I’m building a sporter for my sister and she’d like a scope on it. My receiver is already D&T’d for a Weaver N series mount but I’m not sure which to use. My stock is a sporter stock with a high comb so the sight level is fairly high relative to an original. Ideally I’d go with an N3 in hopes it would clear the stock safety / bolt while still allowing spent cases to eject cleanly. The N2 mounts lower so I assume I’ll need a low scope safety.

Can someone provide pictures / pros / cons / feedback on whether an N2 or an N3 is better on a sporter Krag?

Also, I’d like to use a small diameter 3/4” scope like a Weaver 330 / J2.5  or Higgins 4x. Has anyone used something like these on a Krag? Can anyone provide feedback / comments / thoughts on how they worked?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Stretch

The N3 would be the higher one.  You may have to use the higher one for bolt clearance.  The old list of the Q, U, N, and B mounts that I have doesn't have the Krag on it, however.  It's a copy someone gave me out of an old Shooter's Bible.  It seems to me there were some N mounts made that take a 7/8" tube like the Lyman Alaskan and several others.  The Alaskan is a bit pricey now a days, however. 

Found a pic of a list online, N2 and N3 are the right ones for the Krag, with N3 being the higher one.

They are a solid mount, but wheter or not you have enough adjustment on your scope will likely depend on how good a job the machinist did getting the holes parallel to the bore line.  A lot of 3/4 inch scopes are short on eye relief for shooting highpower rifles as they are meant for the low recoil of the 22LR.  For example the Realist 3/4" scopes only had a 2" eye relief.  Probably wouldn't be much of a problem with the recoil of a Krag as long as one has a good hold on the rifle.  Weavers have a more generous eye relief of 3-3.5"

When I was a teenager, I had a cut-down Krag with a J2.5 in an "N" (not sure whether 2 or 3) mount. Worked fine as long as you tilted the rifle a bit to eject. Had a Buehler safety.

Hi Strech32,

I think your idea of going with the N3 is a good one because it allows for more height.

Here's a sporterized scoped Krag that I picked up a gun show last year.

The rifle has Weaver number 2 detachable side mount that allows for the attachment of a scope with a 1 inch tube.

The scope is a Weaver K10 60-B.

I refinished the stock and replaced the damaged/cracked butt pad with a metal one.

Because the scope sat so low I had to extensively grind/sand down the top of the bolt sleeve to allow it to pass under the scope.  Boy I hated doing that! >:(

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More pics

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Local Boy,

Thats a nice rifle you've built. It also explains to me why the bolt sleeve on my rifle is ground down to the internal rivets. I hadn't thought about having such a large bell on the scope that it hit the bolt.

I've found a 3/4" N2 scope mount but I'm still looking for an N3 in 3/4" size for the higher mounting. I'm going back to the little gun store nearby to see if there might be an N3 scope mount and possibly a Buehler low scope safety in all the boxes of stuff the owner has. Fingers crossed....

I'm still trying to decide which scope to use but I'm thinking a Weaver 330, J2.5 or J4 since the bells are really small and should ease any clearance issues. The J series are for rimfire cartridges but it seems many have used these on lower powered centerfire rifles (like a Krag) with good success.

If anybody has one of these scopes in good condition they'd like to sell let me know.

More to follow.

Stretch

The Weaver "J" scopes were OK for high-power rifles. They were a little cheaper, and smaller scale, so a lot of them wound up on .22s, but they were built just as solidly as the "K" models. You can check this out in contemporary advertising.

Color case hardened N3s available on gunbroker.  Probably more than you want to spend, but I always liked that finish.

there is quite a few of these old weaver and williams krag scope mounts on ebay ... what I look for is "vintage scope mount lot" they never say there for a krag but there easy to spot ....

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Some Weaver mounts, that go on the #2 Base, appear to be taller and allow the Ocular-Lens Housing on a 1 inch scope to clear the issue bolt-sleeve.

Pictured is a 1 inch Weaver detachable side-mount, (model #49350). It is holding a K-3 Weaver. This 'rig' clears the bolt-sleeve, but, does not allow function of the issue Krag safety-lever.
A 'Krag' Buehler safety-lever would allow safety function.

The 1" Weaver K-3 pictured is a lot brighter than 3/4 inch Weaver Scopes.

It is also cheaper than the 3/4" and 7/8" Scopes, sought by Springfield model 1903/A4 'Sniper Rifle' fanciers.

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I was looking for the model number of these weaver and williams scope mounts and the williams actually say krag on it and the weaver just have a number 2 stamped ... the weaver the package it came in did list krag as one of the guns it did fit ...

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My Weaver mount is of fairly recent origin. I bought the #2 Base and the #49350 (1" Detachable) Side-Mount, separately, off of eBay.

The Mount is marked 'Weaver Side-1"H'. (I imagine the "H" means High).

