New guy here. Not really new, I have been kicked around for quite a while. I joined a couple of years ago and have been lurking since. I have two sporterized Krags, a rifle and a carbine and thoroughly enjoy shooting cast in them.

In addition to older firearms, I have an assortment of older reloading manuals. Many mention the potential failure of the Krag bolt lug and recommend inspection before shooting. My question is how to go about this. Is a simple visual, perhaps with magnification sufficient, or should the bolt be magnafluxed or some other means be used?

Thanks for that information. That was my suspicion, but the confirmation is appreciated. I am a fairly competent mechanic/gunsmith as long as I know what I am looking for.

With the current problems with photo sharing, I am not set up for photos at this time. The carbine was a rather derelict sporter conversion with a semi-inletted repro carbine stock that someone had started to install. I managed to undo most of the damage and finish the job in sporter form, less the handguard with a  Lyman peep sight. The rifle has a Fajen stock and side mounted scope.

Here's some interesting reading regarding the strength of a Krag action.  This test was performed many years ago, but speaks to the safety of the Krag design.  This is, however, in NO WAY stating that one should throw caution to the wind and purposely load Krags beyond max!!!

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Sadly, Michael Petrov passed away in 2014.  But he did a plethora of research on several different arms, including the Krag.

I remember seeing that thread by Michael now. I seem to recall he did something similar for the low numbered Springfield too.

I doubt my stock was a Boyd's as those I have seen are usually of better quality. This one looked like the duplicator incorporated an axe and a Dremel grinder somehow. FWIW, I still have the upper handguard if anyone is interested in it for shipping charges, they are welcome to it. It is just the wood, no clips or rivets.

Butlers Rangers, I agree that it has 2 very strong safety lugs, but you would never know it when you read any description of Krags in reloading manuals. Every one I have read seemed to imply you needed to worry because of the single lug.
On my sporter the forward lug is worn and set back enough from many rounds being fired that it actually bears on both the forward lug and the guide rib. I can not prove it but I have a feeling this has happened on a fairly large percentage of the US Krags out there.
So if your locking lug has no visible crack, your headspace is with in reasonable limits do not worry, be happy.

Just a reminder it has been discussed on this forum that some reloading manuals have had loads that are unreasonably heavy. A new shooter of Krags has to be aware of what safe loads are and avoid the bad recommendations.

A lot of 'Sportered' Krags had their front Bolt Lug lapped so that the Guide Rib would make contact with the receiver. This was done in the belief it made the action stronger. In some cases it introduced excessive Head-Space.

This is likely corrected by neck-sizing only.

I have not seen a Krag Bolt, (personally), that had an obviously 'cracked' Lug.

I recall seeing a picture, on the internet, of a lug with a crack, visible at the rear base of the Lug, where it meets the bolt-body. (I do not have a copy of this picture).

I have seen at least one bolt that had a 'seam line' on the bolt-body. It ran on a 'curve', from the lower-rear corner of the bolt-lug past the bolt's ejector groove to the 'Bolt-Face Flange'. The Bolt belonged to a friend and he wisely replaced it, before shooting his Krag. We could see and feel this Line with a fingernail, but, we could not visually tell if it was the 'surface skin' hiding an underlying fracture or simply a surface irregularity left during manufacture (unlikely - IMHO).

Attached is a picture of a 'fractured' Krag bolt that recently sold in a batch of parts on ebay. (I was unsuccessful in my bid to get it).

The picture may be indicative of one way a Krag Bolt-Lug might fracture. (I imagine the broken or 'sheared' bolt section remained in the action until the bolt was opened. I would believe there had to be and indication the Lug was failing, before this complete separation).