1898 Krag

[ksbanker]

Recently purchased this Krag. Based on the serial number and the date on the stock it was manufactured in the fiscal year of 1900. I cleaned off the years of dust and grime, but nothing else. From what the previous owner told me, I don't think it has been fired in many decades. The bore is in surprisingly good condition, a little dark, but not as pitted as most of the Mosin's I've got.

Took a couple pics of it with an M91 from 1904 which no doubt saw much more use than the Krag. Beautiful guns!

[Junk Yard Dog]

[TulaTom]

I like em both! Krag's are a joy to shoot. Smoooooth bolt.

[ksbanker]

I need your help guys. When I removed the bolt last night, this part came flying out. It looks like it broke off of something, but I cannot for the life of me find online what this part is or find where it could have come from in the gun. It is about 32mm or 1 1/4 inch long.

Help!

[Longcolt44]

It looks to be the "extractor assembly", shown on the schematic as #4. Numrich has replacement for about $35.00. This part is pinned on and is swung away to remove the bolt. It will be important to find out why it broke before replacing it. It also may be the "Magazine Follower Spring" shown as #18.

USMilitary_Krag 1898_schem.jpg

[shoto2758]

This is a very good video on the bolt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8hIrsddurE

[ksbanker]

Went to a gun show in Wichita today and managed to find 80 rounds of 30-40 Krag! Very happy!!

[ksbanker]

I finally figured out what the broken part is! I believe it is the extractor spring. In other news, I got my Okie head space gauges in... and failed. It failed no-go...and then failed field! NO!!! I'm so surprised! This gun has obviously sat unused for many many decades. What now? I suppose a new bolt would be the first thing to try.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Try a bolt, the rifle may have sat for decades but likely it saw 30-50 years of use during it's service life. The Krag didn't just get hung up in 1903 when the new rifles came along, they remained in service right up until there were enough M1903's to equip all the services. They were used during the Great War for training, and some soldiers were still carrying them when they hit France. They then went on to serve many state guard's probably up to the early 1950's in some places.

[mwt]

You could try the old Enfield trick if you reload. Slide a small o ring over the case until it is snug against the rim. Fire form the case then to fit your oversized chamber. Neck size for subsequent loading. The o ring holds the cartridge firm against the bolt face during forming.

Regards
Marty


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ksbanker]

I've got 80 rounds of factory loads. I think I'll get a new bolt. You can buy N.O.S. bolts for $55 so I think I'll go that route first.

Thank you both for your advice!

[steelbuttplate]

Do you have a good clean face on the chamber where the rim sits ? That is a rim cartridge isn't it. A bad dirty one or cosmo buildup would make your gauge fail, and in the cutout where the extractor travels, could break the extractor. Correct?

[ksbanker]

Yes, 30-40 Krag is rimmed. The chamber face is clean. I posted on the Krag Collector's Association forum and after posting a number of pictures of the bolt lug and receiver, they suggested that the bolt had been lapped. Which apparently was a procedure where they would grind down the rear face of the locking lug so the bolt would sit a bit farther back and another part of the bolt would contact the receiver so they felt it was stronger and safer.

Here is a link to the entire discussion which was really enlightening. They are really great folks over there.
http://www.kragcollectorsassociation.or ... 1484362397

[ksbanker]

I took JYD's advice and bought a N.O.S. bolt. It arrived Saturday along with a replacement extractor that had the extractor spring in tact to replace the broken piece on mine. Now it passed the No-Go Gauge with flying colors. The N.O.S. bolt is beautiful!

Thanks for the help.