LGS in Arizona has a sporterized Krag, drilled/tapped receiver, shaved stock, $399. Pass or Go?

[Civilize’Em]

My LGS in Arizona has a sporterized Krag for sale for $399. Barrel has front sight but didn’t notice a bayonet lug, bolt operates smoothly and trigger is awesome. Receiver has three drilled scope mount holes on the left side around where the manufacturer engraving is. Stock appears to be an original stock shaved down to a “sporting” profile, no barrel band, no steel buttplate but decent rubber one.

I’ve actually been on the lookout for a sporter/“Bubba” milsurp so I can play with a vintage rifle without constantly worrying about collector value. Krag was right at the top of my wishlist, next to Swedish Mauser.

My questions:

— is $399 reasonable for a functioning Krag that’s been tapped for scope and stock shaved?
— what scope side mount and rings should I seek for this if I buy it? I’m envisioning using one of my vintage Weaver El Paso 4x scopes to keep a retro look (albeit the scope is relatively way newer than the rifle).
—- any known vulnerabilities I should inspect this rifle for before buying, so make sure it is ready to run?

I don’t want to get too deep into the long-term plan, but if I shoot this sporter a few years and love it, I envision removing and selling the issue barrel and rebarreling and having it reamed for something small and zippy like .220 Krag/Lighting or 6mm Krag. But that would be a couple years down the road.

Thanks for any perspective.

[waterman]

Is it a US Krag or a Norwegian Krag? Photos will help. If the left side has been D&T'd for a scope, the mount may be something from the 40s or maybe even the 30s. If you buy the Krag, just find a side mount that will fit. A few more holes will not decrease the value by very much.

[Civilize’Em]

It’s a U.S. Krag. I didn’t get a photo because I didn’t want to reveal too much interest, but the engraving approximately said “Springfield Model 1898, 30-40” or similar.

Yup, I kinda figured the scope mount originally used would be hard to track down, but if a few more holes won’t change much, I’ll get a modern one. Would it be picky about what model of side-mount will align best, or pretty much any side-mount bolt-action base by a reputable brand?

Thoughts on the price/value?

[waterman]

My thoughts are of our steadily devaluing currency. $399 may be a bit high for now, and I doubt the value of the Krag will appreciate unless you add a scope and some ammo. If you offered $350 out the door, would they be insulted?

[Civilize’Em]

I’ve been pondering the haggling, and $350 OTD or so feels viable with a little diplomacy.

As mentioned above, my thought was to shoot it as-is now, and if I fall in love with it, rebarrel it to a Krag wildcat of smaller bore. But then I saw someone else’s .35 Krag project on this sub, and realized boring bore larger could be an option for a larger wildcat bore. Or maybe even possible to do a smaller wildcat by boring, sleeving? That’s down the road, but just pondering for now.

[waterman]

To me, US Krags are just fine in .30/40. If you must mess with another barrel & chamber, particularly a wildcat, there are less challenging (and safer) actions for the job.

[Five.five-six]

My LGS in Arizona has a sporterized Krag for sale for $399. Barrel has front sight but didn’t notice a bayonet lug, bolt operates smoothly and trigger is awesome. Receiver has three drilled scope mount holes on the left side around where the manufacturer engraving is. Stock appears to be an original stock shaved down to a “sporting” profile, no barrel band, no steel buttplate but decent rubber one.

I’ve actually been on the lookout for a sporter/“Bubba” milsurp so I can play with a vintage rifle without constantly worrying about collector value. Krag was right at the top of my wishlist, next to Swedish Mauser.

My questions:

— is $399 reasonable for a functioning Krag that’s been tapped for scope and stock shaved?
— what scope side mount and rings should I seek for this if I buy it? I’m envisioning using one of my vintage Weaver El Paso 4x scopes to keep a retro look (albeit the scope is relatively way newer than the rifle).
—- any known vulnerabilities I should inspect this rifle for before buying, so make sure it is ready to run?

I don’t want to get too deep into the long-term plan, but if I shoot this sporter a few years and love it, I envision removing and selling the issue barrel and rebarreling and having it reamed for something small and zippy like .220 Krag/Lighting or 6mm Krag. But that would be a couple years down the road.

Thanks for any perspective.

Back when I still had my 03 my very first purchase was a Chinese type 53. It was $35 shipped to my door and it was rough. I spent a weekend or two raising dents and refinishing the stock, cleaning cosmoline and such. A few years later we had the real estate crash of 08’ A few years later the loss of our condo was eminent and I set out to buy our family a new home. I sold all but 3 of my firearms (my childhood 10-22, marlin 70 and my first home build AR) that 53 went for $350 and I thought WOW! I really cleaned up. Well, back on our feet 15 years later that home has served my family well and I was looking to replace that gun. They are $650+. I don’t want one that bad.

Point being, they aren’t going to be getting any cheeper. 10 years from now if you happen upon this thread you will be amazed that you could have gotten a krag mutt for $400 bucks.

[waterman]

Even a post-Bubba Krag was made by skilled workmen, not whammed out in some latter-day factory meeting a daily production quota.