Restoring my poor bubbaed Krag

[gnoahhh]

The protocol for Krag sporters since the beginning of time was to put a barrel band on to anchor a screw into up through the fore arm. Some crafty guys even d/t'ed a screw hole under the receiver ring (but that's darned difficult as the steel is harder than woodpecker lips). Sometimes you'll see them with a shallow dovetail cut in the bottom of the barrel into which a block of steel is fitted to accept a screw. Any way you do it, the front end of the gun must be anchored. The two trigger guard screws aren't enough - the barreled action will try lever itself up and back out of the wood with each shot with it merely anchored in the back end.

You say the gun is shooting low. Dumb question, but did you raise the rear sight staff to compensate before filing on the front sight? I've owned a pile of Krag Sporters in my life, including a couple right now, and they all had receiver sights on them - and I never ever had to mess with front sights, even issue front sights. If the answer is "yes, I have tried raising the rear sight slide", then I would throw a straight edge on the barrel or something, to make sure the barrel isn't bent down slightly.

[Evoken]

The protocol for Krag sporters since the beginning of time was to put a barrel band on to anchor a screw into up through the fore arm. Some crafty guys even d/t'ed a screw hole under the receiver ring (but that's darned difficult as the steel is harder than woodpecker lips). Sometimes you'll see them with a shallow dovetail cut in the bottom of the barrel into which a block of steel is fitted to accept a screw. Any way you do it, the front end of the gun must be anchored. The two trigger guard screws aren't enough - the barreled action will try lever itself up and back out of the wood with each shot with it merely anchored in the back end.

You say the gun is shooting low. Dumb question, but did you raise the rear sight staff to compensate before filing on the front sight? I've owned a pile of Krag Sporters in my life, including a couple right now, and they all had receiver sights on them - and I never ever had to mess with front sights, even issue front sights. If the answer is "yes, I have tried raising the rear sight slide", then I would throw a straight edge on the barrel or something, to make sure the barrel isn't bent down slightly.

As far as the sight, yes I fiddled with it until it was maxed and still shot low. The original front blade was long ago removed and another was soldered in. As far as the barrel being warped down, I did not straight edge it yet but it was a thought I had. It has a dovetail cut into the bottom and a bolt was soldered into it. I believe this was potentially why it was shooting low. The bolt was pulling the barrel down, the dovetail was cut to far forward I believe.

My plans are to make a barrel band that fits just where the receiver and barrel meet. I am planning on using a female thread eye nut to accomplish this. I will be able to use a bolt through the base of the stock to secure the front of the receiver and the rear of the barrel. Basically in the same location you would find a traditional recoil lug on a free float rifle. I plan on using 3/8" x 16 threads on this, they should certainly be strong enough. The material I am using is rated for 5000 or so pounds of hanging weight. Should be able to handle the old krags recoil. In the location of the barrel band I plan on routing out the wood and using bedrock to reinforce the area. In my pictures the stock has a dummy barrel band, that is purely aesthetic. I plan on drilling the screw holes all the way through and using some bugle head bolts and a coupler nut, also bedded in epoxy.

I will also be pillar bedding the 2 action screws at the trigger guard, this will also add some rigidity. When all said and done the wood will be a veneer more or less and there will be quite a bit of resin.
If I can have a free floating 30-06, surely I can accomplish this on a tame old pussycat such as the krag.

[Evoken]

Getting back at this a bit as some of my parts came in. As a few of you have suggested the stock is in fact 2 pieces, although it was pinned together. I pulled the barrel band and seen the seam. Whomever had made this did a fairly good job at hiding the seam where you could see it. They had pinned it with wood dowels.
Thus actually makes working on it a bit easier, as I can get at the critical areas now. I will have to come up with a solution to repin it when I am done removing material for the barrel band and reinforcement epoxy.

These photos show the stock pulled apart and the piece I will be using as a band.

