upper handguard krag

[porthos]

looking for a upper handguard for a 1896 or 1898 krag. it is my understanding that the rear sight is the same on both. numrich is out of stock. anywhere else??

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I used to tinker with Krags a lot, and haunted ebay almost daily looking for parts, handguards among what I was seeking. There were two sources, the first being parts stripped from rifles being parted out. Usually these were overly expensive or cracked. The second was a guy who made new replicas. He made at least 5 model versions plus a blank without a sight hole, so you could cut your own for whatever you were trying to fit it to. I bought from him several times, maybe 12 handguards total, and was completely satisfied. Unfortunately, I don't remember who he was or where he was located. He wasn't always on ebay, he'd come and go, sometimes for several months, then show up again. So, you could start looking for him. Also, a search of the internet might turn up another maker, or even the guy I'm talking about, as other stock making companies have made them from time to time. Boyd's made them for awhile, but I don't think they make them any longer.

DG

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[TheAbe]

On eBay, there is a seller matching the description from the above response by the name of BBReproductions. Currently has a couple of handguards and a K98 stock for sale. I’ve bought a Carcano handguard from him in the past and it was quality work, though you’ll have to fit and finish it yourself. Find one of his auctions and message him asking about a handguard for the rifle model (96 or 98 rifle or carbine) and model of sight (1896, 1898, 1901, 1902, 1903) that your rifle has and he should get back to you.
I’m eventually going to inquire with him about a Krag stock set (mine has been shaved down and he also makes full stocks), and I know he’s offered 98 w/1901 sight handguards before.

Separately, you’ll need to find the clips that hold the wood to the barrel. Far as I know he just makes the wood piece.

[porthos]

thanks guys. i will want one with the clips attached

[gnoahhh]

The clips aren't hard to make. Use "springy" steel sheet metal and bend around a mandrel. Use your imagination and experiment to get the right radius and enough springiness to grip the barrel. Attachment via rivets (not pop rivets).

Another, rather esoteric, solution is to scrounge up some of the clips used for the under-webbing on MGB car seats. Perfectly adaptable for Krag (and Springfield I think) handguard clips. Don't laugh, they made a million of the cars and you can find stuff like that in the restoration community and from parts suppliers (new and used).

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It's been about 10 years now since I made handguards, but at the time S&S Firearms in N.Y. sold replica clips. I used them on several handguard projects. I can't recall if they sold rivets or not, but I already had a parts drawer full of rivets from other projects. The tricky thing about installing the clips is that they are curved and the underside of the handguard must be inletted a bit so that they will sit flush in the wood. Then, precision drilling the holes in just the right place, two per clip, can be tricky. Next, flattening the rivets sufficiently to hold the clip without splitting the wood requires some thought as to how to hold them in place while the job is being done and what sort of an anvil arrangement to use. I muddled through, but sure wish I could have seen the jig that the original Springfield Arsenal used for the job. So, you might try S&S for the clips if you have to make a handguard.

Another way I went on these projects was to decide if the carbine-like Krag I was constructing was going to be a carbine replica or a carbine-like rifle. On some I mounted a no-gunsmithing peep sight and therefore didn't need a barrel mounted rear sight. On those I used a blank handguard purchased from the ebay source previously mentioned, and I did inlet the bottom side for the clips but epoxied them in place without the rivets. The last one I made was something I'd always wanted, a Krag carbine-like rifle with a heavier than standard barrel, for both target and hunting. I attempted to use the S&S clips but found them lacking in springiness, and broke several attempting to get them to snap around the larger size barrel. Final attachment required some imagination and I ended up using a specially made internal barrel band that accepts a large brass screw and unusual washer. It works, and the presence of the brass kind of grows on you.

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DG