1900 Krag.....followed me home

[rmcc]

Went to an auction a few weeks back, bid on a Krag, won the bid, and the auction company mixed up the rifles!! Well, finally got sorted out and I picked up rifle today. Will post pictures later. Should do a before and after but the old girl is so dirty, I wouldn't know where to start. She is well worn, looks like honest wear though, cartouches are intact, and no major problems are evident. Bore is dark and can't tell much more than that because it appears to be full of cosmoline and the stock is impregnated with cosmoline. Serial # puts manufacture at 1900 but stock cartouche is 1902. Started work tonight on cleaning bore. More to follow.

rmcc

[richhodg66]

I'd love to have an original Krag. The sporterized one I have is a very good shooter with cast.

[JMax]

My sporterized Krag made in 1902 really like the NOE 314-202GC (314299 equiv) sized to .311" with 15-17 gr of 2400. It too has a dark bore with well defined rifling.

[rmcc]

I,too, have an 1898 sporterized!! I use a Lyman 311041 over 23.0 gr of IMR 4198. Mild load and accurate! They are just plain fun to shoot. At this auction they had 2 Krags. One went for $300 and the other for over $800. I bought the "dirty" girl for $300, it had everything correct. The other one was missing the front sight blade, stock had been sanded smooth (no cartouches), and the action felt like it had sand in it. Go figure?

[Texas by God]

Let the fun begin. I am envious.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[skeet1]

I love my 1898 Krag (1901) when I got it someone had slathered some kind of varnish on the stock but had not sanded it, all the cartouches still in place. I striped it and put several coats of Lind seed oil on. The barrel was toast. and found an original very good barrel on ebay and re-barreled it. It now looks good and shoots good.

[Adam Helmer]

skeet1,

Very nice restoration on your Krag Rifle. I have a pair of original rifles and a M1896 Carbine. The Carbine is in sporter configuration for a litany of good reasons. I found her for $50 in an estate sale a decade ago. She had the barrel hacksawed to 16.25 inches and was in a blond sporter stock. I took her to a gunsmith neighbor, now deceased. He said he could resurrect her for $50.00.

The smith put on an 03-A3 barrel cut to 20 inches with sights installed. He smoothed up the trigger and I now have my favorite woods rifle. All my Krags like the Lee .312-185 RN cast boolit. I only shoot cast in my Krags.

Adam

[500Linebaughbuck]

i have a 1898 spr armory (1903) bubbasized in 30-40 krag too!!! it has a 22" barrel(bubbasized). it took me forever and a day to clean out the barrel. i spent about 6 or 7 days to sand the stock and about 2 days to refinish it. it was black!!!! now its sort of wood-like. i'm going to lin-speed oil it someday this summer. https://www.lin-speed.com/
a 165gr ranch dog over a charge of h4198 is plenty good for deer.

[Whelen]

217046
Not surprised to see others having luck with 4198. My nice little 1899 just loves it with the NOE 311384. These Krags have a way of stealing your heart. I'm sure I will have another follow me home someday.

[rmcc]

WHELEN,

I can only HOPE mine shoots that well!! Nice shooting!! That is a pretty consistent load, it looks like.

rmcc

[too many things]

guess they didnt have wind back then as no windage adjustment .

[Texas by God]

guess they didnt have wind back then as no windage adjustment .
Kentucky Windage. No mil dots needed......��

[Whelen]

guess they didnt have wind back then as no windage adjustment .

It depends on which variation of rear sight you have. The 1898 and 1902 have a dial adjustment and the 1901 moves via a lever but, they all have graduated marks for repeatability. I do not believe the 1892 or 1896 have windage adjustment but I've been wrong before. The 1902 has a nifty sliding peep sight arrangement on the leaf that pops into place to hit the same POI as the open leaf. Doesn't work to well for field shooting but, it really helps shrink groups on the bench.

[georgewxxx]

The easiest fix for windage is to remove the cutoff and add a peep sight.

[rmcc]

This one has the windage adjustable base, kind of like a Buffington on an 1884 Trapdoor only more refined. Works smooth!!

[500Linebaughbuck]

The easiest fix for windage is to remove the cutoff and add a peep sight.

ya got that right!!!!! i just luv my redfield 102k!!!

[georgewxxx]

The best thing about those Redfields, is no drilling or permanent modification required, you can alway put it back to the way it came to you.

[rmcc]

OK, getting closer to shooting. Since my last post, I have worn out several brushes and a lot of elbow trying to get this bore clean!!! Have tried all my remedies and several from here, still getting **** out of barrel. It is not rust, it comes out like grease. The funny thing is, I still get "blue" off the lands using copper remover. It is the grooves I am having trouble with. Don't get me wrong, I have made a LOT of progress. When I first started, you could not see the grooves. Rifling has very sharp edges. Oh well, I guess I have nothing but time,LOL.

[Gtek]

My old go to on Mil-surp bores, strip weapon and rig up how to secure barrel vertical. Find hose that will clamp over muzzle and plug with about a .125” hole. Find hose to fit chamber and put small funnel. Boil up about a gallon of water and pour through. When out of water going to be too hot to bare hand, glove or towel to table and then push Kroil, Ed’s Red or similar creeping stuff and let cool to ambient. Next day pushing will blow all kinds.

[bob208]

I have a 92 rebuilt to 96 spec. a early 96 rifle with the nonadjustable windage rear sight. a 96 with the later adjustable rear sight. 2 98s one with the 1901 sight. 1 96 saddle ring carbine 1 98 saddle ring carbine and a 99 carbine I killed a 8 point buck with. used the 311299 bullet .

[rmcc]

THANKS!!! Will try that method.

[cajun shooter]

I have an original 1898 that is in stock form that I purchased in 1968 while in Huntington, WV. visiting my mom. The stock has a coat of some kind of sealer, it has no cracks or dents. The cartouches are intact and very clear. The metal has a patina appearance with all bbl markings very visible. The bore has lands and grooves with dark spots from firing the ammo of the time and then not giving it a proper cleaning. The safety works as designed and the magazine cut off works well also. This is a nice feature of the Krag.
I also have about 200 new cases along with a hundred or more of once fired. I don't want to sell the brass by itself.
I know it's impossible to grade any firearm sight unseen and that is not what I'm asking for, but certain guns sell better in different regions and that is what I'm asking. A ballpark figure is all that I seek.
The rifle looks the same as the picture posted by Skeet1
Any help that I receive will be greatly appreciated as I need to thin the heard. Later David

[Hamish]

The easiest fix for windage is to remove the cutoff and add a peep sight.
If the cutoff is removed, don't forget to make a nail or rod insert to replace the shaft of the cutoff or you will most likely have rounds hang up in the cutoff recess,,,,

[cajun shooter]

Friday Morning bump

[Shiloh]

My NRA cutdown shoots very well. 314299 sized at .312 rings the 13" gong at 200 yards all day long. Most shots in the 9 and 10 ring of an SR-3 target.
My military relics shoot nothing but cast, and do it very well.

Shiloh

[rmcc]

Well guys, had to give up on original barrel!! Was too far gone! Would ABSOLUTELY not shoot cast, had a little better luck with jacketed but not much. Found a good barrel and she is in the shop right now. Supposed to be a 3 week turn around so can't hardly wait to get it back. I am afraid I have become a Krag nut!!

[Multigunner]

I'm paring down my bucket list as that bucket looms closer, but a Krag still rests comfortably near the top.

[Marlin356]

I have a very nice one and am gathering parts and pieces to make a replica of the Cataract scope equipped "sniper" model.