Hi,
Signed up a while ago and have been lurking. I'll be posting pictures of 407052 a full military rifle here and a sporter over on that page. Both had been added to the Observed Listing sheet.

Thanks to all for the info you have been providing on here.

MAVT,

Welcome to KCA and glad you finally got the nerve to post about your Krag rifle.

Your Krag is a M1898 rifle, serial number 407052 which was made August 1902. We definitely would love to see pictures of it and give some feedback. Many later M1898 rifles have not been used much and yours might have an excellent condition bore. Regardless, it probably is a great shooting rifle.

Sporterized Krags are common since so many were sold off in the 20s and 30s and cut down to be used for hunting.

So, when you get a chance, let us see pictures of your Krags. There's certainly lots of old posts to read through for lurkers like you. I did the same years ago and learned a lot that way.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Whig.  The rifle came to me with some surface rust but cleaned up nicely using the techniques described by many on here to minimize damage to the finish. The bore had some surface rust also but cleaned out nicely as well and has just light pitting beyond the chamber. Haven't shot it yet as I have been reconditioning the stock with 50/50 BLO and thinner after cleaning it up a bit. It appears to be all there and no stock cracks - probably saw little use as you mentioned.


 

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Here are some expanded views.

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And closeups of each end.

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Nice rifle and a good job of cleaning her up!

Have fun at the Range!

That does look very nice. It has seen some use and has a little wear, as you pointed out, but it looks very functional and has cleaned up well. I am pleased to see a great 1902 cartouche, also, which adds a lot of value to this already great Krag rifle.

When you get a chance to shoot it, let us know how it does. The BLO has made a difference in bringing some life back to the stock.

Good job.

Thanks. One thing I noticed different than most pictures and descriptions is the color of the bolt. It is darker than most including my sporter which was also a late model 1898 Rifle (456713) and bolts have been described as being left in the white which this one definitely isn't. Is there any reference to some bolts being browned or blued at SA? All other metal appears original with trigger guard and both barrel bands turning a brown patina and the multi color of different buttplate metals.   

You can tell this rifle was taken care of pretty well as indicative of the slots in the screws. Most times they are messed up to some degree.
I believe, as Whig alluded to, that your stock can be brought back some with boiled linseed oil after some gentle cleaning. I can't tell you exactly the right way to do it, but I'm sure somebody here can. I worked on a 1916 Spanish Mauser not long ago (rifle cost $145) and it was an improvement. Of course I wasn't worried about impacting the value of this Mauser.

Finally took it to the range. First shots for me with a full size Krag and first for the rifle in a very long time. Tried the Hornady 220gr RN with 40.0gr of both 4350 and H4350 at 50yds. Initial shot guessing on the sight height with 4350 didn't hit the target.  Next four were awkward and then settled in a bit and five of H4350 went much better. Definitely not the load or rifle on these groups. 

I was using the peep on the 1901 sight but as you can see from the picture shooting from under the covered positions which is the only option is like shooting from a cave. Very difficult to see the front sight clearly. In addition to being almost fully enclosed on three sides there's about a 5ft deflector hanging out over the front opening. Good for shooting in a blizzard but wasn't designed for using open sights that's for sure.

Have to get casting some 311284's and hopefully I'll be able to test some when no one is there and move a bench forward to get the front sight out of the shadows. It's a 100yd range with a gong out there so plan on doing some offhand with the barrel sticking out into the sunlight. Should be Krag fun!

   

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As you found out, shooting Krags takes some time to figure out the sights, trigger release and feel of the rifle. You'll get the hang of it pretty fast.

Stick with one load, if you can, until you figure out your Krag and learn how to shoot it well, of course with good lighting on the front sight!

They are really fun to shoot and capable of extreme MOA accuracy. I'm getting close to reliably shooting mine close to MOA. Others on this forum do better.

Keep us informed and good luck. Many do quite well with cast bullets too.

311284's and 311299's are teriffic.  Load them as fat as you can so as to fill the generous throat on the krag. I'm not recommending it but I load them with 17 grains of 2400 and my Krags will do what modern rifles will do. I use White Label's BAC lube, gaschecks and size them .312. I use a neck sizing stem from a 303 die.

I have to deal with the shadow from a roof above the bench, unless I get to the range in the wee hours of the morning.  Then, and only then can I get some light on the front sight.  No shadow at Camp Perry, unless it's a cloudy day.