What makes you think the headspace is excessive?  If I had to get another barrel, I'd just go with a 22" Criterion.  By the time you pay a good gunsmith to cut down, rethread and rechamber something like a Remington 700 .308 takeoff barrel, which will work, you'd likely have a bit more change involved than simply installing a Criterion. (I'm not sure about Rem barrel lengths available, but about 3.020" would have to be cut off to remove the .308 chamber.)  That is if you can find a gunsmith that'll cut the square threads.  I found a bunch of fellows claimed to be gunsmiths that couldn't do it. They must not rebarrel 03s either.  But, if I absolutely positutely wanted a 24" barrel, it shouldn't cost much for the gunsmith to cut the 30" down and recrown the barrel.  Criterions are stronger than original Krag barrels, which have no chrome moly in them.

I would opt for a new barrel.  I have what is probably a Bannerman Krag that produces fired cases much like the ones you describe.  Factory ammo is OK, but no more than 2 or 3 reloads per case.  I think mine was fitted with a surplus (or reject) WW1 Springfield or 1917 Enfield barrel that was cut down on both ends. & maybe the chambering reamer did not go in quite in line with the bore.

I recently re-barreled a custom sporter with a new Criterion barrel. I was in the same boat as the OP in that I wanted to retain the 24" barrel length. I simply bought a 30" Criterion and cut it to 24". The lack of a front sight mortise didn't bother me as I sweated on a ramp front sight. I couldn't be happier.

The advised "short chamber" didn't materialize either. The chamber was perfect from the factory. Minimal headspace with zero stretch marks on fired brass with arsenal-level loads. Accuracy beats any obtained with a plethora of Krags I owned in my life.

I wish Criterion had been around years ago when I pulled my hair out getting a couple of ornery Krags to shoot!

Not recommended for placement on guns for which originality is a concern, but is a panacea for sporterized guns whose barrels are getting "tired".

gnoahhh wrote on May 29^th, 2015 at 2:46pm:


I will probably stick with the 30 inch barrel, I think the current barrel is 24 inches, will have to measure it to know for sure, just measured it, it's 25 inches. One advantage with the 30 inch barrel is an extra 100 fps or so of muzzle velocity.

I think you're right Para...  Sure looks that way to me.

Fastfreddy, measure your Krag barrel by dropping a cleaning rod down the barrel against the closed bolt.  Then, mark, remove and measure the rod.  It probably is 24 inches however, as that is a somewhat normal cutoff length for Krag sporters.  I think you'd do better going with the 30 inch also.  You'll get good accuracy, and you'll be partway there should you decide to return it to an as-issued configuration.

CMP is offering new reproduction barrels for Krags?
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This is what I would do.
Steve

If you are reloading for the rifle have you tried backing out your sizing die so you headspace on the shoulder and not the rim. The separation you are getting is from the case stretching in a loose chamber.  If not sure how to set you die get a few 303 Brit cases and start with your die out at least a full turn.  Size in your die and try in the chamber, turning the die in until the cases will just let you close the bolt.  At this point the cases will have minimal stretch and should eliminate the separation problem.