Working with a Krag

[L Ross]

Last night I took a Krag in exchange for some 22 ammo. I had supplied a friend with ammo last year with the proviso that it just simply needed to be replaced. Well we all know how that's going so he asked if I'd take the Krag instead. I thought why not? It was obviously a cobbled up sporter but my friend said it shot good and he gave me an ammo box with 45 factory loads in it.
In addition to pulling down the factory ammo last night I got on the good old internet and to my pleasant surprise I learned there is a little more history to this rifle than a handy old guy with a hacksaw and a wood rasp.
Turns out what I think I have is a Bannerman sporter and Sedgley did the work for Bannerman. The Krag action has been installed into a modified 03 Springfield stock. The magazine well is plugged with a beautifully fitted walnut insert. The workmanship is very nice. The front sight is also from a surplus 03.
I used a 31R Lyman M-Die to flare the necks of a few of the pulled down factory loads and loaded some 311284's of ACWW, sized to .311", lubed with Felix WFL, powered by 18.0 gr. of 4759. I'll de-copper the bore today and after it gets above zero degrees out, I'll test fire it.
I will try to get some photos in follow up posts as I enjoy the pictures GLL, Ben, and Dutchman, use to illustrate their posts. Sadly I never have had much luck getting pictures in posts.

Duke

[L Ross]

Well I wasted a couple of hours fighting with the photo issue, maybe successfully, maybe not. The rifle is being much more tractable. The above mentioned load handily went into 2.1" five shot group at 50 yards, all vertical. It was less than a half inch wide and I'm having a terrible time with elevation and the open sights. I just got back in from firing another load. This time I found some plain base 308241's that mic at .312", lubed with Carnuba Red. I collet sized the brass in a Lee .303 British die, M-died them and loaded 7.3 grains of Tin Star, walked out to the Thorn Hollow Ballistic Research Facility and zeroed at 50 feet, then I proceeded to knock down the regulation chickens and one non regulation cat silhouette at 80 yards off hand. I can tell this rifle is going to be fun! The Tin Star loads are quite mild but due to the head space on the rim of the 30-40 I don't have to worry about the shoulder setting back or drilling out the flash holes. Now I'll try a picture and see what happens.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/Walnuthill/DSC_0180_zps7add4be1.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/Walnuthill/media/DSC_0180_zps7add4be1.jpg.html)

[L Ross]

Well that worked so I'll try to show the Sedgley mark and the filled magazine well. http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/Walnuthill/DSC_0173_zpsf9fd9356.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/Walnuthill/media/DSC_0173_zpsf9fd9356.jpg.html)

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/Walnuthill/DSC_0180_zps7add4be1.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/Walnuthill/media/DSC_0180_zps7add4be1.jpg.html)

[L Ross]

Once more.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/Walnuthill/DSC_0183_zps736d1d1d.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/Walnuthill/media/DSC_0183_zps736d1d1d.jpg.html)

[Char-Gar]

Looks like you are having lots of fun with a fine old rifle. That is what this is all about.

[kenyerian]

Very nice !

[BruceB]

Lovely old rifle. I'm a hopeless devotee of the Krags.

The magazine.... if it's got a walnut plug, does that make it a single-shot? I see all the external magazine parts are still present, so I wonder what the story is behind this modification.

Enjoy!

[scb]

Bruce if you can get ahold of a copy of Lt.Col. William S Brophy's book The Krag Rifle he devotes 7 or 8 pages to Francis Bannerman and W. Stokes Kirks surplus Krags. Basically he says there were a lot of Krag rifles without good stocks so they modified 03 Springfield stocks so they could sell the surplus rifles as cheep sporters. Must be labor was really cheap then.

[Mark Daiute]

Lovely old rifle. I'm a hopeless devotee of the Krags.

The magazine.... if it's got a walnut plug, does that make it a single-shot? I see all the external magazine parts are still present, so I wonder what the story is behind this modification.



