Conserving a shooting Krag

[JCherry]

Several months ago I purchased a 1896 Krag rifle which appears to be original. Ive developed some very good cast bullet loads for this rifle and it shoots superbly. This rifle is definitely not a museum piece or a perfect specimen as there are some rough spots in the stock and the bluing is worn. I do not intend to do any reblueing of any sort. I am a shooter-collector and want to continue to shoot this rifle on a frequent basis.

I have a few questions for members of this forum to get your opinions / advice before I proceed.

I have not yet removed the action/barrel from the stock. I believe I should to examine the metal for any rust under the wood line. I intend to proceed very slowly because Ive heard that on older weapons the metal and wood hang together in such a manner that when parted damage may occur to the wood. It is my understanding that I should use Lemon Oil on such areas to allow the wood and metal to separate. After I have the action/barrel removed from the stock I plan to carefully use very fine steel wool to remove any rust and coat the metal with some good oil. I expect I should also put something on the interior wood surfaces to preserve them. Linseed oil or Tru-Oil comes to mind.

I do not plan to do anything to the exterior of the stock other than applying a very light coat of linseed oil. The initials on the cartouche are faint but readable, the date, 1897 is very plain. How can I best proceed here to preclude any damage to the cartouche area? I will not use anything abrasive.

I wonder what effect removing and replacing the stock will have on my zero?

I have the 1902 type rear sight which is really neat. The flip up peep provides for very good accuracy. My loads, 220 grain cast bullet at 2000 fps, basically equal the original loading . I have noticed that the sights match the trajectory of my load very closely. Not exactly but so close that it seems the sights were originally intended to be used with a center hold as opposed to a 6 Oclock hold.

The center hold / 6 Oclock hold difference leads to my next question. I have a Redding 70K aperture sight with Target Knobs and finally obtained the proper screw to hold the sight in place properly. When installed and placed in position for a 100 yard zero the sight interferes with the top of the bolt, actually the top rear of the extractor, when the bolt is pulled to the rear. To take care of this problem one solution is to file down the front sight a bit to allow the 70K sight to be raised enough to clear the extractor. At the same time I believe that doing this will put the original sight dead on with the sight graduations for a 6 Oclock hold. If I file down the front sight will I effect the value of the weapon. Would I be better off buying a reproduction front sight to be filed down and keep the original intact?

In shooting this rifle I intend to use only cast bullets as I believe the lead will not wear the bore/throat as much as jacketed bullets would. Not to mention cast bullets are cheaper and the full power and great accuracy Im getting give me no reason to do anything else.

My Grand Father, during the Spanish American War was with the 1st Texas Volunteers and later with the US Army in the Philippines. I have his old scrap book with photos of the Army in the Philippines. I dont know what kind of film they used but you can take a magnifying glass to the photos and see detail like you would not believe. Im sure its doubtful this rifle ever passed through his hands but one just like it did. In the accuracy department this rifle does not take a back seat to any of the more modern weapons.

I had a very good day at the range a couple of months ago with this rifle. An ex-Marine and I (ex-Air Force) were shooting at a steel ram set up on a dirt berm 400 yards away. Hes was shooting a 7mm Rem Mag with a variable scope. I set my sights a bit above the 400 yard graduation to allow for my 6 oclock hold and dinged that ram every time. We were both shooting off the bench. The Marine blasted away missing every shot. I spotted for him and continually told him he was shooting low but being a hard headed Marine he would not listen. He just could not accept that the bullet from his flat shooting rifle would drop that much. Actually he had a great group but it was just about a foot low in the dirt. Ive had other memorable occasions where other shooters look at me in disbelief while I'm making good hits with this old war horse.

Any suggestions or advice on how to conserve this wonderful shooter rifle would be greatly appreciated.

Have Fun, Thanks, JCherry

[Martin Wagner]

Just a few thoughts about conservation of your Krag.

The original Krag ammunition was jacketed but was loaded to no more that 1975 f.p.s., with a 220 gr. bullet. The cast bullets may lead the bore. Whatever you shoot it should be very close to that velocity. The original sigthts are graduated for the 200 gr. bullet so if you are shooting something of a lesser weight you will have to make adjustments.

Now, about the oiling of the stock. I always used, and recommend using, RAW linseed oil. The Raw type sinks into the stock while the boiled forms a coating. I would take my stocks off, set them up on a stand, and then keep painting the stocks for several days with the raw oil, inside and out. You will see it being absorbed, and when no more is absorbed it's time to wipe it down and let it dry for a day or so. Then assemble the weapon. HTH a little.

[Ned Butts]

The most delicate part of the stock is the piece between the magazine and the bolt handle,esp. on the '96 and '92 with the scaloped cut. Be carefull to move the action straight up when removing as too much wiggling can break that piece off.
As for filing the sight blade it's hard to say how that would effect the value. Alot depends on how much and how good a job you dofollowing the original contours.
Pureists woud probably say that it would diminish the value some. But as yours is not a "mint" piece and I believe many blades were filed over the years for similar reasons, I probably would do it to my own gun.
Happy shooting,
Ned

[Hal_Beatty]

The only problem with filing down the front sight to adjust for an aftermarket rear sight is that it won't be right if you ever go back to using the '02 sight. On an otherwise original firearm, I'd vote for getting a repro from www.ssfirearms.com and save the original for posterity. Just my 2 cents.
Regards,
Hal Beatty