Tell Me about my New Krag...

[dpatten]

Yesterday I decided to drop by my local gunstore after work. Lo and behold there was a sporterized 1898 Krag sitting on the "cheap gun" rack with a $195 price tag. I am not an expert on these Rifles, but I do know that CMP is currently selling unshootable drill rifle Krags for close to $500. Also, a Krag is the only rifle I am missing in my type collection of common US Army cartridge firing rifles.

A quick look down the barrel showed a clean, but dusty un-pitted bore with no ringing. The receiver was un-drilled. The rifle was sitting in a cheap looking reddish wood stock with what appeared to be pressed checkering and a Pachmayr recoil pad. The barrel and receiver appeared to have ~90% of their bluing with a goodly portion covered in a thick orangish-yellow coating of heavily dried cosmoline or rifle grease.




The bolt body (with the exception of the handle), and barrel band appear to have been in the white, but were also covered.







The gun appears to have sat for a long time in a gun case due to the presence of two clear lines of green felt fuzz adhered to the buttstock.



My initial estimation was that of a rifle that had been sporterized no later than probably 1960. Heck, even if it's a Frankenstein it's still a clean bolt action deer rifle for less than $200. I can't lose. I'll buy it...

When I got it home I got curious, took it apart and started looking things up.


The Serial # is 1159XX which the internet says puts it at the very end of 1898.




The barrel appears to have been shortened due to a non-original front sight, It is a slide-over pin on sight. The muzzle appears to be original or has been expertly recrowned. The barrel, which is 23 5/8 long from receiver end to muzzle, has clearly been reblued, due to the presence of pitting along what would have been the parting line between the buttstock and upper handguard that are no longer rusty, but blued.




This front sight seems vaguely familiar for some reason. Is it from another type of rifle?


The rear sight is similar to a 1903 Springfield, having a windage adjustment. It is graduated to 2000 yards. It has a pop-twist up peep aperture on the back of the windage adjustment. My picture is out of focus and sucks. (Also, my wife would have kittens if she saw me working on a gun in her kitchen.)



The impression I have now (at least on the barrel) is of a very long ago gunsmithing and rebluing, perhaps in the 1920s or 1930s.

Looking at the the sporter stock I thought it was pretty neat that it used the stock original triggerguard, rear sling-swivel and split middle barrel band. Then I pulled off the recoil pad. It's not a sporter stock. It appears to be a cut-down full length stock.



As you can see, someone apparently cut an inch off of a USGI buttstock. The hole for the original buttplate screw is still there and someone has plugged the hole for the trap. The small nail holes around the perimeter have me a little confused.

Someone many years ago apparently sanded the sides of the stock, until the finger groves were gone making it very slim.

Then, they cut a piece out of the grip of the stock and grafted in a piece to make a pistol grip. Finally, they rather coarsely checkered it.



Anyway, here is the roundup of markings on the gun.

Barrel (underneath near the receiver ) "P"

Bolt (rear of bolt handle block) "C" and "S"
(90 degrees from previous on bottom side of block) "4"

Barrel Band (on side) "U"

Magazine floor/sideplate "U" "8"

Magazine door (on the bottom) "G"

Side of receiver by Magazine door facing muzzle "K" "H" "B" "U"

Receiver "Model 1898." "U.S." "Springfield Armory." "1159XX"

I had considered looking for a Carbine stock to drop it into and having something that looked 90% like a Krag carbine, but now after looking at the amateur gunsmithing that some poor Schmoe undoubtedly spent many hours on, I'm considering leaving it as is. The action is as smooth as any Krag I've ever felt, and I bet it would be real handy in the woods come this winter...


What would you fellows do?

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[andiarisaka]

I'd leave it as is and enjoy it. You'd have a lot of money in getting it anywhere near as issued. The barrel is long for a carbine, short for a rifle. You might find a carbine stock, but a rifle stock of the proper vintage will really cost you, as would a full length barrel.

[carbineer]

What would you fellows do?

I'd take it out hunting!! Or at least to the range.....and enjoy it as is

[dpatten]

I've pretty much decided to leave the old girl as she is. Someone apparently spent a lot of time making her into his prized hunting rifle before she ended up sitting in the gun rack for a few decades. I'll never really know what her history was, but I imagine that she probably put venison on the table for some family during hard times. Hopefully when I take her up in the stand with me this winter, she'll do the same again. Presuming of course that I can find some .30-40 brass and a set of dies...

I'll post some cleaned up pics shortly. It's amazing what some hot soapy water will do to 30 year old cosmoline/rifle grease.

[Bill H]

I would leave it alone, shoot it and enjoy. .30-40 brass is readily available, and a 180 grain round nose bullet over an appropriate load of 4350 will shoot extremely well.

I have a collection I call "grandad's deer guns", and it includes a cut down Krag. Mine was done by a competent workman, cut down to carbine length, and installed in a real carbine stock.

In my opinion, it has as much "status" as any of the Winchesters, Savages or Remingtons in my collection. Here in Eastern PA, almost any estate auction will include a cut down Krag. They were apparently very popular during the years between the wars, and are highly regarded as a "hard shooting rifle".

[dpatten]

I took the old girl out to the property last weekend and touched off a few rounds of home made .30-40. (re-formed Greek HXP .303 brass, 190gr bullet and an appropriate amount of H4895) Standing offhand at 100 yards through Iron sights without a sling I can keep a raggedy 2 in. 5 shot group. I think I've found this season's deer rifle.

[jon_norstog]

dpatten,

You have got a good rifle. It has a lot of hand work in it, look at it as a piece of shootable folk art. You'll just get to liking that rifle more and more, the more you use it. And it will never be worth less than you paid.

jn