No longer a box of gun parts

[Char-Gar]

I started with a 1901 Krag action, a new 03A3 barrel and a very old stock blank from Ebay. I have been working on it by "fits and starts" for the past two years. Today, it is no longer a box of parts, but a fully functional firing rifle. It is almost like a birthday when this happens.

I will take it to the range this week and if all is well, I will finish shape, sand and finish the wood and polish and blue the metal. This is the fun part.

[sundog]

Yeee-hah! Good on you.

[scrapcan]

You know that is what i said a mauser project from a few years ago. It is still in the white and gets shot quite often. My stock is finished and bedded, but metal is still in the white. Shooting is way more fun than doign the finish work.

[elk hunter]

I see a real problem with that Krag. The cheek piece is on the wrong side of the stock. Kidding aside, you're going to like shooting it. I have four of them, and love shooting cast bullets through them offhand at the 200 yard gongs at our range. Drives the AR-15 folks with their moon scopes crazy when I hit them nearly as well as they do. Any 180 to 220 cast bullet of correct size should shoot well.

[jonk]

Caliber?
For a pile of scrap parts and junk.....looks very nice! :)

[RayinNH]

I see a real problem with that Krag. The cheek piece is on the wrong side of the stock.


Really? I looked at it and said, "Finally somebody puts the cheekpiece on the correct side." That is if you gotta have a cheekpiece :wink:.

Sorta makes you feel like Dr. Frankenstein, assembling all those odd pieces and giving it life, doesn't it?...Ray

[Char-Gar]

I bought my first Krag in 1960 for $15.00. I killed my first deer with it the same year and still have the rifle. This one will make my 4th Krag. They just seem to follow me home.

Being let handed, the cheek piece is where God intended for it to be. The caliber is 30-40 and cut with a minimum reamer. It will take factory ammo, but is much tighter than a military chamber. The Reminton 2 groove 03A3 barrel was cut about 2 1/2 inches from the breech, rethreaded and chambered back to 30-40. The bolt lug was lapped for a tight fit against the receiver.

[Combat Diver]

Very nice job!

[Bret4207]

Good job Chargar. I have a 98 Mauser in 308 I've been working on "in fits and starts" for over 20 years. What's your secret for actually finishing a project?

Signed, Bret M.,President, Procrastinators Club of America, Local 13642.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Chargar. The scope mount I got from you for my Krag is on and working out great. Thanks.Robert

[Char-Gar]

Bret.. The secret to finishing a project is getting old. About five years ago, I set out of make myself a trio of classic rifles. Rifles I have always wanted but could not pay retail price.

1. A Springfield NRA Sporter clone
2. A Mauser sporter in good pre-War classic style
3. A Krag sporter also in classic style

I have completed the Springfield and the Mauser and the Krag is in the short rows. My back is starting to hurt pretty good from long hours of standing to do the stock work. The arthritis in my hands, wrists and fingers is getting worse. I had intended to stop with these three, but my Son and Step Son have prevailed upon me for two more. It will be a race against the clock to get them done. If I am able to get them done, there will be no more rifle building projects.

[sundog]

Charles, do not pay any attention to Elk Hunter --- that check piece is in prexactly the right spot! You going to be anywhere around Galveston around Thanksgiving?

I really wish that JT and Brett had kept their big yaps shut about how long their Mauser projects are taking. I'm doing one now that involves Felix, and if he finds out, my a$$ is grass. Of course, I've only had it for about a year...

[leadman]

The Krag looks like it is set up to shoot properly, from the left side! Don't know about these people that try to do things backwards.

[Char-Gar]

Corky... Come Thanksgiving, I will be 300 miles south of Galveston.

[RobS]

Very nice work

[Capn Jack]

Beautiful job on a true classic.

Just a short story...

Several of us were standing around an A.M. camp fire loading our rifles pryer to setting out hunting...The BS was flowing from one particular fellow when he wondered why we all started to snicker at him. :rolleyes:

He had been loading the tray of his Kraig from his pocket and after several fumbling attempts, realized he was trying to load a chapstick in his magazine.
:groner: It was a long time before he lived that one down. ;)

Jack:mrgreen:

[ButchC]

Looks like a beautiful culmination of said box of parts. I have to admit I've got the same thing going with a lot fewer parts. If anyone has a lead on Krag parts I'd be oh so grateful for a PM.

[grog18b]

Very nice looking rifle there Bro. I have a similar box of parts, a YUGO AK underfolder parts kit I was given a couple years ago... Just never seems to be enough time to work on her...

[RayinNH]

Butch go to:
http://www.ssfirearms.com/

download catalog, parts start on page 25

[home in oz]

It looks good.

[ButchC]

Thanks RayinNH

[Tristan]

Bret.. The secret to finishing a project is getting old. About five years ago, I set out of make myself a trio of classic rifles. Rifles I have always wanted but could not pay retail price.

1. A Springfield NRA Sporter clone
2. A Mauser sporter in good pre-War classic style
3. A Krag sporter also in classic style

I have completed the Springfield and the Mauser and the Krag is in the short rows. My back is starting to hurt pretty good from long hours of standing to do the stock work. The arthritis in my hands, wrists and fingers is getting worse. I had intended to stop with these three, but my Son and Step Son have prevailed upon me for two more. It will be a race against the clock to get them done. If I am able to get them done, there will be no more rifle building projects.

Are you willing to adopt? :D

[Char-Gar]

Tristan... Adoption is always a possibility, but only if you bring more assets into the family than you consume. I got all my kids off the payroll and want to keep it that way.

BTW..I took the new Krag to the range and put about twenty rounds through it to check function. I didn't get a chance to put it on paper as it was raining cats and dogs. Function seemed fine and it shot where I looked. I have finished shaping and rough sanded down to 150 grit to take out all of the rasp, file and tool marks. After firing for accuracy, I will sand the wood down to 600, finish it and have the metal blued.

[WILCO]

Signed, Bret M.,President, Procrastinators Club of America, Local 13642.

I wanted to join that outfit, but kept putting it off...............:groner: :D

[Three44s]

(Left handed shooters are the only ones in their right minds!)

That project looks perfectly in sync with me .....!!

Nice!

Three 44s

[NoDakJak]

I'm glad to see that someone finally built a Krag with the cheekpiece on the proper side.
Neil Alias: Lefty

[Multigunner]

Oddly enough the British once considered manufacturing lefthanded SMLE rifles for left handed soldiers. There must have been a fairly high percentage of lefthanded soldiers in those days.

[Char-Gar]

I can see some advantage for a left handed military rifle in the hands of a left handed soldier. In a sporting rifle I don't see that much. There were no left handed bolt guns where I started shooting other than some high dollar conversions. There I learned to shoot with a regular bolt action rifle. I was well into shooting when the Savage left hand bolt came along and just didn't see the need. About ten years ago, I bought my first left handed bolt action. After all of these years with right handed rifles, I find them awkard to use.

So, I go on with life, putting left handed cheek pieces on right handed bolt guns. Seems normal to me!