Krag question....

Dalton Masterson · April 19, 2015, 12:18:17 AM

Found a Krag carbine at a gun show today. Might bring it home tomorrow. Question about the stock. Did a Krag ever have a 1 piece cleaning rod? The foreend of the stock has what appears to be a rectangular plug in the end, making me pretty sure its a cut down stock. I will get pics tomorrow and look closer...
Thanks

St. George · April 19, 2015, 12:35:24 AM

It's a cut-down rifle stock.

Krag Carbines had their own serial number range - many, many out there are cut-down rifles.

They also have 'C'-marked rear sights, and the front sight 'tower' should rise from the barrel just like you'd see on the rifle - having been silver-soldered in place during construction.

If the barrel's front sight is a slip-on like that of the '03 - you have an '03 barrel, and a parts gun.

Before you decide to acquire a Krag Carbine - better do some serious research first.

Scouts Out!

Niederlander · April 19, 2015, 06:38:45 AM

If it's cheap enough, it might be a good candidate to make into a carbine. Won't be original, but still a lot of fun to shoot, and real carbines are generally stupid expensive. Drydock and Charles Isaac would have good insight into rebuilding Krags, as both have done it.

Drydock · April 19, 2015, 07:43:23 AM

If it was a real carbine, you would not be talking about it here, because the price would have scared you off! While only the first run of rifles had full length cleaning rods, all had lightning cuts in the fore end, requiring plugs for any cut downs.

HOWSUMEVER! As shooters, these can be reasonably priced entries into Krag shooting, and are often only a few pieces away from re militarization, usually into an ersatz M1899 carbine. The slip on 1903 sight is a sure sign of a cutdown, though usualy its been slipped onto a cut Krag barrel, rarely is a 1903 barrel beneath it.

My Carbine is a cut down 1898 rifle, and a great shooter. When I got it, it was in a Monte Carlo stock with a Reciever sight drilled and tapped on. S&S had everthing I needed to make an M1899 out of it, and its probably my favorite GAF rifle. It still wears the 1903 front sight, one of these days I'll have that removed and a proper Krag sight soldered on.

Dalton Masterson · April 19, 2015, 07:46:37 AM

It's cheap enough for sure even if it's not correct. Will trade an Arisaka in on it and be in real good shape dollar wise. We will definitely give it a good look.
I am armed with books for today's excursion.
Thanks!

Drydock · April 19, 2015, 07:48:33 AM

As an aside, I'm always on the lookout for cheap cut down Krags, I'd like to make both an engineers carbine, and a Phillipine Constabulary carbine. Great fun to tinker with!

Charles Isaac · April 19, 2015, 08:49:26 AM

The channel is probably a lightening cut that gets exposed when the forearm gets chopped. If it is a filled lightening cut, it will be on the inside/barrel side of the forearm. If it is a filled ramrod channel, it will be on the very bottom exposed portion/outside of the forearm and would be an M1892 stock. I've seen good cutdown M1892 stocks easily pull $500!

Good luck with getting this Krag.

It is a coincidence that you are asking about Krags because I was just saying yesterday that I need to purchase a scabbard for my Krag bowie bayonet from no other than Dalton Masterson. The holster you constructed for my Colt's Navy is the finest of it's type that I have ever seen!

Dalton Masterson · April 19, 2015, 10:18:13 AM

Well it's a cut down for sure. Model 1898, rifle sight, 1903 front band, etc. marked at $550. Problem is the 2 bulges in the barrel... I passed.
DM

Niederlander · April 19, 2015, 12:32:19 PM

Criterion has barrels for Krags. Just sayin'...............

Drydock · April 19, 2015, 03:48:22 PM

2 bulges in the barrel! Thats a 200 dollar rifle maybe. Good pass, better stuff than that on GB all the time.

Drydock · April 19, 2015, 04:28:51 PM

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=478578009

Pay Dirt Norvelle · April 19, 2015, 05:22:38 PM

Right, I would not pay that much for a bulged barrel one. The "carbine" I found was $450.00, but then I had to take off the peep sight and find a original rear sight so it came out to about $500.00.

cpt dan blodgett · April 21, 2015, 09:22:01 PM

Quote from: Niederlander on April 19, 2015, 12:32:19 PM
Criterion has barrels for Krags. Just sayin'...............

They work great, also Just sayin'

Dalton Masterson · April 21, 2015, 10:14:46 PM

Well, if its marked down at the next show, I might look hard at it again. It looks like a Criterion barrel runs about 200, so if the whole gun is cheap enough, its a possibility. I ended up picking up a Lego gun in .223 and am building it now so funds are down again for a little bit.
DM