"New Year's" Krag

[Bob S]

... arrived yesterday. Four-digit serial M1892/96, excellent condition. Bore looks like it was not fired much at all after the SLEP. Muzzle .3089", throat .3095, and the throat is sharp, not a trace of any "frost" anywhere in the bore, and only the slightest trace of copper fouling. Really excited about this one ...

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[elk hunter]

Congratulations. Whats not to like about a nice Krag.

With a bore like that it should shoot well. I've always been amazed that most Krags have reasonably decent bores considering they were a military rifle that was developed and used when smokeless powder was new and generally quite erosive and it was lit off with chlorate primers.

Check the bolt for cracks, load up some ammo and go shoot. Be sure to post some pictures.

[madsenshooter]

The 92/96s are my favorites, lets get some pics Bob!

[Multigunner]

My old Krag Carbine looked fine on the outside and the action was still in very good working condition. The Bore was the worst I ever saw bar none.
I'd expected it to be rough and probably require lapping, but found it was cratered like the surface of the moon.
Strips of cupronickel fouling were peeling away from the grooves like chome from a bumper that spent forty years in a junkyard. Underneath the corrosive salts had decades to do their worst.

I couldn't find a replacement barrel back then, late 60's, and no gunsmith who would attempt to make a barrel for it, likely due to the type of thread.

I got a fair profit in trading it to a collector who promised he would not try to fire it and only keep it as a display.
When replacement barrels were once more available I regreted passing that carbine on.

Sleeving the bore might have worked.

Its great to hear that there are a few left out there with excellent bores.

[Bob S]

Ten TPI square thread, same as '03 Springfield and M1917, but different diameter. Not terribly difficult. Sleeving is not a good idea. You can get a new-made long rifle barrel (30") or a carbine barrel (22") from the CMP, threaded and short chambered.

I own a dozen of these; all but one have "excellent" bores, in that there is no pitting and not excessively worn, but most are grossly oversized. This one; my first 1898 long rifle, and an old sporter are the only ones that will shoot regular .308 jacketed stuff acceptably well. Of courser, all will shoot properly sized cast stuff. :)

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[BruceB]

[QUOTE "The Bore was the worst I ever saw bar none."

"..... found it was cratered like the surface of the moon."

Yes, it's a real shame. I am, however, surprised at the number of these ancient rifles which DO survive the use of corrosive ammunition for all those years, and still are handed down to us in good condition. Some of our rifleman predecessors were well-trained, I'd say.

I once saw an Infantry Krag (30") in an Edmonton, Alberta gun-shop. The outside was pristine, virtually new to all appearances. The bore...well, I'm a miner by trade, and I've seen underground tunnels that were smoother and brighter than that poor tube. It would have made a gorgeous wall-hanger, but as a shooter....hopeless. And here I'd thought I had stumbled across a real gem (sigh).

[madsenshooter]

Many of them got rebuilt, then never fired again. I often find 92/96s with like new barrels on them.

[Multigunner]

Ten TPI square thread, same as '03 Springfield and M1917, but different diameter. Not terribly difficult. Sleeving is not a good idea. You can get a new-made long rifle barrel (30") or a carbine barrel (22") from the CMP, threaded and short chambered.

I own a dozen of these; all but one have "excellent" bores, in that there is no pitting and not excessively worn, but most are grossly oversized. This one; my first 1898 long rifle, and an old sporter are the only ones that will shoot regular .308 jacketed stuff acceptably well. Of courser, all will shoot properly sized cast stuff. :)

Resp'y,
Bob S.

Back then few gunsmiths, other than the very best, had equipment that would cut a square thread, or a Whitworth thread for that matter. Even Mauser sporter barrels were being mass produced with a American standard V thread instead of the proper angle, they just force fitted them, which seems to have worked.

I couldn't find anyone locally who could cut the SMLE Whitworth thread either. A common problem apparently, since many sporting cartridge conversions from Australia use sleeved barrels or the shank of an old barrel threaded as a bushing.

Seems like more well equiped machine shops are interested in barrel threading and fitting these days, they don't mind giving it a go anyway.

[madsenshooter]

Guess I'm lucky, I have a local guy that will cut the Krag's square threads, I had him do a couple. Changed my mind on the 6mm and turned it into an AR15 barrel, but I still have a med-heavy 30 caliber. 6 groove, Wilson blank a fellow turned down and sold on gunbroker.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Many of them got rebuilt, then never fired again. I often find 92/96s with like new barrels on them.

OFTEN?!? I've been searching for a Krag for years, and all I could find were the gunshow horror stories. Saw one last March at a gunshow near Springfield, IL that had parts and pieces missing, cracked and gouged stock, fairly serious pitting on the outside, and looking down the barrel with my flashlight at the other end was sort of like looking for the headlamp of the on-coming train in a steam-locomotive soot filled tunnel in the 1800s...

I finally got lucky and our friend, Terry, sold me his 1896 Rifle, so I've got a shooter now. Barrel is DARN nice, and the stock is pretty too. Haven't had a chance to hit the range with it yet, but the first nice day this Spring, I can guarantee there will be lead going through it's tube! [smilie=w:

[madsenshooter]

Yea Mike, often. I can't count the one I just stole (see my other post) as I can't say what the barrel is really like. I had 3 full length and one cutoff prior to the one I just stole, and they all had good barrels with short throats. 3/4 were oversize with .301/.310 dimensions, but like new. The one .308 barrel I had came in a cracked receiver and I sold the barrel to a student gunsmith in need.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Well, when you run across another nice one, and you're not keeping it for yourself, PLEASE let me know!! [smilie=s:

Now that I've got a stock military-grade long-rifle, I'd like to get an "inexpensive" but in good shooting-shape "sporterized" Krag. Something with a pistol-grip stock and at least a 22" barrel. I've seen guys talk about getting these in the $250-$400 range, and I'd jump on one with a good barrel and non-cracked bolt at that price. You got that good of gunshows and gunshops over in Indiana?? :)

[Multigunner]

OFTEN?!? I've been searching for a Krag for years, and all I could find were the gunshow horror stories. Saw one last March at a gunshow near Springfield, IL that had parts and pieces missing, cracked and gouged stock, fairly serious pitting on the outside, and looking down the barrel with my flashlight at the other end was sort of like looking for the headlamp of the on-coming train in a steam-locomotive soot filled tunnel in the 1800s...

I finally got lucky and our friend, Terry, sold me his 1896 Rifle, so I've got a shooter now. Barrel is DARN nice, and the stock is pretty too. Haven't had a chance to hit the range with it yet, but the first nice day this Spring, I can guarantee there will be lead going through it's tube! [smilie=w:

The CMP had a shipment of several hundred motion picture prop Krag rifles and Carbines for sale several years ago. These were for the most part beat up and with bores rotted out by use of theatrical blanks.

A member of another forum lucked out bigtime in finding a motion picture studio marked Krag still in excellent condition. It looks to have been liberated from the prop vault shortly after being used in a film and carefully cleaned so no corrosion set in. This sort of excellent condition rifle would likely be a "Hero Prop" one carried by the star in close ups, to give the impression that all such rifles in the film were recent issue. The beaters would be used for firing blanks.

[madsenshooter]

No MMA10, I do most of my shopping online since I have a C&R license. I've bought a couple dogs, but most turned out ok. I'm looking at my other barrels, see what I can do with that 1896 I bought the other day, the dovetail was bubba'd beyond my repair and the throat was way long.