easy to see. I had to add some slivers of wood, taken from the barrel channel, to help hide the straight lines of that joint. A little bit of red mahogany stain and checkering hid everything else pretty well.


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Oh looky here

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=319872


A mind is a terrible thing to waste! Completely forgot about that post when I bought the rifle.....it's been a while! grin


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Originally Posted By: Ken Nelson


A mind is a terrible thing to waste!


We're all here together, Ken.
We're here to help...


crazy

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Greg you are very welcome!

I like your setup.
I also like your sneaky use of slivers of material from the barrel channel for camouflage of the joinery.

Good!

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Greg, you are master of the drill press! I use mine as my metal lathe. You are in another league using it as a mill. smile


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My sporter. I know nothing about its history, but I like it.

I have not gotten it to shoot particularly well. That is probably my fault as the barrel looks perfect.









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Brent that rifle is looking good.
The aperture sight looks shop made, pretty cool detail.

Describe the shooting performance. Maybe we can put our heads together and help you get it running right on the targets.

Have you slugged the bore?
What loads have you tried?
Which bullets?

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Greg, I have a 30-40 light barreled sporter on a Winchester highwall action with a one piece stock by Farr. It was out of the Benenson collection. I tried all the 30 caliber moulds and found that it preferred 311284 over 20 grains of H4198 to the tune of .8 inch groups at 100 with a tang sight.

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Halfa-

With your twenty grains are you using dacron or anything over the powder, or just the powder.
What primer?
Do you know the velocity that you are getting?

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Originally Posted By: Tinker
Brent that rifle is looking good.
The aperture sight looks shop made, pretty cool detail.

Describe the shooting performance. Maybe we can put our heads together and help you get it running right on the targets.

Have you slugged the bore?
What loads have you tried?
Which bullets?


I'll have to get my books and check but a gas checked cast bullet (>210 gr, "Krag bullet") and 5744, which I do not like at all. Just isn't accurate.

The aperture sight is a Pacific sight.

The barrel is in beautiful condition and an original barrel with the rear sight screw holes very carefully and artfully filled. I didn't know they were there until I discovered it was an original barrel and started looking real hard to find them.

It has been a while since I have shot this gun, so I can't quote more details without finding my books


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Tinker, I never use a filler and the only time I have put anything above the powder was 1/16th of a sheet of Charmin 1/4 inch above 12 grains of Unique in a 45-70 (it didn't make much difference). The 30-40 was using Federal Large Rifle Match primers and I really should run it through the chronograph some time but I would guess somewhere just over 1600 fps.

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Brent,

I'm in agreement with you concerning 5744. Not accurate in any loads that I've tried. I favor H-108, AA#9, 2400 and 4227 powders.
I have an original 1899 Krag Carbine that I've shot successfully at our local military bolt action matches using 20.5 gr. of H-108 with 168 match bullets.
I've shot 10 shot groups of 2" +- using the issue sights as required by the match rules. Unfortunately, I used up my last jug of H-108 (no longer available) but AA#9 compares favorably.
Lately I've been using 4227 for both jacketed and cast bullets with very good results. I don't use any fillers with the powders mentioned as they are not position sensitive.
A word of caution: the powder charges for those powders mentioned are very small volume wise. A double charge could be easily overlooked so care should be taken in the loading process.


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Ken,
I have had severe powder position issues with 4227 in other cartridges. But tell me about 2400. I have some for a .38-40, but have not used it in anything else that I can think of. Someone posted 4198 = which sounds likely as well as 4895, perhaps? These seem to be less position sensitive than 4227 for me anyway.

I would really like a powder that fills the case easily, but that seems to be unlikely except for Trail Boss and I am not going there.


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Brent,

I should clarify that my loads are not suggested for hunting applications. A lot better choices exist for that.

My loads are either for rifle matches or casual bench plinking sessions where bullet facing up cartridges are loaded into the rifles directly from the load block. That said I don't make any great effort to ensure the powder is positioned at the base of the brass.

I have used 2400 in .308, 30-06, 30-30, and 32-40 but my most accurate loads have been with H-108 or AA#9. 2400 is a few ticks faster than AA#9.

4227 is my go to powder for my 38-55 Hi Wall. I've also used it in my 32-40 Hi Wall with excellent results but the nod goes to AA#9 for best accuracy in that gun. As previously stated it's working well in the 30-40.

I've stayed away from using 4198 and 4895 just because I'm lazy and don't like the way they meter but undoubtedly they are excellent powders.

I've experimented with Trail Boss in .458's, 416's, 405's etc. Not a fan. Yes, you can fill up a case with it and the recoil is mild, but in my experience the accuracy is lacking.


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I use both 2400 and 4198 in old straight walled cases. Both are great powders, with good accuracy. For the larger cases I prefer 4198 over 2400, as it gives less deviation for me.

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Have you fellows run H4350 with the 220 grain cast bullets?
I'll be loading that powder with the Ideal 311-284 later this week.

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Tinker,

I`ve never used H4350 for cast.
I do have a cache of H4350 that needs to used on something. Id be interested in your results.

Thanks,
Ken


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Ken I'll share my results.

