Has anyone installed a Criterion Barrel on a Krag?

[Keith Herrington]

Who out there has experience with mounting a Criterion barrel (avail thru CMP) on a Krag rifle? Since the barrel comes timed with holes drilled and tapped for the rear sight and a dovetail for the front sight, I'm particularly interested in how to mount the front sight. Am I supposed to take the front sight off the original and mill it to fit? Thanks.

[psteinmayer]

I installed a Criterion barrel in my dad's Garand... and they are excellent. I haven't installed one on a Krag, but I do understand that they come indexed and reamed (head space is set to the rim, so head spacing is not critical). The location for the front sight is milled, and the holes are drilled for the rear sight (although I have heard that they are not drilled and tapped to the thread pitch of the original Krag screws). They DO come "In The White", which means they have no finish. You will have to have the front sight post installed.

[gnoahhh]

You do have to un-solder the front sight base from your old barrel and re-solder it onto the Criterion (or buy a new one from S&S Firearms). The flat spot for that is milled identically to the issue barrel. The rest is easy-peasy, but note the thread differences in the rear sight holes as stated above.

[Keith Herrington]

So, if the screw threads are different, what is the solution? Are the correct screws available and if so from what source? Thanks for all the good info by the way.
Keith

[Century2]

I used Stainless Steel Hex Socket Screwsavailable at the hardware store. Put one in my drill and filed the sides down to fit the front socket of the 1901 sight. Quite handsome - I am not trying to fool anybody that I have an all-original piece. Used a small MAPP-Oxygen torch to solder an original front sight base on using silver solder and a jig from Brownells and following their simple instructions (layer of solder on barrel, layer of solder on base, cool, put together and heat) - it took every bit of skill I had and I have been fiddling with that torch for 25 years. As far as melting the armory solder - good luck - I think the steel would melt first! I sacrificed the donor barrel's tip and cut underneath the base and filed the solder off (the barrel was a drilled-out mess). Good luck!

[Parashooter]

It may be useful to note that the original front sight bases were brazed, not soldered, and also dovetailed. Brazing alloy will melt well before steel does, but it takes plenty of heat.


Original brazed front sight base. Note dovetail.

[gnoahhh]

I wonder if that was SOP throughout the production life of the Krag. Two sight bases I had cause to remove over the years were simply soft soldered on and popped right off with heat from a propane torch. Also, they weren't dovetails, but rather a simple flat milled into the barrel on which the sight base sits square. The original carbine barrel I have sitting in front of me right now is like that, and it's one I popped the sight base off of a couple weeks ago with propane, the remaining solder is definitely lead based- it scrapes off with a dull pocket knife. (It's going onto my Krag sporter I'm building.) I have no reason to believe it had ever been messed with.

[butlersrangers]

Parashooter has pictured the correct Krag front sight base as mounted and brazed by Springfield Arsenal. Any base that is soft soldered on is not a Springfield job.

[Keith Herrington]

I just received the rifle barrel I ordered from Numrich Gun Parts. It comes blued with the front sight base and blade installed, and two screws already fit for the rear sight base. Appears to be very nicely made. Front sight height exactly the same as on my gun. Sending it to my gunsmith to be installed. Will give you a full range report as soon as I get it back.
Keith

[psteinmayer]

I've heard a couple horror stories about barrels from Numrich... Let us know if all is well.