Krag with a Kraghaus mount-- opinions?

[Baltimoreed]

While I love my Constabulary Krag I'm not impressed with my ersatz NRA Krag. I would never drill up the receiver to mount a scope even on this carbine but lately I've been thinking about scout rifles. The Kraghaus 6 inch scout scope mount looks very interesting. Just one extra hole which would be hidden under the upper handguard if you removed the mount and put the handguard back. Neat idea. Has anyone on the forum used one? Are they a good compromise?

[Local Boy]

Neat and interesting idea!... Wonder if you can get by with just using two holes instead of three? Would make for an easy install unless it wouldn't be secure enough or cause some kinda scientific, harmonic, way above my comprehension, accuracy issue?... Blah! blah! blah!

Link to Kraghaus:

http://www.kraghaus.com/product-p/rail1001.htm

Post from Milsurps gun board:

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=6524

[madsenshooter]

Whether or not you can get away with two depends on some factors. Weight of the scope, how much red locktite you use, how hot you get the barrel during a shooting session. I've successfully used the short mount without modification when using a 1901 handguard, but had to take a bit off the bottom to get it to fit an 1896 handguard. Can't recall if I've tried it with a 98 or 02 handguard, probably have. The screws only came loose on me once after the barrel got warm enough to soften the Loctite.

[Baltimoreed]

How do you like it? Do you hunt with the rifle as a scout rifle? As slick as a Krag naturally is I would think it would be a fast woods gun. And with a low power or red dot scope would be even slicker.

[madsenshooter]

I use the scope more for load development work. They're 3x7 intermediate eye relief, cheap enough to be disposable. One sometimes encounters problems with them, but the ebay seller is good at accepting returns. The eye relief of most pistol scopes is set to be way out there, but these scopes are about right. I found old Bushnell rings that got me lower and further forward than what's shown, this was when I first got the mount. It seems to me like a red dot would be just fine for hunting. I have another of the short mounts, a red dot, and a variety of short rifles I could try it on, but they've not gotten together yet! Oh, the reticle on these scopes is further to the rear, closer to the ocular lens, than most scope designs. Any flex in the ocular bell moves the poi! The bell and lock ring have to be tight.

[Baltimoreed]

My plan is to use my Nikon 2X EER scope. I originally bought the scope to use on a model 41 .22 but the scope is actually more of an intermediate eye relief scope and was no good at arms length. I think that it will work for a scout rifle project.

[FredC]

How do you like it? Do you hunt with the rifle as a scout rifle? As slick as a Krag naturally is I would think it would be a fast woods gun. And with a low power or red dot scope would be even slicker.
A red dot reflex sight mounted on a KragHaus 2 screw mount would indeed be a happy combination. With no alterations needed to the rifle or carbine would make it fast easy and restoration to original would be very easy 5 minute project.
I think I have attached 2 images, the first is a shop made Weaver mount with a Doctor reflex sight adapter and a Burris Fastfire3 manual. The other foto is a Doctor sight on a custom mount on a Ruger SA 45Colt. I killed 2 pigs that were running while I was chasing them with the Ruger, a 3rd pig was chasing me and died less than 5 paces from my feet. The reflex sight on a pistol is a little slow getting the red dot lined up. On a rifle there will be nothing faster.
I still have not fired the 35/40 with the red dot reflex sight in anger, I have heard pigs at night on the neighboring places but still have had none on my place since finishing the rifle.
http://www.kragcollectorsassociation.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1450216996/0

[psteinmayer]

Here's a couple pictures of my sporterized "Bench Rest" rig sporting the Kraghaus Long rail and an LER scope. Works great and I can almost plug the same hole twice at 200 yards with the right load. I had to add the third hole near the receiver, but there was no collector value with this cutoff barrel, so I didn't mind doing it.

[FredC]

Here's a couple pictures of my sporterized "Bench Rest" rig sporting the Kraghaus Long rail and an LER scope. Works great and I can almost plug the same hole twice at 200 yards with the right load. I had to add the third hole near the receiver, but there was no collector value with this cutoff barrel, so I didn't mind doing it.

Whats not to like here, beautiful practical rifle for load development, you could use it for hunting or even varmint control. You did not ruin a collectors piece. Nice!

[Baltimoreed]

Thanks for posting psteinmayer. Your rifle looks good. I think that is what I'm going to do to mine. I was going to mess with a sporterized 03 Springfield build but this is a simpler pseudoscout conversion. I do enjoy shooting my Krags.