Refurbished Krag 1898

After making an action wrench I got the old barrel off my 1898 Krag today and replaced it with a barrel that was much better. I'm anxious to shoot the rifle now and see if it will group instead of pattern. I also refinished the stock as the rifle when I got it had been refinished sometime it's past and was terrible however the wood itself was in good condition with a 1901 cartouche on the left side wrist. After removing the old varnish it was found that the wood was very light in color and I think I read someplace that in 1901 they used some Italian walnut that was lighter colored. I don't know if that is true or not. I used some raw linseed oil and put several coats on the wood and it all turned out very good. I first posted this on the Krag Forum site and thought you guys might be interested. Here are some photos.

I wish your pics were a bit bigger though, I think it's possible that your stock is stunning... Glad the barrel thing went fine for you. I'd sure like to have that rifle, I have brass and dies, just need the gun again...

Larger photos.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skeet1

Larger photos.

---

Yes, but only a bit. Still, nice rifle. Wish it was mine.

Skeet, Looks good! The full length rifles are getting hard to find. Salt Flat

Salt Flat,
I was fortunate to find this one. I traded a Styer straight pull carbine and a Yugo 24/47 for it. I didn't have that much in either of those and they weren't very good specimens and I always wanted a Krag. The barrel looked like the inside of a sewer pipe but the rifling stood out fairly well and I thought maybe I could clean it up but was wrong. I then found a barrel that was advertised as having shine and good rifling and bought it. I think I have in it about 1/2 of what it's worth. So it all turned out OK.

Ken

The "foreign wood" is a fact, not a 'folktale'.

Per Franklin Mallory, "The Krag Rifle Story", 2nd edition, page 87: '.... use of foreign wood for stocks and hand-guards occurred in June, 1899, when the firm of Louis Windmuller and Roelker in New York City furnished 13,000 stocks of Italian walnut. They were given a contract for 20,000 additional stocks in July, 1899. This wood is readily recognized as being lighter in color than the American black walnut used for all other Krag stocks'....

I have seen Italian walnut Krag stocks with 1899, 1900, and 1901 'stock cartouche' dates. Some of these stocks were stained at some point to darken the wood, apparently for uniformity in a military or State Militia unit.

Attached photos show such an Italian stock, that was darkened with stain. (This stock's barrel channel is much lighter in color). By contrast, the hand-guard is black walnut.

Attachment 86058Attachment 86059Attachment 86060

I have had many US Krags in otherwise fine condition but with the worst bores and chambers imaginable. Chambers in many were so corroded that a spent casing wouldn't extract and the recovered casing was actually blistered from the deep pits. These were typically old VFW color guard rifles that had been used at funerals with corrosive blanks for generations and rarely, if ever, cleaned. At least now the blanks for our Garands are non-corrosive. Anyway, finding decent original Krag replacement barrels was nearly impossible but thanks to the internet I'm happy that you gentlemen are finding them. Given the likely demand, I'm surprised no one's making repros.

Just for you information Criterion does make new replacement barrels also Numerich has a replacement barrel but I don't know who makes it.

Ken

Should probably pay more attention to those matters. My firearms interest ends with those more recent than my own vintage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skeet1

Numerich has a replacement barrel but I don't know who makes it.

---

I think those are Criterion too...someone will tell us for sure shortly.

I don't know who made the barrels for Numrich Arms. It was not Criterion.

Criterion barrels are still being offered. It is possible to get a Criterion barrel through the CMP and have it installed by them.

New Krag barrels are no longer listed on the Numrich web-site.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I think those are Criterion too...someone will tell us for sure shortly.

---

There's a pretty good chance that the Numrich barrels are not produced by Criterion (unless they bought them through one of our distributors). Feel free to ask them what roll stamp information is listed on the barrels. If you could forward us the heat code and date of production we should be able to verify if it is one of ours.

Well today was the day I shot my Krag at paper and for the first go round it grouped at about 3". With some practice I'm sure the group will come down at least another inch. What I am using is 47.0 gr. of WC872, Winchester brass and primers, and for a bullet the Lyman 314299 sized .311. With this load it shoots to point of aim at my 80 yd. range. The barrel I replaced would not hit the paper.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skeet1

The barrel I replaced would not hit the paper.

---

So you're that far ahead. Try jackets and a factory load and see what's what first. Then you can adjust lead handloads to match...

I'm not really interested in matching factory loads, only in what is comfortable for me to shoot. This rifle is never going to be use for hunting or anything else but only for poking holes in paper with lead bullets. With low pressure and lead bullets this barrel should last me the rest of my life.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skeet1

what is comfortable for me to shoot

---

I hear you, just work the loads a bit up or down until you find the happy medium. Keep clear careful records and it will all come together. The barrel should last your life anyway, you aren't using corrosive priming and you clean regularly...