Barrel Band for Krag Sporter

[FredC]

Last photo of the kit, will ship it to Jim today.
Shows the rough pocket first drilled then partially shaped with a Dremel tool. The bar end with mock nut and band will be used to gauge while finishing the pocket. The brass escutcheon is also included. The round portion of the pocket was made with the pull drill and my heavy Milwaukee drill, a lighter drill would have more finesse and control. The end of the pull drill is .370 deep. So you drill till the end is flush with the barrel channel then quit. The Dremel will be used to make the pocket deeper to clear the band ends.
Hobby knives and chisels will be used for the band clearance. Just a plug for Excel hobby knives, they come with a much sharper edge then the better known X-Acto tools.

[FredC]

This is a late follow up to Jim's barrel band installation. I made the fit of the escutcheon a little tight and Jim had a mishap and made the recess under the stock too deep. I made him a washer from a hard engineering plastic to take up the space and get the escutcheon flush with the stock again. The last I talked to Jim he had not installed the front sling swivel. The intended swivel was the reason for doing this band, as I could just see a jerk on the sling breaking the stock if the front portion was not tied to the barrel with a band.

I contacted Numerich about the bands and they have about 1300 on hand, but no nuts or screws. I asked about me making the nuts for them and they seemed to have no interest in them or selling a batch of the bands to me at a discount.

I am going through a busy patch at work but when it slows down I may be able to make more of the nuts and escutcheons for KCA members in the future if others want to do this.

[RomeoJim]

Happy Summer Everyone!!

I have my Dad's old model 1899 Krag carbine nearly completed except for some minor cosmetic repairs. I figured I should post a couple of photos of the nearly complete project that wouldn't have been possible without FredC's expertise. The throat in the old rifle was so eroded that a 220 grain round nose could be seated as far out as I wanted without contacting any lands or groove! No wonder it had such poor accuracy. Anyway, I had Jim Albright of Albright's Firearm Services install a new Criterion carbine barrel on re-install the old front ramp sight. Criterion states that they make their barrels to match the original contours and they do a great job with that because when I received the barreled action back from Jim, it so perfectly fit the bedding job I had done to the stock with the original barrel that no modifications were necessary. Having the Barrel band system that was so ingeniously engineered and fabricated by FredC to support the forestock, I installed a pair of studless push-button release sling swivels fore and aft and I'm in business for the upcoming firearm deer season here in Michigan. I'm currently working up loads for the newly barreled Krag and so far the best group I have obtained was 0.8" using 150 grain Barnes bullets and 48grains of IMR 4350 powder. I can post other pics of the progress if anyone's interested. I'm taking it out this weekend to attempt finalize my deer loads using some 150 grain Nosler round nose bullets.....

[RomeoJim]

I forgot to add that the sighting in was done at 100 yards and the chronograph showed an average velocity of 2,533 fps

[FredC]

I forgot to ask of the scope mount is still in production? If so others may want to see the details of the no drill scope mount.
Sure a nice looking sporter.

[Local Boy]

Great Job RomeoJim!!! Hope you have lots of fun shooting your rifle and success harvesting a deer next hunting season.

Kudos to FredC for his fine/superb craftsmanship skills and BR for resurrecting the Savage band idea.

I may have to order a few of FredC's band solutions just to have them on hand for future builds!!!

[butlersrangers]

I still think Leroy Rice had a brilliant solution.

[FredC]

"I still think Leroy Rice had a brilliant solution." Quote
I like it also, but I did not think they are still in production. Looks like it might slip around a factory sight. Being a production machinist I am not proficient in bendy things so I would not know how to make it. :-)
Also it might be springy with a sling and let the forearm move around, or not?

[butlersrangers]

The 'Rice' barrel-band is not made anymore. I believe the (Elyria, Ohio) company 'disappeared' during the early 1960's.

The attached description explains the installation.

Tightening the 'slotted-nut' would have drawn the band into its barrel channel inletting, preventing the band opening-up.

I don't have one of these barrel-bands and have just seen them in photographs.

[RomeoJim]

Thanks FredC for mentioning about the S & K No drill scope mounts which are made for a variety of older military style rifles. I also have one on my Dad's re-barreled (.30-06) Karab. 98b Mauser. They are still being manufactured by S & K Scope Mounts LLC, 70 Swede Hollow Road, Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania Zip 16350. Their phone number (800) 578-9862 . Here's a link to their website : http://www.scopemounts.com/index.html?main.html

Below is a photo of my Dad's old Mauser with a no-drill S & K Scope Mount just to show how one looks on a different style of rifle

About 25 years ago and I had started discussed taking a guided hunting trip for Caribou in Quebec. That winter without him knowing it I sneaked it from their summer condo and had it re-barreled for him with a Douglas Air Guaged barrel and then I modified the original stock, by adding a recoil pad, a burled walnut fore end and grip cap, glass bedding the receiver and free floating the barrel. Then I checkered the stock and used an S & K Scope mount to put a nice scope on it (Not the one that's currently on it). By the time I was done with it and was able to present it to him as a gift for him to take on our Caribou hunt he had suddenly encountered such serious health problems that the docs wouldn't permit him to take such aa trip. Still bums me out to think about it. If I had only started it a couple of years sooner..... Looking at it now, the forestock appears so thin I probably should have put one of FredCs barrel bands on it.