A $50 Krag

[Gewehr-Guy]

I have a question regarding the front sight post. Are they brazed or silver soldered on? And at what temp would they loosen and come off?

Now for the rest of the story. A few years ago I bought two Krag parade rifles, all chrome plated and rough, some of the chrome flaking off, and one stock painted the brightest red you ever saw, the other blue. Mister Blue has a bent rusty barrel, and badly splintered forend, a project for another day.

The red one has a solid stock, if I can get the paint off it should turn out nice. Now about the barrel, it has a 3 inch plug of lead poured in the muzzle. I ran a patch up to the plug, and it surprisingly feels like a decent bore. I would like to use a propane torch to melt out the lead, but don't want to loose the front sight. I am hoping to turn it into a usable cast bullet shooter .

[kootne]

Hi Gewehr-Guy, Get some Citrus Strip at the hardware store, it should take the paint off. Those front sight bases are silver soldered on so I think if what is in the barrel is lead you should be able to melt it out without problems.

[pietro]

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While the base is soldered, on my US Krag, the sight blade is replaceable via removing the crosspin that holds it to the base - the same sight blade used later on the 1903 Springfield..

[Battis]

I few years ago I bought a true wall hanger Krag (it had been in a VFW). They had removed the firing pin. That's all it took.

[Texas by God]

I have removed and replaced a Krag front sight and yes, if you’re trying to melt a lead plug out of the barrel- the sight base will come loose. Better to use a worm type tool and pull it out or a stout cleaning rod to pound it out.


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[Reg]

Have only removed one Krag sight base in the past but it was attached with what appeared to be a silver solder. This was a factory (arsenal) barrel. If it was typical then if you slowly and carefully apply heat with broad flame you should be able to melt the lead out of the barrel with no discoloration or loosening of the sight base

[Gewehr-Guy]

If I can find a piece of 1/4 inch cold rolled I'll try to tap it out first. I used to have a stiff piece of 1/4 inch brass rod that I used to drive bullets with, to get bore measurements, that might work also. Then if I have to melt it out, I'll use my propane weed burner, and try to hold the sight base on with a C clamp in case the solder melts.

[pietro]

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For years, I've used the brass (?) hinge pin from an old interior house/room door to drive stubborn sights out - it's just the right diameter to bear on a sight dovetail w/o touching any part of the female dovetail.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I wasn't there then, but I doubt if in 1898 they used what is today known as hi-temp silver solder. So I do believe that if you just try and melt the plug out you'll have the front sight fall off. Clamping it in place, like with a "C" clamp might retain it in place, as when the solder cools the sight would be still in place, but I'm thinking that the bond would be weakened and at some point in the future if whacked against something it might fall off. I think that first attempting to remove it as suggested by TbG (#5 above) would be a good idea, but finding the right rod may be difficult. Also, if one was to mount the rifle in a sturdy bench vise and then carefully drill a hole through the center of the lead plug before attempting to pound it out might prove to be of assistance as it would allow the plug to collapse in on itself and hopefully offer less resistance to the pounding.

Once the major portion of the lead had been removed a diligent cleaning with a bore solvent and stiff bore brush would likely finish the job. You're actually quite fortunate that the plug was the method chosen to deactivate the rifle, as they committed all sorts of atrocities to them like drilling holes through the chamber, drilling holes through the barrel, and in both cases sometimes pounding steel rods through the holes to prevent the insertion of cartridges, welding the bolts closed, putting blobs of weld in the chambers, muzzles, etc. I'd avoid the heat. Good luck with your project.

DG

[waksupi]

I have kept sights in place by wrapping them with soaking wet rags kept in place with wire, and keeping them wet. Wet enough to need a drip pan under them. For a lead plug, I think I would start heating at the point furthest from the sight, and have a solid rod I could tap the lead as the heating goes, to move it as early in the process as possible. I suspect the solder used for a front sight would have a higher melting point than lead.
You might also try soaking the plug with Kroil for a few days, and try driving the plug out with a solid rod, like slugging a barrel.

[Polymath]

If I can find a piece of 1/4 inch cold rolled I'll try to tap it out first. I used to have a stiff piece of 1/4 inch brass rod that I used to drive bullets with, to get bore measurements, that might work also. Then if I have to melt it out, I'll use my propane weed burner, and try to hold the sight base on with a C clamp in case the solder melts.

$4.00 at the hardware store.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Well guys, I got lucky, found my brass rod and tapped the obstruction out. What appeared to be lead was actually three pieces of aluminum rod or heavy wire. I don't know if someone did that intentionally, or some kid hammered them in the barrel. I'm sure glad I didn't try to melt it out! The bore is grey with good rifling, average condition for most Krags I've looked at, probably will shoot jacketed great, won't know about cast till I try them.

If it shoots anything resembling a group, I'll take it to our shoots without any cosmetic work done to it. It should get some attention as the ugliest rifle ever.

[Green Frog]

And if you polish up the red paint job, they’ll think you’ve added a composition stock and disqualify you from Military Match events!!

[Eddie Southgate]

I'd add a racing stripe and a Hooker Header sticker.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Or let my grandkids cover the stock with band-aids and pretty kitty stickers

[dogrunner]

Mayhaps get a rainbow carrying case.

[Gazz]

Some years ago I bought two bits of the muzzle ends of Krag barrels with the sights still attached. I needed one for a cut down rifle that had no front sight and I did not want to use a an 03 sight. I found that the sight base is silver soldered into a dovetail cut in the barrel. I clamped one in a vise and heated it with an oxy/acet torch and was able to remove it intact. I then filled an appropriate dovetail in my barrel and silver soldered the base in. Not quite as nice as an original but it looks pretty good. I then made a fiber optic blade for it after I found that I had an old aperture sight that fit into the magazine cut off location and it became a favorite deer gun. Now I'd like to get a handguard that does not have the rear barrel sight cut or maybe just remove it altogether. I sold the remaining barrel/sight piece on eBay for a considerable amount above my cost.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Update on Krag. I shot a few jacketed bullets to see if it would group, and maybe loosen up some of the old crud in the barrel, then another good cleaning. The mild jacketed made a good group, so next I tried some cast. One load of 17.5 gr Buffalo and 311299 made a group of 9 shots into 2.25 inches, last shot opened it up to 3.25 in. Scored 93-4X on our MR-31 targets. I was shooting off the corner of the box of my F-150, not a bench, so I think it will shoot better than that, especially after the bore cleans up with more shooting.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

This thread needs a picture!