Krag carbine 1896

[Battis]

So, basically, if I get the carbine as a shooter and not to resurrect it, I'd have to find a Lyman 34 sight so I wouldn't have to butcher it any more. Anyone see one of those sights around? I can't find one, or even info on them.

[444ttd]

So, basically, if I get the carbine as a shooter and not to resurrect it, I'd have to find a Lyman 34 sight so I wouldn't have to butcher it any more. Anyone see one of those sights around? I can't find one, or even info on them.

try ebay, it can take you several months or a day or two. ( http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...receiver-sight ) numrich "might" have them ( https://www.gunpartscorp.com/ )

others might have them
https://www.ssfirearms.com/products.asp?cat=124
https://www.granpasgunparts.com/krag-springfield

you can also put a no drill scope on it too
http://scopemounts.com/index.html?instapics.html

[Battis]

Apparently those sights were offered by Lyman for the Krags from 1895 to 1943. The sights could be as old as the carbine. I'll check those sites you listed.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, gee 444ttd, it's a '94, so I assumed......but .35-30 is good!

Battis-- here's the sight information as per my experience: The no-gunsmithing sights for the Krag were made by Redfield, Lyman, and a couple of other makers, all of which were much the same. There were also other designs, like one that attached to the cocking knob; but to my thinking the type on 444ttd's rifle, regardless of the brand, was just about the zenith of the adjustable no-gunsmithing peep sight. Even though no one has made them for at least 50 years, and maybe longer, they are sporadically available on the used market, primarily on e-bay. You can find them by doing a search for "vintage rifle rear sights" or "Krag parts".

All that is required to install them is to remove the magazine cutoff lever, and this is easy to do. Just use a tiny screwdriver to depress the spring loaded plunger beneath the lever into the lever itself, put the lever in it's middle position between on and off, and tap the lever rearward. The plunger and its spring are captive in the lever, but I'd take care to capture it in the event that someone has had it apart before and separated the two. But normally it will stay in the lever.

Next, on the right side of the replacement sight you'll notice a peculiar looking sheet metal hook held onto the sight body with a small screw. Insert the hook into the hole where the magazine cutoff lever was located and tighten the screw. Next, there is a hole at the lower left hand corner of the sight's mount, as you view it from the installed position. This is for a screw that replaces the original issue screw that holds the side plate onto the receiver. Screw in the replacement screw, and you're all done.

Now here's the rub, as they say. Rubs, actually: When you locate one of these sights you need to make certain that the little hook and/or the replacement screw are present. Many of them, at least half of them, that are offered for sale do not include the screw, nor will you find them for sale separately. Usually they've been lost. Same for the little hook, but that can be made by the amateur gunsmith with a little time and patience, and doesn't have to look exactly like the factory part as long as it will do the job. I reached a point where I had several of these sights sitting on my workbench without the one or the other, or maybe both, parts-- so I made a couple of the little hooks and solved the screw problem by using a screw with a more common thread that is close, and running a tap for that thread into the existing hole. We can discuss that solution at more length if you are faced with the problem.

As to availability, like I said it's sporadic, and the best source seems to be e-bay. Problem is, there's lots of competition buying them. The median price seems to be $100, but sometimes you'll get a bargain and other times they'll be bid up higher than I personally wish to pay. Once you decide that you want one, then you have to check e-bay daily. If the price is in the ball park and it has a "buy now", then buy it! I picked up two of them this morning for "buy now", one for $90 and the other for $99, one without the screw. Also, neither has the screw-in aperture, but that's an easy item to obtain. I usually buy the "Twilight Aperture" from Brownell's anyway, as I like the gold ring around the peep. Off the top of my head I don't know what the various model numbers were, and like I said there were several makers who manufactured similar sights, but the seller's description will almost always say that the sight is for the .30-40 Krag rifle. Even if they don't know what it's for, you can spot them by the presence of the little hook and the screw hole. And, if they don't know what they're for, you may get a bargain price. I believe that the source for most of these sights is that they've been take off of Krags that are being parted out and the parts sold separately. Sad, but I guess that's business and capitalism. Somewhere someone is tearing down a perfectly good Krag to sell the parts to someone else who's building one up. And some of the rifles have these sights.

Now, just to ward off criticism about having previously said I was no longer acquiring Krags and parts, and here I am buying sights, I'll explain that I just happened to run across the sights when looking for one for my latest No.1 Mk.III sporter. I did find a very nice, new/old stock Lyman for $139 (it will require a right side drill and tap), but grabbed these Krag sights because I have 4 or 5 complete actions left over from past deals and may perhaps eventually build them into rifles.



This is also a nice sight-- not as hard to find. Well....last time I looked, anyway.

[Battis]

I'm thinking that if...IF...I could find a Lyman #34 I could just slip it on that mounting, and I wouldn't have to make any changes. Like 444ttd said, it might take some time. I could also look for the Redfield.
I'm going back tomorrow to take a good look at the carbine.

A few years ago, I bought a set of old .401 Winchester Self Loader dies, and a year later I found a rifle.

[Rich/WIS]

Just checked and there is a Redfield 102 K on e-bay, stating at $99 and no bids, search "krag sight". Have had several Redfield sights, a 102K and two 70K's, all were well made but only one came with the screw that replaced the sideplate screw. The one on auction is missing this screw but an easy work around. Made one from an upper band screw for a 1903 Springfield and the other from a more common threaded screw. Have seen some crazy prices on these over the years, under a hundred now I would consider a bargain. The 102K uses opposing screws to set windage and a screw to set elevation and is locked in place by the large "coin" screw in the base. The 70K is click adjustable and a bit more desirable, came as the 70KH with hunter knobs and the 70KT with target knobs. For old eye or just general ease of use these sights are worth the cost.

