Hello all, I was lucky enough to come across just enough spare parts to begin to put together another rifle. These rifles are addictive and this will be the third one I have put together from abandoned parts.

I'm short a barrel and some sort of wood to dress it out with which leads up to more than one question.

I have a spare 1903A3 barrel with a slightly deep chamber that I would very much like to use just to re-purpose it. It's as new but was subject to a overzealous person with a finish reamer. I have cast the chamber to check for other defects and checked fit to a spare action and determined its just slightly to deep without a rebuild bolt for my purposes.

Could anyone recommend a gunsmith who has the ability to shorten the breech, rough out the chamber and thread for a Krag receiver?

Has anyone repurposed a cut down piece of wood from a m1903 and inlet for a Krag Action or is that a complete waste of effort.

I have seen examples of this done in the past but have never done it myself and have been considering it for an interim measure until something better comes along.

Thanks for any advice or experience that someone may want to pass along. My labor is cheap and I like fiddling with old rifles for something to do.

I am attaching a drawing that I sent to the folks that made my 35 caliber barrel. It is in PDF format. you can open print it give a copy to your gunsmith. On this drawing I wanted the barrel to match the original contours to lessen stock work so it should be pretty close out to 17.5 inches, the length of my cut off barrel. The last measurement is a guess as that part was gone. Barrel threads are 1 inch, 10 threads per inch with square threads.
Just a word to the wise, recontouring a barrel is problematic, they tend to chatter and bend while machining. It is done regularly but with some difficulty.
This info should help you check you existing barrel to se if there is enough material to work with. You might check with CMP to get a comparison price for one of there new barrels just in case the conversion price is too high. The CMP barrel will have stuff that will cost you do to your 03-A3 barrel (front sight and rear sight screw holes and extractor cut).

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Here's a drawing of the barrel shank.  I had a gunsmith/machinist cut a couple barrels to fit US Krags.  Wasn't any problem to him.  Shop around your area.

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Thanks for the replies gentleman,
I understand the difficulties that can be encountered when re-contouring an existing barrel profile and the stress that occurs if care is not taken to move the steady rest to two or three positions due to taper and vibration and having the barrel sprung by not working from short parallel sections as the steady rest is moved.

Also I understand a replacement barrel from the CMP would be easiest but for my rifle I envisioned the shoulder having a more pleasing transition to the muzzle for appearance only due to the omission of a handguard. Ill be installing a redfield peep and two sweated on bands when I'm done.

Thanks Madsenshooter for the drawings they look very similar to a Garand, I was just trying to avoid working with a smith who doesn't understand the fit of the threads and needing to discover that on my dime. I was just looking for a recommendation to an experienced individual.

Looks like Richards Micro-fit has a selection of wood in the old classic style making the decision to use a cut off 03 stock moot. I did a side by side comparison between a trashed bishop and a 03 stock. Looks very doable if you are clever and in a pinch except for the gaping hole that would be left in the bottom and where the cut off switch is located. :o

Ill save that enterprise for when I'm really bored and using up leftover parts which never seem to really dry up.

Doco Overboard wrote on Apr 6^th, 2019 at 12:54am:

I envisioned the shoulder having a more pleasing transition to the muzzle for appearance only due to the omission of a handguard.

The old timers would craft a piece of steel and slide it over the barrel to ease the abrupt transition.  I've attached a picture of my sporter Krag that has this feature. 

The rifle isn't named, unfortunately, but someone took a lot of care crafting it.

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Thank you for taking the time to post that picture and pass along the information. Thats a very simple and workable solution and probably exactly what I'm going to do.

I can save my other barrel and work that problem out just by selecting another bolt. Another project for another day on that one.

Thanks again, that's why I came and asked here. Because someone would know a better way to get things done.

FWIW: I recently sold a Krag 'Sporter' that was fabricated from salvaged parts by R. F. Sedgley, Inc.

The barrel was a 'Rod-Bayonet' 1903 Springfield barrel, made in 1905. It likely was chambered for .30-03 before being shortened at the breech end, re-chambered for .30-40, and 'notched' for the Krag extractor.

The receiver threads on a Springfield barrel would be the same form, diameter, and pitch, as a Krag barrel.

The Springfield barrel's outside contour is different and diameters are smaller than on a Krag barrel.

I don't know all of what was involved in fitting the Springfield barrel to the Krag action. The 1905 barrel was basically 'upside-down' on my 'sporter. The "S.A. 1905" mark was on the bottom instead of the top.

This Sedgley/Krag had a tight chamber, but, accepted factory ammo without problem. The headspace was on the minimum side. The bolt locking-lug had been lapped so that the rear of the bolt-rib made contact with the receiver.

Workmanship was crude, but, functional.

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butlersrangers wrote on Apr 6^th, 2019 at 2:11am:

. . .The receiver threads on a Springfield barrel would be the same form, diameter, and pitch, as a Krag barrel. . .

Correct on form and pitch, but the major/minor thread diameters of the M1903 are larger: 1.040"/.990" - vs. .980"/.940" for the US Krag. (Per de Haas drawings.)

'Parashooter' - Thanks for catching my error on the thread diameters.

I have seen a number of Krags with 1903 Springfield replacement barrels. I did not appreciate that the thread diameters were different and the work involved.

FWIW - Leroy Rice Co. use to make a 'fillet' to give a pleasant barrel to receiver contour on 'sportered' Krags. The 'fillet' had an opening to clear the front-sight. When installed, it stayed in place with tension and wood-inletting.

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Doco Overboard wrote on Apr 6^th, 2019 at 1:55am:

Thanks again, that's why I came and asked here. Because someone would know a better way to get things done.

Happy to help!  I think with a tight fitting sleeve, a little epoxy would hold it well.  Silver solder would be the more permanent way, of course.