As you may have noticed I own two Krags. One is an 1897 left in original condition.  The other is an 1899 with a cut down stock.  The metal has not been touched.  I would like to rebarrel that one to make it quicker handling.  I am stuck trying to decide what to do.  I had thought of making it a faux carbine with a shorter barrel and a repro stock or go all in and make it a sporter with a nice rust blue finish.

If you are talking about the rifle in the photograph with the provenance that associates it with Pretty Boy Floyd, I would not change it in any way because of its historical value.  Take the money you would've spent getting a shorter barrel and repro carbine stock and just buy a sporterized Krag that's already close to what you want.  Those are still available in the $300 to $400 range.

gunboat57 is on the mark!

I agree also...  Amen to that!

Ditto. Until I realized that the gun in question has some historical significance via Pretty Boy Floyd, I was prepared to recommend the option of going all in and building a sporter with a rust blue finish, new barrel, and classic style pistol grip stock- something like a well heeled Krag lover would have had done in the 1920's.

I would leave this one alone and scare up a good Krag donor action to achieve my sporter needs.

Good Lord, no one should ever cut a full-length Krag these days, let alone one with an interesting provenance! Gunboat57 had the right idea.

The world is full of relatively inexpensive bubbas waiting to be rescued and beautified.

Dick Hosmer wrote on Aug 18^th, 2013 at 4:17pm:

Good Lord, no one should ever cut a full-length Krag these days, let alone one with an interesting provenance! Gunboat57 had the right idea. The world is full of relatively inexpensive bubbas waiting to be rescued and beautified.

I actually was not going to cut the barrel. I thought if I rebarreled to a shorter barrel and put a carbine stock on it and did not touch the receiver I could always reverse  the process.  After reading the  comments I guess I would just leave it alone.

ekpugh:  And on the plus side, you have an excuse to buy another rifle!  Hunt for one with a fine bore.

See the thing is this was my fathers hunting rifle and it means a lot to me to be able to hunt it as well.  I am not crazy about the thirty inch  barrel.  The sights are terrible in the woods.  He did shoot deer with it but they must have been in and open field.  I probably will go with and S&K mount for a scope for it.  I really don't think I would go and look for one to buy as the appeal is the fact it was my fathers.  I have a gun cabinet full of good hunting rifles.

ekpugh:  I understand the S&K mount for the Krag does not work very well and requires some wood removal for the 'band' that goes around the receiver ring.  Other options are the Kraghaus mount (advertised in the KCA classifieds) that replaces the rear sight with a 'Scout type' scope arrangement.  Another option is to replace the front sight blade (reversible) with a Marbles blade for the Krag and use an old Pacific or Redfield 'no drill' peep sight (also reversible).  These suggestions require no permanent change.  Nor do they require Gunsmith services.

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These sights often show up at gun shows, ebay, and gunbroker.

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Pacific installed (metal can be removed from sight base and staff so as not to notch stock).

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butlersrangers wrote on Aug 18^th, 2013 at 10:34pm:

Pacific installed (metal can be removed from sight base and staff so as not to notch stock).

If you happen upon any of these that are for sale... Please let me know

I have found a Rice peep sight for about 100 bucks.  Seems like a lot of money for what I see.  How are they mounted?

Rice sight mounts on bolt by replacing extractor rivet with a screw and nut.  It works, but very basic and primitive adjustments.  $100 is too much for what you get - IMHO.

How does a lyman 57k mount on the Krag?

Ed:  The Lyman 57K sight requires that two holes be drilled and tapped on the receiver.

butlersrangers wrote on Aug 21^st, 2013 at 3:28am:

Ed:  The Lyman 57K sight requires that two holes be drilled and tapped on the receiver.

That sucks.  I thought it was supposed to be a no drill mounting.

ekpugh:  Lyman did not make "no-drill" sights for the Krag.