I have an 1898 30-40 krag which was my dads hunting rifle. It is not perfect but still shoots pretty well. However, the stock is worn and the front clamp loose around the stock and barrel.  I would like to find a way to tighten this up if possible.  Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated

I have added a few photos as requested. Thanks again!

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Hi, Marty. Sounds like an annoying problem but one that can be remedied in many ways. I'm sure you'll get a lot of different suggestions here.

Pictures of the rifle and stock where the band is poorly fitting would help a lot.

You can try to do something to build the stock up a little or work with the band itself. Working with the band might be easiest. Can you apply some duct tape to the inside of the band to allow for a tighter fit to the stock? Some people have carefully squished the band to decrease the inside diameter to allow a tighter fit.

You could put a thin shim of wood in between the two to make it fit. Or even put some duct tape around the stock where the band slides on.

Is the screw tightened completely when it's on and it's still loose?

See if any of these suggestions help. I always try simple options first that do no damage to the rifle that can permanently alter the rifle and its value. If it's bad enough, you might consider a replacement stock which can be costly but a nice option. Many Krag stocks have been altered and damaged that require fixing or a different stock to correct.

Good luck. We'd love to see pictures and keep us informed. There may be something else going on. I had to rebuild the front of one of my stocks that had been damaged when someone tried to put the incorrect front band on it. It was cracked and damaged bad but I made an acceptable repair.

Marty1898 - Welcome to the KCA Forum.

You can carefully build up a 'bead' of epoxy bedding on the stock, in the area where the band 'clamps'.

Let the compound harden overnight before tidying it up with a fine file.

If done neatly, this added thickness will be hidden by the barrel-band, when re-installed.

BTW - The "U" on the barrel-band should be on the right-side of your Krag.

p.s. - We would enjoy seeing pictures of your family heirloom Krag!

The stock is dried out from years of just being in a gun safe or
such... I would remove the barreled action from the stock and
apply BLO (boiled linseed oil) to it. this will replenish the
moisture to the wood and will make it swell. I've done this to
many old military rifles and it works for the most part. It may
take a few different applications before you see any results.
Denny

When I got my Krag, it had no sling swivels, and the stock had been sanded to the point where it was much thinner in the area of the band.


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I wanted sling swivels on the rifle, but the band was really loose when it was opened up enough to put a swivel on.

I cut a strip of thin (1/16" or so) leather, and put it between the wood and the band. Now, the screw will tighten up, the swivel can move, and the band is tight on the stock and barrel.

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If the band is only slightly loose, you could use paper, or thin cardboard too.

I think it is important that we see the band as we;; as the stock he's talking about. Photos are called for.

I have added a few photos as suggested

Marty - Thanks for adding pictures of 'Old Deer Getter'. It is neat when a Krag serves and stays in a Family!

When your Krag's stock was 'sportered', the barrel-band was moved a bit rearward. A channel was carved around the forearm to hold the barrel-band in position.

Using a stock bedding compound, like "Acraglas", or maybe even a commercial wood patch-filler, you can build up some layers of compound to add thickness to the wood where the band clamps.

An alternative repair would be a couple of thin leather or deerskin pads, rubber glued, to the inside of the barrel-band, where the band contacts the stock.

I hope these ideas work for you - Cheers!

Thanks!  No telling how many deer my dad took with this rifle. He bought it during the depression off of a box car that was passing through town full of krags. I am hesitant to alter the stock. It is what it is. I guess my only good option is to add something to the clamp to make the clamp "smaller".  One other question. Will this loose clamp affect accuracy?  It doesn't seem to

If the barrel-band is in good contact with the gun-stock (remaining stationary) and not putting undue pressure on the barrel (so that it hinders heat expansion and barrel harmonics) - accuracy should be just as good or even better.

FWIW - Anything suggested does not visibly alter the appearance of your Family Heirloom and can always be fine-tuned or undone.

Whatever you do, make sure that there is no play or wiggle to the loose band. That can affect vibrational consistency of the barrel and potentially affect accuracy.

But remember, this is not an F-Class rifle. It is 110+ years old and has been shot a lot over the years. If you can approach MOA accuracy, you are doing extremely well.

Shoot it and have fun no matter how well it shoots. It's a Krag!

Accuracy seems ok to me.  My dad always told me it was an inch low and to the left at 100 yds. Neither sight is adjustable anymore. The attached target was shot at 50 yds with open sights. That's about as far as I can see!  The first four were aimed dead center (9 ring).  The last group aimed an inch right are all in the red!  Not bad for a 100+ year old gun!

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Very nice, Thanks for sharing and keep blasting away!

Fill the void with a strip of leather. It works on one of my Krags.