1898 rifle forearm repair?

OK, one of the Krags I have coming has had the forearm cut at the lower band. It looks un-molested other than that. I need the upper band parts and replacement forearm piece. My neighbor is a pretty good woodworker and can splice a new forearm piece. My question is about the lower barrel band pin. If we splice under the band, I assume the pin has to be installed somehow right in front of the lower band? Is this drilled? The stock is original and is marked 1899, it also appears to be tiger striped. (Italian walnut?)
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...5b3f0png-1.jpg
Shame this was cut. its going to be impossible to match with a replacement forearm I think.

Is there a woodworker that is familiar with Krags that could do this? My neighbor is pretty good but he's more of a furniture builder.

Dunlap woodcrafts made one from European walnut for me. I don't know if they'd be willing to do it again or not as they had to try 3 times. Unseen bad spots kept turning up as they turned down the wood. He sent me samples of the walnut so that I could chose which one matched the best. I've not put it on the rifle yet though I've had it a couple years. Cost about double what you'd pay for the black walnut forearms on ebay. If your friend has woodworking experience, the job shouldn't be too much for him, I've put model 92 forearms on and I'm the type that shouldn't mess with wood, you know once it's gone, there's no getting it back. Dunlap left a lot of extra on each end to work with, and a lot of sanding for me to do to get the proper thickness. Give them a call or drop them an email.

Thank you, I will try to contact them.

I found out that they farm the gunstock work out as they're primarily a wood supply business. Reason I'm telling you this is because at the time I got mine they had lost what they refer to as a carver due to health issues and it took over a year for me to get the forearm I'd prepaid for. I think the part I got was their new carver's third attempt, but it looks to me like it'll get the job done. Best part was the barrel channel, good fit and won't have to mess with it much at all. Some repro stocks I've got from other suppliers were terrible in this respect with barrel channels that would have to be either glass bedded because they were too wide or hand cut because they weren't wide enough. Glass bedding is ok in some of the matches I shoot in, and not in others.

I have completed a project such as yours and I consider it quite successful as it was my first attempt at a stock restoration. I am going to spare you alot of info in this post and link some helpful sites to this post. Let me know if you have any questions by contacting me in PM or email. In general forearm pieces are out there for sale. I bought mine from S&S, as well as the hardware. Ebay will sometimes have the hardware also. I use Fiebings leather dye to match colors with the original stock. Browse this link for very helpful info on your resto :

Surplusrifle Forum View forum - Stock Care and Replacement Stocks

S S Firearms Home

Parts for Antique Guns

Pics and thread on my project rifle:

Surplusrifle Forum View topic - My first Krag.....

Thank you Sir. Did you have a pic of the final product? I saw the forearm was cut a good ways forward of the band. Where did you end up splicing? I will have to go under the barrel lower barrel band, that is why I was asking about the retaining pin, if that is what it is called. Thanks for links!

I spliced under the lower barrel band. Do you have a closeup pic of yours?

Might be a bit before I can get a close-up. I wont have it in may hands for a couple weeks at least.

Looking at the stock picture, what color combination of Fiebings dye would you use to match that color? I will have to test the color. Just asking for an educated guess

I would go a shade darker then you think, as you rub the finish on/off it will lighten up. Maybe,, Russet or medium brown....

Thank you. I ended up buying two rifles, a carbine and a sporter. One rifle needs nothing, one needs the forearm splice, the carbine needs just a handguard and the sporter, well, it will forever be a sporter. I'm still waiting on all of them, will post pictures.

UGH. I contacted Dunlaps, they told me to contact Taylor. Taylor said all Krags were American walnut. I'm stuck.

I know they are not correct, but I'm I correct in thinking the stock in the picture is European/Italian walnut?

I showed the folks at Taylor my picture and this:

" According to Franklin B. Mallory, "The Krag Rifle Story", page #75, the N.Y.C. firm of Louis Windmuller and Roelker furnished 13,000 stocks of Italian walnut in June, 1899. "They were given a contract for 20,000 additional stocks in July, 1899". (I do not know, but suspect, they were actually providing stock blanks to be finished at Springfield). Attached photos show '1900' Italian stock above an '1899' American black walnut stock. "


They said they were not aware of this "but" American walnut is all they had.

There's another option, the fellow who makes complete repro stocks on ebay. He makes some in European walnut and ought to be able to do a forearm. Here's his profile page: oldsailorao36 on eBay He makes fake cartouches too, but might not be an all bad guy despite that.

Your thinking is correct, that orange tiger striped wood is the Italian, which looks European to me. I have one of the Japanese Type I rifles made in Italy, same wood. In fact I thought about sacrificing the type I stock to whittle out a Krag forearm, but the dimensions didn't figure out.

Thanks I'll give him a shot

Good luck, you'd have thought someone would have the sense to make a few out of European walnut. That color varied quite a bit, some were without the tiger striping, some were nearly yellow and I'd like to have of them. I see he has a couple handguards for the 1901 sight at a fair price, and they appear to be made of the Italian walnut.

Dunlaps emailed me back. Now they say they can do it, but have to locate the right kind of wood.

Someone heard you about that handguard, the nicer one was bought a few minutes later

I once ran my mouth on a forum about a Krag rifle that was in what was once a 96 Cadet rifle stock. It disappeared within minutes.