I put it on a Krag that came to me with extra Holes. It functions well, except, it blocks the standard Safety-Lever.

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Attached are some pages from a 1963 Williams, "How to Convert Military Rifles" catalog (cringe).

It does not appear that Williams used numbers to identify their mounts. The Krag Mount was noted as: "QC-SM-Krag".

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I have never seen one of those altered safeties ... where would get one ... I did not know they had anything like that ...

I was looking for one of those altered safety on Grandpa's Gun Parts I did not see one although they had "Saddle Bar with Ring" for 55 Dollars ...

OK found one "Low Scope Safety Krag" on ebay ...

I have never messed with the Buehler safety-lever for the Krag.

I am curious if it requires alteration to the Bolt-Sleeve or Striker-Rod?

(I do have a Buehler Safety for the 1903 Springfield. It does not require original parts alteration.

FWIW - I am not real keen on the 1903 Buehler Safety. It makes Springfield bolt/striker disassembly a lot trickier).

Just asking would the 3/4 J2.5 weaver clear the safety since it is smaller? I have one on my Model 67 Winchester. My dad originally had it on his 1917 Enfield. The eye piece is less than 1" in diameter and can work with about a 6 inch eye relief. Probably not as bright as some, I did take the lenses out 40 years ago and cleaned them. Did not have any nitrogen to fill the tube so I used propane. Probably left a little petroleum residue on the lenses, but it is not terrible.

I'm sure that would totally depend on the scope mount, receiver hole-placement, and height of rings, but, even if it cleared, the issue Krag safety-lever likely would be clumsy with a scope.

p.s. - FredC: I hope your repaired scope never springs a gas leak. You'll blow your mind!
I didn't know the old small diameter Weaver scopes were 'gas filled'.

I put a Buehler on a rifle and thankfully there were no additional mods that were needed so no worry there.
I was also lucky that the pick up cam didn't need to be polished or adjusted for smooth operation but that may not always be the case.
Theirs also a long weaver quick detach mount for longer scopes that will almost but not quite allow the safety to work.
In my case you could rotate the safety just enough for it to work but it was not quite satisfactory enough for me to not find a Buehler.
I paired it with a Weaver K4-E which turned out to be a good combination overall.

Thanks 'Doco' for the info. on the Buehler Safety for the Krag.

QUOTE "p.s. - FredC: I hope your repaired scope never springs a gas leak. You'll blow your mind!
I didn't know the old small diameter Weaver scopes were 'gas filled'."

Not sure if it is sealed, was mainly to keep the moisture out so it would not fog in the cold. If there is any left in there and ignited it would not even singe my eyebrows. It is on a .22 you know. :-)

A good scope for a Krag with one of these sidemounts would be a Rudolph P. Noske 2.5 or 4X.  5-6" of eye relief puts the scope forward of both the bolt handle and safety.  They're not easy to find though, and they have a 7/8" tube.  Here's a pic of how they were mounted back then.  The idea was to keep the scope's line of sight as close as possible to being the same as the irons.  Course that's not going to be the case when it's offset to the side as it would have to be on a Krag.  To me they are a better scope than either the Alaskan or Texan.  One thing I really like is that the objective lens can be adjusted for focus.  Even with my bad right eye, I was able to adjust it to a sharp focus, without my glasses.  Authors Bob Bell and Nick Stroeble had Noske going under during WWII, but I just spied an ad in a 1947 Field and Stream, he was still making them!

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they also have these Paul Jaeger scope mounts for krag rifle .. the nice thing about these is that they slide off so you can use the original sights and it makes it easy to take the bolt out ... I was the high bidder on ebay  at 55 dollars a few weeks ago on another one of these nice scope mounts so they come up ...

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and with a scope on ...

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For the Noske the plate of your Jaeger mount would have to be further forward.  That's something I noted about Weaver mounts, some gunsmiths place them forward, drilling tapping the receiver ring also, and some mount them further back.  Guess it depended on the scope they were planning to use.  One of my 98s is drilled and tapped forward.  With the Weaver plate and high forward Weaver rings to attach to it, I can put a 6x24 scope with a 50mm objective bell on it!

I scoped my AR with a scope similar to yours.  A Sears Ted Williams version, pre-microtrac, but it tracks fine.  Shot a 97 slow fire, and 96-3x rapid from prone with it a couple years ago.  Nevermind how offhand went!

I ended up finding both an N2 and N3 scope mount since my project receiver is already D+T’d for them. I think, based on initial mock up, that the N3 is the better option. It places the scope a bit higher up and closer to the center line of the barrel / receiver.

I also found a Weaver 29S (civilian 330) and a J4. Both are nice but I think the 4x J4 is probably the one I’ll use.

It’s coming along.....slowly. It won’t be done this hunting season but it should be good next year.

Stretch