[Evoken]

Almost done now. Removed material from base of stock to accept a piece of all thread and epoxy. Made the barrel band. Started bedding everything.

[Evoken]

More bedding, and now altogether drying.

[Evoken]

I pillar bedded the 2 action/ guard screws as well. Did not take any pics of that. I used commercial aluminum pillars and epoxy.

[444ttd]

Evoken,

i recently bought a 1896 krag stock for one of my 98 krag actions. (don't ask, but it was cheap, like i am) i will look forward to your posts.

[Evoken]

I am going to let everything cure and probably give it a few shots next weekend. If all goes well it will be time to finish off all the gingerbread.

[444ttd]

can't wait!!!!!

[Evoken]

I have my test loads made up. These are both starting loads for the closest heavier weight in the latest lyman manual.
Both boolits are seated at the crimp ring and crimped with a lee fcd. Minimal pressure is required to close the bolt and the rounds are engraving ever so slightly.
If these rounds fire well with no observed stress on the action and stock I have some factory j rounds that I will run through after these.

[444ttd]

try a 165gr ranch dog(173gr my alloy) and h4198(1926fps) for deer. they go 1 1/2 - 2 1/4" at 100 yards(5 shots/benched) but when the wind and my eyes are all right, the earth lines up with up with the moon and stars it goes 3/4 - 1 1/4" at 100 yards.

the throat on my rifle is loooooooong, there is no way to engrave the boolits. so i crimp them on the crimp groove and thats that.

[Evoken]

I like the way the ranch dog mold looks and would like to get one.
I will most definitely get to trying 4198. For my first test I wanted to use some soft low pressure loads to start with. Once I'm sure she can take it I will start trying put both 4198 and 4895.

[Evoken]

Shot the old girl today. I have some great and not so great news to report.

The great news is she held up just fine. I shot 25 rounds, including 9 round of full power factory Remington 180's. No new stress crack or fatigue that I could see whatsoever.

Now the not so great news.... Which will be easy to rectify. I am shooting WAY high. The original configuration with the bolt midway mounting to the stock must have been pulling the barrel down. With the rear sight maxed out I am shooting 2' high at 25 yds!!! So unfortunately the fiver optic sight will have to go, and I will have to make a nice tall front blade.

All in all, I am very pleased with the results so far. The sight is small potatoes.

[444ttd]

way to go!!!!!

[GregLaROCHE]

Shot the old girl today. I have some great and not so great news to report.

The great news is she held up just fine. I shot 25 rounds, including 9 round of full power factory Remington 180's. No new stress crack or fatigue that I could see whatsoever.

Now the not so great news.... Which will be easy to rectify. I am shooting WAY high. The original configuration with the bolt midway mounting to the stock must have been pulling the barrel down. With the rear sight maxed out I am shooting 2' high at 25 yds!!! So unfortunately the fiver optic sight will have to go, and I will have to make a nice tall front blade.

All in all, I am very pleased with the results so far. The sight is small potatoes.

You need to check how the gun is shooting at at least one hundred yards. Boolits don’t travel straight, they arc. Many military rifles are zeroed in for a hundred yards or more.

[Evoken]

You need to check how the gun is shooting at at least one hundred yards. Boolits don’t travel straight, they arc. Many military rifles are zeroed in for a hundred yards or more.

You are absolutely correct sir. However, I knew I was shooting extremely high at 100yds. I could not hit a sheet of plywood(my 100yd board) was shooting into the dirt behind/above it. This was holding at the bottom in the dirt on the target board. So even at 100yd I'm shooting at least 4'1" high, possibly higher yet.

[Texas by God]

It’s time for a taller front blade if you have the original issue sight on it. My Krag has a heavier profile Pac Nor barrel and it took a Remington 700 ramp front sight to line up with the Redfield 102K rear. Mine has conventional bedding with Acraglas at the chamber area and a home rigged barrel band.
You have fixed up a cool rifle; keep going and keep posting your progress, please.