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Been looking for a while. 98% are turds or blacksmith sporters.
This one a'int ! 100% correct, 70% case intact, 90% nitre blue intact, unmessed with wood, great cartouche, bore needs minor lapping, Sgt's peep, buttplate needs polish and nitre blue (I have the salts), my 190 gr NEI bore rider has a home !
Attachment 201677
Congrats on a fine specimen. Im sure you'll enjoy working on it and shooting it
congrats...absolutely a beautiful piece...small suggestion..get an extra butt plate ...don't fool with original...please !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by eldon
very beautiful piece of artwork!!!!
That is a beaut! You'll love shooting it.
Nice find! There aren't that many of them running around loose in that condition anymore. Most of them have either been chopped or collected. These fine old guns are only temporarily in our custody for the preservation of a bit of history. Once in awhile a geezer like me will pass away and the one or two that he has in the closet will come on the market. "Hey, look Billy Joe! There's one of them Krag rifles. Let's buy it an make a sporter!" Oh, well...at least the geezer doesn't know what happened to it. :sad:
You a'int seen it. Far too many "Order Arms" on nasty ground. I'm from the English school .... nothing wrong with restoration using the original materials and methods. I won't polish it to a mirror and hot blue it !Quote:
Originally Posted by guicksylver
She's a beaut! Don't forget to check the bolt lugs for cracks.
Urban myth. Never seen a crack documented in modern times.
I'm jealous. I'd love to have an original Krag.
I am having a ball recently with a nicely sporterized one I picked up. Great rifle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldon
Not quite so. I did personally order a bolt body on e-bay and when it arrived it had a very obviously cracked lug. Of course I sent it back. Later I felt kind of bad about it because I received a refund from a lady who said that she had shown it to her husband who was in the hospital and he had instructed her to refund the money.
Cracked bolts were the byproduct of wildcatted Krags back in the day. It's ability to handle a large rimmed case led to some bad builds like a 25 Krag that generated far more pressure than the 30-40. Never saw any Ordnance notes on cracked lugs, has anyone ?
I was going through mine not long ago, found that I'd been using three cracked bolts. Documented, no. I also have a receiver in the 13000 serial number range that is cracked behind the locking lug. Never hurts to carefully check. The bolt is not likely to go anywhere if the locking lug should go, there's the still the guide rib and bolt handle to overcome. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...olt-Looks-LikeQuote:
Originally Posted by Eldon
Eldon:
The more I hang out on this site, the more I come to appreciate what I have been able to accumulate over the years.
I have a Krag with a 1903 acceptance stamp that's almost as nice as yours.
Originally I was not satisfied with how it shot j-words. Now that I've switched to boolits, of course casting my own, not only am I getting better groups, but also enjoying treating myself and this piece of history much more gently.
Hopefully, you will find the same enjoyment.
Now, come winter, when I get back to where my library is, I need to figure out how to build one of the those cool Cateract (sp) scope setups.
Couple of years ago I saw a cracked bolt on a Krag at a local gunshow. Pointed it out to the seller who reluctantly set the rifle behind the table.Quote:
Urban myth. Never seen a crack documented in modern times.
An hour later on my second walkthrough, the Krag was back out for sale.
Buyer beware :(
Yes - Ordnance experienced cracked lugs on a few rifles when they attempted to adopt the 2200 fps ammo. The ammo was withdrawn and the original 2000 fps ammo reissued. This is documented in period Ordnance reports. One would presume those rifles that cracked in service were likely repaired, but who knows? I suspect most cracked lugs that are out there are from hot rodding the Krag by unknowing hand loaders over the past 100 years. The two safety lugs should hold but it's still a good idea to check the bolt lugs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldon
I have a Krag receiver that is nothing more than a paper weight since it has a crack running down the middle of it, from the tang up to the lug seat.
Nice rifle by the way. Originality has its benefits. (Personally I wouldn't re-finish the butt plate. After all, it wouldn't be original anymore would it?)
I built my sporter around a M1896 action which came to me as just that, a bare action. Imagine my surprise when I found it listed in Mallory's book as having started out as a carbine and issued to a trooper in Troop G, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders). I had two choices. One, spend a godawful amount of money for an original '96 carbine stock + furniture to go on the stock and a minty original carbine barrel with sights- and have a faked un-original Rough Rider carbine. Or two, build the elegant Krag sporter I had always wanted using a new Criterion barrel and a stock I built myself. The sporter won out, and I'm perfectly happy with my choice.
As much as I admire completely original U.S. military rifles, I don't get upset when I see them altered if done tastefully.
Oh man lugs not withstanding, nice rifle. now back to who knows most about lugs.
Eldon,
LUCKY DOG, LUCKY DOG.
yours, tex