All the rounds fit under the bolt, behind that beautiful barndoor on the side of the receiver.

Man, I'd trade some 22 ammo for that rifle any day of the week! How's the bore? That looks like a real nice rifle and the 1901 sight is my favorite. good for you.

Enjoy!

[L Ross]

QUOTE=BruceB;2659804]Lovely old rifle. I'm a hopeless devotee of the Krags.

The magazine.... if it's got a walnut plug, does that make it a single-shot? I see all the external magazine parts are still present, so I wonder what the story is behind this modification.

Bruce, the plug only fills the opening where the floor plate was and must be fairly thin. There is also a plug filling the oblong hole near the toe of the stock where the base for the original sling swivel was, also neatly done. These rifles were quite inexpensive and yet hand labor was lavished on them by the skilled workers at R.F. Sedgley, I'm in awe.
Enjoy![/QUOTE]

[L Ross]

Mark, the bore looks splendid. I'm amazed the rifle shoot so well because you can feel the barrel move in the channel and the stock itself seems pretty fragile as there is not much wood around that Krag magazine. I really need to think about glass bedding the action and maybe a pad under the barrel. If it was a "Bubba" sporter I'd have no hesitation, but having a little history attached to it gives me pause before making any modifications. There was a miserable old dried out cut down shotgun recoil pad on it so I need to find a 03 butt plate and two screws.

Duke

[pworley1]

The Bannerman Krags that I have are great fun to shoot. One is like yours and was mostly just restocked. The other not only had an 03 stock, but also had and 03 barrel added to it. They both work very well with just about any combination of cast bullet and powder that I have trued. I couldn't tell from your picture if yours is a 96 0r 98, mine are one of each.
Enjoy your rifle.

[Frank46]

We need more info on the non regulation cat silhouette target curious minds want to know. Nice krag by the way. Frank

[L Ross]

We need more info on the non regulation cat silhouette target curious minds want to know. Nice krag by the way. Frank

I have a friend with a plasma cutter. In addition to ten official chickens silhouettes, I have a cat or two, ten buffalo, 23 prairie dogs, a full set of 22 BPCR rules silhouettes, and 4", 6", and8" discs. Some are only 1/4" thick for 22 some are up to 3/4" thick. Here's a shot of the 80 yard rail as it is set up this Winter.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/Walnuthill/DSC_0192_zps019389b7.jpg (http://s132.photobucket.com/user/Walnuthill/media/DSC_0192_zps019389b7.jpg.html)

[curator]

Many of these "Bannerman" Krags also had '03 Springfield barrels. Your appears to have one of these, based on the front sight which is typical '03, not Krag.. A bit of glass bedding might help strengthen the stock which is very weak around the magazine and front of the action. These are usually good shooters with tighter bores than found on Krags. It is a part of history and will only appreciate as time goes by--assuming our grandchildren are still allowed to own guns when they get to collecting age.

[Char-Gar]

If it common to find cut Krag barrels with 03 front sight bands in place. They are a good fit for a 22 inch or thereabouts cut Krag barrel. I have installed a couple. Heat the bands quite hot with a torch and drive them on the barrel and straighten them while the are hot. Let them cool and "waller" out a groove for the pin and pin the barrel to keep it from turning. This was common "back in the day".

[uscra112]

Very nice find !

I'll only add that you bone up on how Krags are bedded before you do anything. They are a different breed of (dare I say non-regulation?) cat !

[L Ross]

Thanks, for the info and the chuckle, and I've always liked your avatar. Shot the Krag some more yesterday and I'm feeling very patient right now. I think I'm going to use it primarily as a plain base shooting plinker. That 308241 and Tin Star load is just plain fun. I no longer care that the barrel wiggles in the stock, it seems to shoot anyway. So I promise I'll go slow and check with you for any tips if I decide to mess with the bedding in the future.

Duke
Very nice find !

I'll only add that you bone up on how Krags are bedded before you do anything. They are a different breed of (dare I say non-regulation?) cat !