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Many years ago, Ed Harris wrote an article entitled " The Load", which works in most mid-capacity cartridges. His load was 13 grains of Red Dot behind most bullets appropriate for the particular cartridge. Many of my contemporaries used 12 grains of Unique in a similar fashion, but I have better results with "The Load". However, I often use a tuft of kapok tamped over the powder and Ed Harris specifically advised against fillers; so while I do it, I'm not recommending doing it.
Mike

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I have five Krag sporters and shoot only cast bullets. The "other" Harris touted "load", sixteen grains of 2400 has worked exceptionally well in each rifle with 308284, 311299, 311335, and most particularly 311290.

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1902 please post photos of your sporters.

I'd very much like to see them.

What alloy are you casting for the Krag?

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For an alloy I like seven ingots of clip on WW, one ingot of Linotype, and 2% of tin. I had a sample analyzed at 92.7% Pb, 4.5% Sb, and 2.8% Sn. it may be unnecessarily hard but I like it and it works.
Fred has posted pictures of my Krags in the past few years. You may search my pitifully few posts and find them there. This year I shot 2,200 Krag shots, all five shot groups, deliberate fire iron receiver sights. Maybe old school but I think it's fun and rewarding.

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Here's a link to one thread on one of your sporter Krag rifles

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubb...1498#Post401498

I'm combing through some of your posts, and some of the threads appear to be missing the photos

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Those of you shooting cast, what is your lube? I've been using liquid Alox and/or Javelina Schuetzen.

Wish you guys were a bit closer. I'm sure you could show me a bunch of things with the new fangled, modern cartridges. smile


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I make up my own lube. Have a local bee keeper I buy bee's wax from at a reasonable price, and he does a great job of filtering it to get it very clean.

My mixture is extremely simple. It's 50% bee's wax, 40% Crisco, and 10% Vaseline, all by weight. In the summer when it gets too hot I cut down on the Crisco to help make it slightly firmer.

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Thanks. I can do that. I have my own bees as well.

My standard bp lube when I use it (rarely), is 50:50 beeswax and mutton tallow, and then a shot of jojoba or sperm oil. But I hardly ever use lube for bp.


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Tinker,
I'll sort through my photos tomorrow and see if I still have others. I should.

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Brent I use.the RCBS rifle bullet lube in the lubrisizer.

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Here are some pictures of Krag1902's sporters




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I've lubed a ton of bullets with the old NRA formula.

I've also used Emmert's lube which IIRC correctly is similar to that listed by Vall.

Lately I've been using Darr lube which is essentially 50% paraffin 50% vaseline and a splash of case lube or some other lubricant. It's not great for hot weather but I've had good results with it.




Last edited by Ken Nelson; 11/25/20 10:31 AM.

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The top gun of mine that Fred just posted is my #4, which duplicates as nearly as possible the 1909 Krag sporter of Paul Jenkins done by Steve Munier. #4 is a wonderful shooter. It has a throat much shorter than the arsenal Krags. I can breech seat 308274 with its prominent front band in fixed ammunition. I'd shot a lot of good groups with this one. The other is #5. On the off side of the gun is a cheek piece and a Lyman #48.#5 shoots well too. If I have pictures of #s 1 and 2, I don't have them anymore

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1902 those are some great looking rifles

I've seen other photos of the No.5 rifle.
The great Photobucket debacle has lost many images on these forums, thrashing the archives.
Pity.

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I haven't been on the site since my last post, didn't know there were so many cast shooters here.
Here's the particulars of the loads that work best in my Krag. I decided to only use molds I already had, due to the pitted condition of the bore not warranting buying molds just for this gun. My alloy is straight clip on wheel weights and my lube is home-made FWFL (recipe on "cast boolets") The barrel slugs .309. I use 20.5gr 4227 with the 311299, velocity of 1500fps. I shoot them as cast, they drop from the mold at .311. Next best load with that bullet is 16.5gr 2400 at a little over 1400fps. My 311291 is a plain base. The mold was slightly damaged at the base from someone trying to pry a bullet out. I had access to a mill where I worked, so I removed the gas check shank to clean up the damage. 7.5gr of Red Dot is the load it likes best, about 1150 fps. I shoot it as cast too, it drops at .3105. Other molds I tried were 3118, 31141, 311227, 311334 and a Lee 150gr flat point. Other than the 31141, the others were probably too short for the Krag throat for any accuracy. No idea why the gun didn't like the 31141, best I could get it to shoot was about 5" at 100. Powders tried with the various bullets were 4227, 2400, Red Dot, Unique, 4198, 3031, 4895.

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Greg thanks for the load notes.

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A couple of weeks ago, Dan asked me to post some pictures to this thread. I got kind of busy, forgot about it, but thought that I would get it done today, before the year ended. Happy New Year everyone.












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The top one is a Sedgley Krag mannlicher stock, probably made custom after they quit cataloging the Krag sporters. The bottom one was from the Benneson sale and it was what he called rusty and you could hardly see the stock grain. Well it wasn't rusty, it was just coated with a lot of crud which cleaned off nicely. It was actually from a carbine or at least a carbine barrel.

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