Norwegian Krag in .243?

[madsenshooter]

Not long ago I noticed a couple barrels on ebay. The auctions said they were for Krag rifles, Austrian steel, .243WCF. It didn't take me long to realize the stub was a left hand thread, so the barrels were made for the Norwegian Krag. Probably imported by Globe back in the 50s or 60s. I sold one of them off, but I've been pondering what to do with the other one.

I have a packrat friend of mine that keeps an eye out for firearms related things for me. I've shown him my US Krag rifles, and the the other day he told me he'd run across part of a rifle with a lunchbox on the side of it, like my rifles. I was surprised when he brought out a complete 1916 dated, all matching Norwegian Krag receiver assembly! Oh boy!

I initially thought it best not to leave it in .243, and found a couple options. One would be have .1" taken of the breechface, the mating ring, and a.243 sizing die. That'd make a wildcat known as the 6mm Niemiller, the .243 with the shoulder pushed back .1", which would prevent the chambering of a .243. Another option would be to rechamber to the 6x55 wildcat, aka the 6mm Arch in regular or improved. One might need to go with the improved to get the .454 of the .243s shoulder cut out, not sure. I've tried to figure out the pros and cons. After much thought I've decided I'm going to install the barrel as is and use Hodgdon .243 starts loads as max loads for jacketed, and perhaps have the loading gate engraved: .243WIN, NO FACTORY LOADS, on top, with "CONSIDER HODGDON START LOADS MAX LOADS", on the side.

Globe must have converted some Norwegians to .243, in addition to the Globe 777 in .308WIN. I once ran across a post by a Canadian fellow who has one in .243. He's been shooting factory ammo and taking coyotes with it.

I've got a couple nice little 6mm molds, one that BaBore made for me with a Don Eagan cherry, and NOE's .243 truncated cone that is also based on an Eagan design. While I have the rifle, that's primarily what it'll be used for, shooting cast at around 2000fps, with luck, at some coyotes. They're getting too many of the little deer around here!

Just for the heck of it, I used a ram extension and made up an approximation of the Niemeller. L-R, once fired .243 with an Eagan MX2-243 sitting in the spout. Full length sized .243, Niemiller approximation.

[gnoahhh]

Sounds interesting. I too would be inclined to do a shorter wildcat. The gun will surely end up in someone else's hands unless you plan to live forever, and that someone would perforce be a handloader if he would want to shoot it. Being a handloader willing to tackle an obscure wildcat would also mean he probably has the intelligence to deal with it cautiously. Certainly not a guarantee, but better odds than those presented by a Norwegian Krag .243 tossed to the unthinking crowd. A Norwegian Krag is a wonderful thing, but is certainly no Model 70 strength-wise.

[madsenshooter]

If I'm going to do that, I should do it from the beginning. Taking the .1 off the breechface will put the chamber right, but the threads aren't .1" pitch, they're 12/1". So if I cut the ejector slot for the .243 and later decide to go with the wildcat, indexing is going to be a problem. Least in my mind, but I'm not a machinist.

[gnoahhh]

I would fit it up as a short .243 first (pick an arbitrary amount of shortness-- 1/16" , or whatever, would be sufficient to prevent a .243 from chambering), and if you change your mind later it would be a simple matter to run the .243 reamer in the rest of the way, leaving the barrel in situ. The only thing you would really be out of would be the sizing die you cut off to match the first chamber.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I think about everybody has got the right idea about this rifle, that it would be excellent and usable as you could load the .243, but not as people do load it.

We have far too many cartridges, and I like the idea of making it work with a cartridge once common in the real world of people, and yet a contemporary of the Krag. Of course we all try to make people live out our ideas, just as ladies of the evening try to lure women of more conventional livestyle into one they haven't found particularly pleasant. Er... so I have heard... But if you are willing to set back the barrel and rechamber, the 6mm. Forster is a good one. First though, you should consult a good reference book and draw out this and the .243 on some old-fashioned graph paper first, to check whether you can get beyond the wider shoulder of the .243 chamber.

[madsenshooter]

I was just sitting here, kicking some of the pros and cons of the options around and something dawned on me. Although shortening the case & chamber sounds like a good idea, that would also leave ammo around that will chamber with excess headspace in a .243. I intend to use GI brass, but some future user might size down .243 headstamped brass, and make a bunch of hazards that could get into circulation.

Well, in digging around, I see another case that would have some factory ammo available, the 6mm Swiss Match. Pretty similar to my shortened .243, just another chamber to cut after setback, and potential for problems. Drat! The barrel is awfully close to being fitted, as is, without extractor slot. My idea of simply having the loading gate engraved with a warning is sounding better. Cheapest way too! While I can't live forever, for now, Trulane (think Star Trek), gets to play with his toys!

[leadman]

I tthink the shortening of the 243 is what I would do. I know that the 243 has some pretty hot loading data out in the world. I think I would not get in line to shoot a 60,000 psi cartidge out of a 100 year old Krag!
I don't know if a 6mm Creedmoor cartridge would fit in a shortened 243 chamber or not. Just a thought. How about a 300 Savage necked down??

[Tedly]

Norwegian Krag is under rated strength wise....while not a Mauser or such , no reason not to hand load some action appropriate rounds

[madsenshooter]

It's certainly not the same steel as the 1890s US Krag. Seems to be hardened through and through rather than just surface hardened like the US. If it were to fail with factory loads, I doubt that it would be catastrophic. Maybe crack at the front locking lug, or back where the guide rib bears on the receiver. I note there's a stress relief cut back in that corner, unlike US Krags. I have read of a US Krag cracking there, after the front lug was lapped too much. It's just sitting in the vise for now.

"How about a 300 Savage necked down??" That's basically Tubb's original 6X. There's a bunch of smaller cartridges in the neighborhood of where I want to go. I really don't want to go bigger as I've no use for the extra capacity in a 22" barrel.

[madsenshooter]

I've decided, it'll stay a .243 and I'll get the loading gate engraved. Today I discovered a Pacific no drill and tap receiver sight for the US Krag can be fitted, with a minimum of work.

[skeettx]

OR, you can set it up for 6mm International which is 6mm/250

[madsenshooter]

It's staying a .243. Remington and Hornady both make reduced recoil loads that are Krag safe pressure-wise. I'll have the loading gate engraved, "Use only Rem or Hornady reduced recoil loads". Perhaps one day it will become a 6mm Arch Improved, which is a necked down and improved 6.5x55. But, right now that's a pretty pricey reamer that I don't see any of the rental companies carrying. My cast bullets throat up nicely with the check above the neck/shoulder junction in the .243. All I need to do now is cut the extractor groove.