Picking up my first Krag

[Doco overboard]

M03 butt plate will be shorter- slightly narrower than one for a Krag, hopefully you get something you can work with.
Based on your pictures, I suppose a Krag will be the better of the two (Krag on right)
Attachment 115571

[Warpspasm]

M03 butt plate will be shorter- slightly narrower than one for a Krag, hopefully you get something you can work with.
Based on your pictures, I suppose a Krag will be the better of the two (Krag on right)
Attachment 115571

The one that came in the mail today must have bee made for an M03 because it is a little shorter and a little narrower. I was really disappointed at first, but it only cost $25, so I decided to fool with it a bit. I lengthened the inlet on the top of the stock for the tab and I took the curve out of the bottom of the butt plate to give it a bit of length. The 1892 Krags had flat plates, so I don't feel so bad. Since my stock had been shortened .30 inches when they added the recoil pad, having the butt plate a little narrower and shorter was actually a good thing since the end of my stock was a little bit shorter and narrower from being cut. If I used a Krag plate I would probably have had to grind it down around the entire edge so it wouldn't stick out. The width of the one I got today is perfect but the walnut toe of the stock is a little proud to the plate and so is the top. I can sand that toe down a little bit of an angle to meet the plate. The stocks are normally curved at that point to allow for the butt plate. Here's a picture. I may still pick up a Krag plate as some point. I will be stripping and redoing the stock with BLO after I finish with it. My NEXT step will be to try and mod an aftermarket handguard made for a rifle to fit my carbine stock and fit it with a carbine barrel band. A friend of mine gave me a handguard to try it.

[browningautorifle]

Wish the pics came up a bit bigger but the buttplate looks pretty good.

[Salt Flat]

Warpspasm, I agree-- That buttplate will work out. Also I thought I would mention that making a Krag handgaurd from scratch is quite do-able. Here is one I made for a Krag rifle. It wasn't too hard to make. I also made the forearm which took a little more time but still do-able. Salt Flat

[Warpspasm]

Wish the pics came up a bit bigger but the buttplate looks pretty good.

Yeah, I made them too small. I was afraid they'd be larger than the size allowed by the forum. I may repost them.

Warpspasm, I agree-- That buttplate will work out. Also I thought I would mention that making a Krag handgaurd from scratch is quite do-able. Here is one I made for a Krag rifle. It wasn't too hard to make. I also made the forearm which took a little more time but still do-able. Salt Flat

Your handguard looks great. To make the one I have into a carbine guard I'll have to take wood off of both ends. The end that worries me is the end where I need to fit the rear of the guard over the top of the receiver. ALSO, the guard he gave me has no spring clips to hold it to the barrel. The front will slip under the barrel band, but I'll have to figure out a fabricate a spring clip (unless somebody sells them) and way to attach a spring clip to the guard behind the rear sight.

[Salt Flat]

Warpspasm, Mark out where the cuts will be made using a super sharp pencil or very fine sharpie. Use a fine blade to cut. Mark out the area to be relieved where the handguard goes over the receiver. Use a rotary sanding drum to slowly remove material, checking fit over and over until its right. Or you could use a small gouge to remove the material. Go slow, check often. Really it will be easy. You can make the spring clips from steel tubing or I'm sure you can find some online. Rivets are avilable at most hardware stores. When in doubt make a practice piece for like the riveting so you don't split that hand guard. Salt Flat

[Warpspasm]

Warpspasm, Mark out where the cuts will be made using a super sharp pencil or very fine sharpie. Use a fine blade to cut. Mark out the area to be relieved where the handguard goes over the receiver. Use a rotary sanding drum to slowly remove material, checking fit over and over until its right. Or you could use a small gouge to remove the material. Go slow, check often. Really it will be easy. You can make the spring clips from steel tubing or I'm sure you can find some online. Rivets are avilable at most hardware stores. When in doubt make a practice piece for like the riveting so you don't split that hand guard. Salt Flat

I've been looking online for the spring clips, but have had zero luck finding any. I wish I had a handguard that had one, so I can see what they're supposed to look like and how thick they are. I read somewhere that they don't have to be spring steel because they slide over the barrel as opposed to snapping on. I can't figure out how you can rivet them to the wood handguard without cracking it. I looked online for a video of someone doing something similar, but no luck there either. Gorilla Glue maybe??

[browningautorifle]

I read somewhere that they don't have to be spring steel

Oh, they're springs alright.

[butlersrangers]

The 1903 Springfield butt-plate looks a lot better than the rubber butt-plate that arrived on your Krag!

FWIW - Some Mauser hand-guards, like the Model 1909 - Argentine Mauser, have steel 'spring-clips' retained by small wood screws (on the underside).

[Warpspasm]

The 1903 Springfield butt-plate looks a lot better than the rubber butt-plate that arrived on your Krag!

FWIW - Some Mauser hand-guards, like the Model 1909 - Argentine Mauser, have steel 'spring-clips' retained by small wood screws (on the underside).

I spent a couple of hours on Saturday modifying the repro 1898 handguard into a carbine handguard that will accept a 1902 rear sight. It's actually coming along better than I thought so far. I shortened the back end and used a Dremel and some cheap wood gouges to inlet the underside to fit over the receiver. LOTS of trial an error to get it to fit. And... man that walnut is hard as a rock. I still need to take out some wood where the big 1902 sight comes to rest on the top of the guard and shorten the front end and reduce it to fit under the front carbine band. I ordered the band last night. I didn't want to order it until saw if I could actually modify the handguard. At some point I need to decide what to do about those rivets, strip everything and refinish it with BLO. It's been enjoyable so far.