Krag Take down (really)

[Tom Butts]

Here are two views of the fore end. The first shows the bottom with two brass cylinders set into it. The rear one holds the screw that screws into the metal tab in the front of the receiver to attach the fore end. The forward one has an adjusting screw that raises and lowers a small metal "yoke". This yoke, as shown in the second picture, is used to provide the proper spacing and pressure for the fore end with each of the different barrels having different diameters. I think this is a pretty smart idea myself!

Whoever did this work really thought it out and did very good work.

[psteinmayer]

Simply amazing... and equally amazing is the workmanship! How is the accuracy? I assume that the 22 is no problem firing, but does the locking ring ever loosen from the vibrations of the recoil? Also, how does the 410 shotgun barrel perform?

What a remarkable piece!

[FredC]

That is an elegant solution to getting the head space to repeat. When you install the barrel it is touching the original internal shoulder to set the headspace. I would guess the end of the receiver was faced or ground square so the locking nuts have near 100% contact when tightened. The end of the receiver was not faced square when made at SA.
I think the stiffness of the assembly will be greater with nut than the original system that only bears against the internal surface.

[reincarnated]

I an, of course, consumed with curiosity about the .22 barrel. Because it is bored off-center, I assume that the Krag extractor pulls out the case directly. No auxiliary extractor as in the Gallery Practice Rifle.

Seems to me the easiest source for an original barrel would be a Stevens-Pope. They were bored off-center and used the regular Krag extractor. Are there any markings on the .22 barrel? Especially a number on the bottom, opposite the barrel sight? If it is an S-P, the serious students of Stevens-Pope absolutely need to know about this one.

The other source of a ready bored off-center barrel would be a Gallery Practice Rifle. But you would have to cut almost an inch off the breech to get rid of the auxiliary extractor and then fit the take down assembly.

Are the external dimensions of the .22 barrel (diameter, taper) close to an issue Krag barrel? Both the S-P and the GPR barrels are very close to regular Krag dimensions.

Finally, Tom, please slug the barrel and tell us at least the groove diameter. Bore diameter, also, if you can. And lastly, please measure the twist.

Thanks, Richard

[Tom Butts]

Reincarnated, the .22 barrel is not a gallery practice barrel. It is a Mossberg .22 barrel.