Bought a krag a few years back and haven't really shot it much, just recently took it out to shoot and noticed that I had a hard time closing the bolt.
I bought some go/nogo gauges and tried to see if it was maybe a headspace problem (could be not enough headspace maybe?) but the bolt wont even close on the go gauge.

I looked at the bolt and it seems the extractor is getting in the way of the bolt closing on the cartridge fully. If I load through the loading gate the bolt wont close but if I manually seat the cartridge on the bolt it will close just fine.

The extractor doesn't seem to lift over the cartridge rim when closing the bolt, any tips on how to fix this issue? Seems like a simple issue but I'm not the most gun savvy person.

Will try and add some pictures later.

'Legion' - Welcome to the KCA Forum. I'm sorry you are having an extractor problem.

Is there a 'bevel' on the rim of your cartridge cases?

Recently, a fellow KCA member seemed to be having a problem with the extractor of his Krag. It turned out the problem was not his Krag, but, his Brass.

He was using Hornady brass and the cases did not have the traditional 'bevel', at the edge of the rim, that is found on other brands.

The tip of the Krag extractor rides up the incline of the 'bevel' prior to snapping over the rim.

Also, make sure there is no accumulation of old dried grease and debris in the 'barrel-notch' that may be impairing the upward movement of the extractor 'claw'.

If the barrel 'notch' does not line-up exactly with the notch inside the receiver ring, the tip of the extractor 'claw' can catch on the 'interfering' edge.

BTW - Krag 'head-space' gauges should be used with a 'Naked' Bolt. (The bolt-sleeve/striker/extractor assembly should be taken off the bolt-body).
The 'naked' bolt should close on the "Go-Gauge" with no resistance.
If it doesn't, there's a problem with the barrel installation or an obstruction preventing the cartridge-case from fully entering the chamber.

butlersrangers wrote on Jun 1^st, 2020 at 5:57pm:

snip

Thanks for the help. So I took the bolt apart and tried the headspace gauages again, the bolt wont close on the go guage at all but when I tried the no-go guage the bolt could close most of the way. Shouldnt it be the other way around?

We had another member have a similar problem with go and no/go gauges. You are correct the go gauge should be smaller and fit where the no/go might not. Need to ask are they from the same manufacturer? Maybe one has a larger bevel then the other.

Going out on a limb for the original problem singe fed rounds chamber, magazine fed do not. If the magazine cut off selector for feeding single rounds is not in the rifle it can really scar the rims when feeding from the magazine. Maybe the deformed rims do not chamber? If so get the selector or build a mock up out of a nail.

FredC wrote on Jun 1^st, 2020 at 7:29pm:

We had another member have a similar problem with go and no/go gauges. You are correct the go gauge should be smaller and fit where the no/go might not. Need to ask are they from the same manufacturer? Maybe one has a larger bevel then the other. Going out on a limb for the original problem singe fed rounds chamber, magazine fed do not. If the magazine cut off selector for feeding single rounds is not in the rifle it can really scar the rims when feeding from the magazine. Maybe the deformed rims do not chamber? If so get the selector or build a mock up out of a nail.

Yep both gauges are from clymer, the go guage doesnt have any bevel on it but the no-go does. Both guages look identical except for the bevel.

Don't think I have a cutoff selector, I think it was removed in order to fit a sight. The rounds will ride from the magazine just fine but the bolt just wont close due to the extractor not riding up the bevel on the cartridge. If I put the cartridge underneath the extractor it chambers just fine.

The rims are very scared though like you said but I think thats from the extractor.

Legion- I hope that your brass is scarred and not scared! I hate having scared brass!

You didn't mention yet much about your Krag. Could it possibly have a different barrel than original? We have also recently seen a Krag barrel that was not replaced properly and the extraction notch was not in the proper place to receive the extractor tip because the barrel was not timed properly to line things up. If you had a rear peep sight added at one time, like you said, you may have a sporterized Krag that has had some other work done on it like a barrel switch.

The tip of the extractor may be bent or damaged, also. That could affect the way it is engaging the head of the brass.

Just a couple thoughts. If you could give us more info, pictures preferred, about your Krag, we might find the problem a little quicker.

Thanks!

---

When your bolt close on a hand fed round the extractor HAS to ride up over the rim. Not sure if one coming in from the side has to ride as high to get over the rim.

There is a recess in the receiver that lines up with the recess in the barrel. Check that and see if it is full of hardened crud. Maybe it is limiting the ability of the extractor to lift over the rims sometimes.

Krag bolts sometimes get some wear in the center of the face. A go gauge with no bevel may have the outside of the rim touch the portion of the bolt face with no wear. If the end of the barrel and the bolt face are both clean, the go gauge should go any way as it did when everything was nice and fresh. If we do not get your problem ironed out soon you could send me the gauge for measurement. I would have thought a gauge with the wrong thickness of the head would be extremely unlikely but your are second in a the last couple of months with the issue. Maybe a handful of gauges escaped final inspection.

