Need some help with a Krag

[92FSTech]

I purchased an 1898 Krag yesterday (well, received it yesterday). It's been sporterized, but overall is in decent shape for what I paid. During my initial teardown and inspection, though, it appears that the striker tip is a little bent, and overly long. It extends quite a bit past the bolt face.

I was concerned, so I loaded up some cases with spent primers, stuck them in the gun, and pulled the trigger on them. It pierced all of the spent primers that I tested. So I loaded a couple of new primers, and tried again. It didn't pierce those, but it dimpled them very deeply. I found another striker online and ordered it, but I'm not sure if it's an original or reporoduction part....I had to take what I could get as they're few and far between. I was wondering if anyone has any credible documentation on (or would be willing to take theirs out and measure) what the proper spec is for the overall length of the striker. A google search returned a result from another forum where somebody said it was 2.190", but it's an old post on an obscure forum and there's nothing to back that up. I even found a PDF of the original Krag manual on the forgotten weapons's website, but it doesn't address these specs. My striker measures 2.273", and protrudes from the bolt face 0.133".





I'm also unsure of how far the firing pin is supposed to screw into the cocking piece. Intuition says it should be flush like the first picture below, but it is capable of being screwed in beyond flush, so that a portion of it protrudes beyond the cocking piece. This reduces the protrusion of the striker tip to 0.095" beyond the bolt face, but leaves the threads of the firing pin exposed behind the back of the cocking piece.





Any help anybody could give me would be greatly appreciated. I have no point of reference for this, and it's quickly becoming apparent that I don't know what I don't know!

 

[Squid556]

That's some serious protrusion! Can the bolt be assembled more than one way?

I'd like to know how the new striker works for you.

 

[92FSTech]

That's some serious protrusion! Can the bolt be assembled more than one way?

I'd like to know how the new striker works for you.

Well good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so! Apart from threading the firing pin out the back of the cocking piece, I can't think of any other way the bolt could go together. I'll definitely report back when the new part gets here, was just hoping for more data from some other guns as a point of reference. Right now, even if I replace the striker, I feel like I'm just throwing parts at it without knowing what the actual spec should be.

 

[Win52C]

The original striker is supposed to be 2.185” according to my reference. “ The American Krag Rifle and Carbine” Yours appears to be a Type 1 ( square point) striker. That was used upto approx serial number 21000. All of the pics in the ref also show the firing pin flush with the bolt face. I just visually inspected a couple of mine and they are flush as well. Pm me if you would like me to send you pics of the ref directly. Thanks.

 

[92FSTech]

Thanks, I'll take your word for it...I appreciate you taking the time to look it up! My gun is 389,xxx, so clearly this was not the original part as manufactured. Hopefully the new one is in-spec when it arrives and I can get this thing up and running.

 

[Mongo59]

Someone took my Krag from me and all I got was a stack of money in my hand. Glad you got the info you seek.

 

[Gunmetalgray]

Checked one I believe is original and it's 2.186"

 

[92FSTech]

Thank you! I guess when the new one comes I'll try filing and polishing this one to the proper length to keep as a spare. It's really rough looking, and I have no idea why it's so long. Maybe it broke and somebody welded it at some point...I just don't know.

 

[92FSTech]

While we're talking Krags....has anybody had any success repurposing a handguard from a different rifle to fit? I'm ok with doing some modification work, but producing one from a raw block of wood is probably beyond my skillet. Mine is missing it's handguard, and correct Krag ones, even repros, are at least $125 if you can find one. I found a decent deal on some Norwegian Krag handguards, and an even better deal on one off a Spanish Mauser. s&S has uncut blanks without clips for $60 as well, but I'm willing to do more work on something else if it would work and save me money.

 

[Indyhd]

While we're talking Krags....has anybody had any success repurposing a handguard from a different rifle to fit? I'm ok with doing some modification work, but producing one from a raw block of wood is probably beyond my skillet. Mine is missing it's handguard, and correct Krag ones, even repros, are at least $125 if you can find one. I found a decent deal on some Norwegian Krag handguards, and an even better deal on one off a Spanish Mauser. s&S has uncut blanks without clips for $60 as well, but I'm willing to do more work on something else if it would work and save me money.

Can you PM me your address ?
Somewhere around here I have a nearly full box of factory 200 grain and I've no longer got a Krag to go with it.
I would be more than happy to send it your way.

 

[92FSTech]

The new striker from S+S came in today. It measures right at 2.184", with .045" of protrusion past the bolt face. It lights off primers perfectly, and leaves a nice consistent dimple.

Looking at them side by side, it's obvious something was messed up with the old one. The contours are wrong, and I know the pictures aren't great, but in person it's evident somebody took a grinder to it. I tried to grind the tip down with a dremel to retain it as a spare, and the whole tip ended up snapping off. It was hollow inside, and had some some clear impurities in the metal...I'm thinking it broke at some point earlier in it's life and somebody built it back up with a welder...without any regard for proper spec. Either way, it's replaced with a good one now.

I got the gun out to the range for the first time today, and shot some of my cast handloads. there were no ignition problems, and the gun didn't blow up, but on-target performance was unimpressive...it was grouping (more like patterning...6-8" at 100 yards) really far to the right. The bore is kinda rough, and I haven't slugged it to dial in my cast bullets, either...I'm going to try some jacketed tomorrow and see how that goes.

New Striker


New on top, old below


Nice, rounded tip with proper protrusion


For something that's been used and abused for 120 years, I guess I can't complain too much.

 

[92FSTech]

Got back out with the Krag today with some 180gr jacketed bullets loaded over some of my precious stash of 4064. I had to tweak the front sight a bit to correct the windage, but I managed to get it to group about an inch and a half at 50 yards, to point of aim. I'm happy with that for what this gun is. Now I've gotta load some more and see what it'll do at 100 and 200.


