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borderman
11-06-2006, 12:10 PM
I have an original (not sporterized) Krag with a bore that is hurting. After 50 lap bullets the grooves are starting to look better but the whole bore is pitted. There does not seem to be any copper fouling but a brass brush continues to scrape out black stuff. I will be firing a total of 200 lap bullets and call it good. The problem is the muzzle, there is just a very faint trace of groove visible. If the rifle does not shoot better after the lapping I am going to consider counterboring the last inch or so. Is there a tool to do this? I hate to just stick a 5/16 drill in the bore if there is a tool with a pilot to help center the cutting part. The Brownells catalog did not help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

sundog
11-06-2006, 12:47 PM
What about a liner. Then you'd have new rifling in the original barrel. sundog

Willbird
11-06-2006, 01:06 PM
They make a muzzle brake reamer that would probably work nicely, reamerrentals.com has them for rent, or you can buy one from Dave Kiff at Pacific Precision.
Some folks use these to make a muzzle brake in the end of a rifle barrel so I cannot see why it would not suit your purpuse.

Bill

gzig5
11-08-2006, 04:34 PM
I used a .312 chucking reamer on my enfield which looked like yours. A piloted reamer would be best, maybe a throater for a .338?

versifier
11-08-2006, 08:26 PM
If you have access to a lathe with a big enough hole in the headstock to clear the front sight, that would be easiest. Align the barrel with the dead center in the tailstock, switch to a chuck, and drill it out. The turning barrel will stabilize and center a regular drill bit enough to do the job. Without a lathe, the piloted reamer is the way to go, but even that would be easier if the barrel is turning and not the tool. Use plenty of cutting oil and pull the tool and clean the chips off of it often.

jonk
11-10-2006, 05:37 PM
If you want to ship it out, I can put you in touch with a smith that does a vg job counterboring. Email me at endofwork@netzero.net

Jon

Humpy
05-10-2007, 09:34 AM
Kind of late to reply to this but there are a couple options you could try.

1. Krag barrels were not stress relieved so when they get warm they are likely to walk. If you whack a barrel with a plastic hammer it will sound dead where a stress relieved barrel will ring.
2. You can counter front end with a 5/16 reamer a bit or if you have a lathe cut a new crown.
3. Assuming you have the barrel clean and it doesn't come out with black patch after bronze brushing it I have had success by making about 200 passes with synthetic grease and then start shooting it. On jacketed bullets the accuracy just got better and better by leaving the copper in. Might work the same for lead???

The grease I used was military Grease, Artillery and Automotive GAA. Mobil 1 synthetic grease should work well too.

KCSO
05-10-2007, 09:45 AM
Before I put $50 into having a gunsmith counterbore a Krag i would go the $100 and put on a new barrel from GPC.

texas tenring
05-19-2007, 03:48 PM
I know I will catch hell for this post, but counterboring really is not rocket science. A drill bit just larger than groove diameter will do the trick. Secure the rifle in a vise or otherwise, use cutting oil and a very slow turning hand drill. After about a half inch the bit will self center, just go slow and careful about 3/4" worked for me.

I turned a Czech 98/22 from a 5" shooter into a sub 2" rifle with handloads using the above technique. The bore had decent rifling but pitted and worn at the muzzle.

I would only recomend this when you have made up your mind you are going to alter the rifle anyway, new barrel, counterbore etc.. I don't usually alter any of my origanal milsurps but I enjoy shooting them as well as collecting them and it worked out very well on my 98/22.

monadnock#5
05-19-2007, 10:24 PM
The price of X-GI in original configuration has reached levels of deBeers diamonds. It's your gun, and you can certainly do whatever you want with it. But, you might consider selling it to a collector (not me!!), and using the money to buy a shootable example.

Ken

Oops. Sorry guys, should have looked at the dates a little more closely. You know how it is when your on a roll...

texas tenring
05-20-2007, 01:15 AM
[QUOTE=monadnock#5;184483]The price of X-GI in original configuration has reached levels of deBeers diamonds. It's your gun, and you can certainly do whatever you want with it. But, you might consider selling it to a collector (not me!!), and using the money to buy a shootable example.

Ken

I agree, I would not alter an origanal very valuable collector rifle, I try not to mess with even my cheap ones as a rule. But if a person is bent on making a rifle shoot better that has a worn muzzle, I'd much rather see one counterbored than the barrel cut off and sight set back as I've seen to often.