Krag rifle stock

I just found a Krag rifle #88094 model 1896 that has what looks like the ramrod rod channel filled from the outside with a strip of filler inlet into the forearm. The butt-stock also has the three holes drilled for a cleaning rod It has the dished semi circle for the bolt root, a serif P and no cracks or inspectors car touche. I also found what looks like a small steel bedding block in front of the receiver channel that looks factory and the handgaurd that surrounds the 1896 sight covers the lower graduations so that they may not be read easily. The bore is pristine out to the muzzle and it came to me covered from long ago with a heavy oil congealed around all metal parts and what looked like dried axle grease inside the bolt body. All parts have aged together nicely and I dont think its been apart for a very long time with all parts looking period correct. The front sight blade and rear sight folded bore sight to point of aim @ 100yds. {mite be a little left and a 6 o'clock hold haven't shot it yet} Could some-one clue me in about the fore stock? Didn't even notice it until I was oiling the stock and wiping it down with oil and turpentine to clean. Sorry no pictures till I can get my phone back. Thanks for your help.:confused:

The early stocks had the rod and when it was filled it looks like what you describe. The little block would be for the rod to screw into...not for bedding. It was a clearing rod, not a ramrod. That's for a muzzle loader...

A lot of the model 1892 Krag-Jorgensen rifles were updated to model 1896 configuration in the early 1900s. Clearing-rod channel was filled and 'pegged', front-band and rear-sight was updated, Receiver was 'notched' for (hold-open) pin on extractor.

Thanks for the info and the heads up on the cleaning rod channel, I could see the dowels used (2) and should have known about the cleaning rod bolt, thats what you get for typing with oil on your hands!

Here are images of the cleaning rod slot that has been filled and the hand guard with sight graduations that are partially obscured.
Attachment 73771Attachment 73772Attachment 73773Attachment 73774

I'd have it...it would go with my brass and dies...

Shoots a nice group @100 from a quick and dirty prone with factory 180's, a little left and about 8" high but not going to change anything. Had a hard time seeing the target over the alfalfa. Now the fun begins accumulating brass and to maybe slow it down a little bit. Pleasant shooting and easy to maintain follow through, its a shame brass is so scarce.

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Originally Posted by Doco overboard

a little left and about 8" high

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I had a rifle like that in the '80s that shot consistently to 11 O'clock and about 12" off. It had a minor off center bulge at the muzzle...had to look hard to find it. Counter bore might have sorted it but that wasn't feasible at the time.

PM me if you're interested in Brass and dies...I'm in Canada...

An examination of the muzzle in bright light reveals what looks like some cleaning wear no doubt but the lands and grooves are distinct when powder dried but by no means the worst example you could see for its age. More range time will tell I'm sure, plus it got a good dose of BLO and slung up a little tight tight in hot weather which probably hasn't happened in a long time. When I stripped it to have a look at the witness mark and proof I wasn't able to view anything alarming, no bore shadows and consistent hold on a oiled tight patch when advancing through the entire bore. All backwoods I know but I was worried about that because I learned on here that a lot of Krags sometimes are bulged. Thanks

My 1898 Krag also had some pretty bad cleaning rod wear on top of a fair at best bore and shot groups like a shotgun. I did re crown the barrel and it was a fairly "deep" 45 degree crown when finished. Using 220gr RN reloads running 1850fps it will shoot 3moa at 100yds. This rifle likes heavy flatbase bullets with lots of bearing surface (think the service round was also 220gr). I had to adjust the front sight blade for elevation and thankfully the rear sight is windage adjustable (requires one mark of left windage to zero). I use it every now & then in CMP vintage matches......on a good day it (And I) can hold the black on the SR target. Reloads during rapid are interesting to say the least.......I've resorted to a fast single round load for the last 5......can't seem to get the magazine door open and the rounds in quickly enough!

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Originally Posted by gc1054

(think the service round was also 220gr)

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Yes it was. When Hornady produced the 220 rd nose flat base, it was just about right. They seem to have ceased production though.

I decided to make a new front sight blade to get point of aim at 100yds. to conserve some ammo while getting started and to shoot some deer this fall. I had a piece of sheet steel surface ground and left enough material to add .060 to the existing .125 that was evident from the top of the sight base using the old blade as a template to maintain the original contour which turned out more than well when final fitted. I'm still having a problem printing left 4- 6" at about 3-4 moa groups after adjusting elevation but I don't know if its the way my eye sees the notch in the 96 sight or maybe sling pressure from testing at prone or the sight is far enough front that I cant see it correctly after trying it out last night. I thought about switching rear sights and hand guards from the unusual Krag posted earlier to get two more inches of sight radius and the windage adjustment that it will afford to see if it works better, but am leery of the swap and breaking up the two rifles and didn't anticipate getting in to all that. I must collect more brass and get more familiar with the rifle before I can even begin to think about a rapid fire drill but I agree it must be a challenge but rewarding as well. I can find no obvious defects with the crown or muzzle with the exception of very slight cleaning rod wear that somebody who knows what their recognizing would only notice and the rifling is prominent and breaks over clean but you never know. Really enjoying the heck out of the project and the challenges it is presenting but a little disappointed with the windage as well because the faux school gun has mild pitting a worn crown and shoots much better with same ammo and much less effort. Could be my vision, its corrected now but could be getting worse, the front sight base, sling or something else I don't know yet. I'm going to get my lefty son to try it and see what happens or try a patch on my left eye from the bench I think too in different light somewhere else.

And...those Springfield sights are fine, fine, fine...and I too had trouble without glasses.

I've recently started using the EyePal when shooting traditional iron sights (non aperture). Seems to work really well for the Krag, SMLE., and the 1903. Also, I've opened up the rear sight notch on these rifles to 0.062"........really helps a lot for those of us with aging eyes and particularly with the Krag (thin blade and original tiny tiny notch were virtually impossible to see when aligned)

Docko Ob,
What bullet are you shooting in the windage challenged Krag?
gc

A Remington factory loaded 180, I now have some brass prepped that I'm going to hand-load. Im going to use a minimum start of 4895 and a Hornady 180 rn. for lack of having heavier bullets available to me locally, just to see what happens.

That's about what I was doing. Hornady used to produce a 220 gr RN but the seem to have stopped...just a bit early by my thoughts. Seat these a bit further out and try to achieve OAL. That will help feed.

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Originally Posted by Doco overboard

can find no obvious defects with the crown or muzzle with the exception of very slight cleaning rod wear that somebody who knows what their recognizing would only notice and the rifling is prominent and breaks over clean but you never know.

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You can have a yard of perfect rifling from the breech to the muzzle, but it only takes a couple of tenths of a millimeter of asymmetry at the muzzle to send the shots off course. If you can see it, don't assume it's trivial. A light touch with a crowing tool to restore the best possible symmetry will be invisible after a few sessions at the range have dulled the shiny new surface, and it may well cure the off-axis grouping.

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Originally Posted by Doco overboard

the faux school gun has mild pitting a worn crown and shoots much better with same ammo and much less effort.

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The wear on the school gun may be symmetrical, and therefore have little effect.