I'm enjoying the action and the goofy side-loading magazine feed (goofy, but pretty brilliant in how its design prevents rimlock, allows the gun to to be topped off on the fly even with the bolt closed, and how it reduces drag on the bolt from spring pressure from the follower). It's also kinda cool to think that TR and the Rough Riders used something very similar when they took San Juan Hill back in 1898.

We've also been playing with a Swedish Mauser and an SMLE this week. I can see how clip loading was an improvement, the speed at which the SMLE can be operated is hard to beat due to the bolt positioning in relation to the trigger, and the Swede is an absolutely beautiful rifle with amazing craftsmanship. The Enfield stock, however, is an abomination in design, both from an ergonomic (chin-weld, anyone?) and maintenance standpoint, and the straight bolt handle on the Swede is a pain. The Krag is a very comfortable rifle to shoot, and apart from the magazine actually a very simple design. I'm liking it.

 

[Mongo59]

The new striker from S+S came in today. It measures right at 2.184", with .045" of protrusion past the bolt face. It lights off primers perfectly, and leaves a nice consistent dimple.

Looking at them side by side, it's obvious something was messed up with the old one. The contours are wrong, and I know the pictures aren't great, but in person it's evident somebody took a grinder to it. I tried to grind the tip down with a dremel to retain it as a spare, and the whole tip ended up snapping off. It was hollow inside, and had some some clear impurities in the metal...I'm thinking it broke at some point earlier in it's life and somebody built it back up with a welder...without any regard for proper spec. Either way, it's replaced with a good one now.

I got the gun out to the range for the first time today, and shot some of my cast handloads. there were no ignition problems, and the gun didn't blow up, but on-target performance was unimpressive...it was grouping (more like patterning...6-8" at 100 yards) really far to the right. The bore is kinda rough, and I haven't slugged it to dial in my cast bullets, either...I'm going to try some jacketed tomorrow and see how that goes.

New Striker
View attachment 189815

New on top, old below
View attachment 189816

Nice, rounded tip with proper protrusion
View attachment 189817

For something that's been used and abused for 120 years, I guess I can't complain too much.
View attachment 189818

Show those pin pics to a proctologist and see if you don't get a smile...

 

[Ark]

Man that difference in pins is crazy. Wonder how the heck that happened.

 

[92FSTech]

Man that difference in pins is crazy. Wonder how the heck that happened.

Not sure, but my money is on Bubba getting to it with a grinder and a welder at an earlier point in it's life. I can't imagine it was getting shot much with that thing in there, as it was piercing primers pretty consistently. Then again, maybe that's why it got sold...

 

[Mongo59]

Keep it, you could always cut it down if needed.

 

[92FSTech]

Can you PM me your address ?
Somewhere around here I have a nearly full box of factory 200 grain and I've no longer got a Krag to go with it.
I would be more than happy to send it your way.

Ammo arrived today. That was a really awesome gesture, sir, and I greatly appreciate it! My son and I will get good use out of it!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Ammo arrived today. That was a really awesome gesture, sir, and I greatly appreciate it! My son and I will get good use out of it!

I don't know if you have any rifles that shoot 303 Brit (Enfields?), but if so, and if you reload and need to, it's pretty easy to make 30-40 Krag brass out of 303 brass.

I have a rifle very similar to yours and love it! I think the action is as smooth if not smoother than my Enfields, and I love the side loading gate. I swear you can just chuck the rounds in there and it seems like they just know where to go.

 

[92FSTech]

I don't know if you have any rifles that shoot 303 Brit (Enfields?), but if so, and if you reload and need to, it's pretty easy to make 30-40 Krag brass out of 303 brass.

I have a rifle very similar to yours and love it! I think the action is as smooth if not smoother than my Enfields, and I love the side loading gate. I swear you can just chuck the rounds in there and it seems like they just know where to go.

Yeah my son has an SMLE and that was an adventure figuring out how to load for that, with a bunch of ancient surplus brass, and the rear locking lugs and weird bore size. I think we finally have that one dialed in, though, and this one is getting there.

Thankfully, I was able to find Krag brass in stock at Grafs, so I have a decent supply...not a ton, but at least enough to keep me going for how much I'll be shooting this gun. I think I may actually have about as much Krag brass now as I do .303. Hopefully being a bolt-action shooting light loads and neck-sizing (actually using the .303 neck-sizing die die with a .308 mandrel installed for that), I can make it last a long time.

 

[DadSmith]

Got back out with the Krag today with some 180gr jacketed bullets loaded over some of my precious stash of 4064. I had to tweak the front sight a bit to correct the windage, but I managed to get it to group about an inch and a half at 50 yards, to point of aim. I'm happy with that for what this gun is. Now I've gotta load some more and see what it'll do at 100 and 200.


I'm enjoying the action and the goofy side-loading magazine feed (goofy, but pretty brilliant in how its design prevents rimlock, allows the gun to to be topped off on the fly even with the bolt closed, and how it reduces drag on the bolt from spring pressure from the follower). It's also kinda cool to think that TR and the Rough Riders used something very similar when they took San Juan Hill back in 1898.

We've also been playing with a Swedish Mauser and an SMLE this week. I can see how clip loading was an improvement, the speed at which the SMLE can be operated is hard to beat due to the bolt positioning in relation to the trigger, and the Swede is an absolutely beautiful rifle with amazing craftsmanship. The Enfield stock, however, is an abomination in design, both from an ergonomic (chin-weld, anyone?) and maintenance standpoint, and the straight bolt handle on the Swede is a pain. The Krag is a very comfortable rifle to shoot, and apart from the magazine actually a very simple design. I'm liking it.

If it's on at 50yd it should be good out to around 200yds.