Before we go too far do your new unscarred rounds chamber easily with your "naked" bolt ? How about the scarred rounds? New magazine cut offs are relatively cheap, a modified nail maybe needed with your sight.

It is possible that your "Go" Gauge rim is too large in diameter and hanging-up on the Bolt "flange" and not fully seating against the Bolt-Face.

Your "No-Go" gauge, since it is beveled, is seating deeper into the Bolt and likely in contact with the Bolt-Face.

Head-Space Gauges need to be in contact with the Bolt-Face to give a valid reading. Don't force anything ... light touch only!

(My hunch is that you do not have a headspace issue).

In all probability, the problem is the fit and relationship of you barrel-notch and extractor "claw".

If your Krag was re-barreled, the notch may not have been shaped correctly or was misaligned and is interfering at the side.

Some pictures to show how things should appear: 1. Cartridge and extractor-engagement. 2. Krag barrel-breech. 3. Cartridge case in chamber.

Study these and compare with yours to see if anything is out of whack.

If you post some pictures, maybe we will spot something.

---

Here's some pics, I know it's dirty, I need to clean it. I plan on restoring it to military configuration one day if possible.

  (You need to Login

  (You need to Login

  (You need to Login

  (You need to Login

EDIT: Cycled a few rounds through the mag to test again and they go in fine (mostly) and I'm able to close the bolt, the rounds sometimes wont feed properly and get stuck in the magazine.

I'm still not sure why I wasnt able to close on the go gauge but was able to nearly close it on the no-go gauge.

Also, thanks for all the help, it's probably just my own incompetence that's causing me trouble and nothing with the rifle.

That last picture seems to show the extractor notch that has been dug out or damaged. The edges are not smooth. Maybe the receiver has been altered or damaged and the extractor does not seat well.

I still question whether or not the barrel has been changed from original.

Might be more than just your "incompetence". We have seen many unusual problems with Krags before. Your's is not the first.

'Legion' - The tip and claw on your extractor look fine to me.

Your "Go" gauge has very sharp corners and I suspect it does not fully enter into the "flange" that encircles the Bolt-Face.
It is probably hanging-up on the corners, where the 'Bolt-Flange' meets the Face. This would give a bogus 'fit', instead of going all the way to the bolt-face and allowing the bolt to close.

You can test this by trying the gauge against the bare bolt for correct contact. It is odd that only one gauge is beveled.

There seem to be brass particles and shavings present in your action, locking-lug recess, and extractor-notch.
Some cotton Q-tips with solvent will clean out this debris.

The Brass particles may be causing you difficulty.

(The brass is being shaved off of cartridge rims.  This can happen as they pass across the 'open' groove, that should house the shaft of the magazine cut-off lever).

---

A picture of the 'tip' of the Krag magazine cut-off. The orange arrow points to the tip and it is in the position that allows cartridges to feed from the magazine.

If the cut-off is missing, there are sharp edges that the cartridge rim moves across. This can add roughness to the feed and shave brass off the rim.

---

Is there any thread or retaining pin on the cutoff to keep it in place or can you just slide it out? Seems like they cut my in half and just left it in so that it wouldn't cause any problems.

I just need to figure out how to remove it so I can replace it with a new one.

Also can anyone recommend some trustworthy online sites for gunparts? Was looking at this one but I'm cautious when it comes to online stores.

  (You need to Login

Grandpa's is highly recommended. You will probably never need the cutoff function. Applying a little medium strength Loctite could hold the remnant in place and not interfere with the function of no drill sights. Just be sure it is aligned correctly before applying. Blue 242 Loctite will wick in a fair depth if applied to the boundaries after correctly locating the remnant. Once it hardens it will be difficult to remove. The original cut off even though the cut off function is not needed will be easy to remove for thorough cleaning. Kind of depends what your goals are to which way is better.

I do not think we have seen photos of your Krag, seeing what you have and understanding your goals may get you some better answers.

It is likely your Krag once had a Redfield 102-K or 75-K receiver-sight on it.

The instructions for these sights initially suggested the magazine cut-off be thrown away. Eventually, it was realized the cut-off shaft was necessary for smooth cartridge feed.
Redfield instructions were changed to suggest sawing-off the lever and putting the shaft back in place.

(The Redfield sight attachment hooked into the 'cut-off' hole preventing the shaft from coming out, but, not actually preventing rotation).

Your cut-off shaft is likely held in place by friction and crud. If it is not properly aligned, it will cause roughness.

IMHO - You would be best off removing the shaft and replacing it with a complete original magazine cut-off.

(I believe you have a model 1898 Krag. The model 1898 cut-off is the 'short one' with an approximate 2 inch total length. These are easy to find and cost about $20).

Yep it's a 98. I'm just trying to restore it to military condition (I don't like sporterized rifles)

I'll post some better pics of it later, it's taken apart right now.