[Battis]

I checked them out - thanks for the tip. I'll watch them. I wish whoever put the Lyman sight on had used the no drill Redfield sight instead.
I put the carbine on 60 day hold so I have some time. I'm thinking that I might replace the side cover with an intact one, and put an 1896 rear sight on it, and fill the holes from the Lyman sight. That'd be about $100 (if I can find the sight screws). Then I'd have to decide whether to put a replacement handguard on it. I have another 1896 carbine with a replacement handguard, and it's tough to match the wood colors. Then again, the Redfield sight would be less work and would cover the Lyman damage, except for the side plate.

[444ttd]

i filled the screw holes on my back sight with wax. i just lit up a candle and just poured the liquid wax onto my screw holes.

[Texas by God]

DG- I must be off my meds(again)... I thought you grafted a No.1 MKIII windage rear sight onto that Krag

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Rich/WIS]

Have you tried posting on the Krag Forum, there is wealth of knowledge there. They can tell you exactly what you have and the options available for restoration.

[Battis]

Yeah, I posted about the carbine on that forum and one poster suggested replacing the side cover and adding an 1898 rifle rear sight. I just bought the side plate on ebay ($35). I'll get the sight and then decide about the handguard.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

DG- I must be off my meds(again)... I thought you grafted a No.1 MKIII windage rear sight onto that Krag

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

No. Sir........but perhaps that might be done. The sight in question is a little bit altered by someone who previously owned it. It's one of those that originally had three notches on the rear, but has had a bit of metal brazed over the area eliminating all but the center notch.
There were 3 or 4 basic sight models, and several variations within those models. I like the basic type shown best, but it has eliminated the push up peep. The aperture on the peeps are kind of tiny...not too good for hunting but great for target shooting.


DG

[Battis]

Der Gebirgsjager posted:

You could remove the sight base and do an ordinance-type repair by patching in a piece of walnut

That's an interesting idea.
It dawned on me that I have a ready made pattern - two other Krags. And I have all the tools I need - Sawzall, sledgehammer, nail gun...I'm kidding. Sort of...

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, on the chance that I can help you, and that you're not kidding, here are some photos and info on ordnance-type repairs:
Here is a P-14 with one on the right side forward of the bolt. It is illustrative of what you'd have to do, as a chunk of the stock was apparently damaged, cut out, and replaced with another piece of wood. It could be blended better by staining it to match the walnut stock, but the inserted piece may not be walnut. I think the repair was done in India:

Click to enlarge.

Moving closer to home, here's one I did on a Krag. A big splinter had broken off enabling me to pick the stock up at a favorable price. This is how I repaired it:
1st photo shows the missing splinter. 2nd & 3rd photos show the vertical and horizontal markings, 4th photo shows the outline of the piece to be cut out of the walnut scrap to replace the splinter. I've got a couple of boxes of scraps that I saved from stock jobs, so I matched the color of the wood as closely as I could. I selected a piece that was as close in thickness as possible to the missing piece, but a bit thicker as I wanted to work it down to the surface level of the surrounding area of the stock.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The part was cut out of the wood slab being careful to leave the pencil line as the replacement part would be worked down to the surrounding stock surfaces.

Next AccraGlas Gel was applied generously to the surface of the broken area. The replacement piece was applied. Excess AccraGlas was scraped off from both the interior and exterior of the repair.


The replacement piece was clamped in place until the AccraGlas dried.


When the clamp was removed it looked like this:

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Next the replacement part was worked down with files and rasps, then final sanded.



On the rifle action it looked like this:


A little walnut stain, and the repair disappeared.

You can do this!

[Battis]

Great info and instructions. I'll be referring back to your posts as I do it (I was kidding about the tools, not the job itself). I've done repairs on other stocks, and I do have the other two Krags for a pattern.
I have a side plate on the way that will cover one of the holes drilled for the mount. Someone also mounted a scope and drilled other holes, but a replacement handguard will cover two of them, and the others I'll fill in.
The stocks were all made of walnut?
Thanks again for the info.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Yes, stocks were walnut.

[Battis]

I've been working on the bubba'd Krag. I bought a side cover that did not exactly fit. Apparently, a side cover from an 1896 will fit an 1898 but not the other way around. Of course, the one I got was for an 1898. It took me maybe 15 minutes with a Dremel to get the "lip" to fit into the receiver and now it's fine.
I bought a rear sight for an 1898 the fits just right. Then, in a moment of cheapness, I made two screws with a drill press and file (cost me $1.00 for both). They don't look bad.
Now I have to fill in the scope screw holes and fit the missing piece of stock. There's a few hairline cracks in the stock that I can see that I'll fix with West Systems epoxy. Then I'll need a handguard but that can wait.
Now and then side covers

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Good job. I never knew that information about side plates-- guess I just never ran across that particular combination.

There used to be, and maybe still is, a seller on e-bay who sold new replica hand guards. He wasn't inexpensive, but the product was quality. He offered at least 5 variations including a blank without a rear sight cutout. His clips and rivets were also good. I'd always find him by doing a "Krag" search, and sometimes he was there and sometimes he wasn't. Although kind of pricy his brand new replicas cost much less than used originals. I eventually purchased at least one of every variation he offered, and the one in my earlier photo (post #24) is one of his. Wish I had saved the contact information, but maybe he'll turn up if you look for him.

I'm glad that you were able to successfully make rear sight screws. For a long time they were one of the most difficult items to obtain, all were used, some with chewed up screwdriver slots, and sometimes cost as much as $40 for a pair, complicated by the fact that different models of sight use different length screws. Now I see them for sale at better prices and often brand new, so someone must be making them also.

I think you're going to end up with a very nice rifle that was worth the effort.