new barrel for krag

[fastfreddy]

I have a 1898 Krag which has been sportorized, it needs a new barrel because of excessive head space. The gunsmith I talked to will rebarrel it but barrels that I have seen are either 22 or 30 inches, current barrel is 24 inch, should I spend the extra money to cut the barrel from 30 to 24 inch or leave it as it is if a 24 inch barrel can't be found.

[madsenshooter]

What makes you think the headspace is excessive? If I had to get another barrel, I'd just go with a 22" Criterion. By the time you pay a good gunsmith to cut down, rethread and rechamber something like a Remington 700 .308 takeoff barrel, which will work, you'd likely have a bit more change involved than simply installing a Criterion. (I'm not sure about Rem barrel lengths available, but about 3.020" would have to be cut off to remove the .308 chamber.) That is if you can find a gunsmith that'll cut the square threads. I found a bunch of fellows claimed to be gunsmiths that couldn't do it. They must not rebarrel 03s either. But, if I absolutely positutely wanted a 24" barrel, it shouldn't cost much for the gunsmith to cut the 30" down and recrown the barrel. Criterions are stronger than original Krag barrels, which have no chrome moly in them.

[fastfreddy]

The cases are splitting just above the case head, started off as a bright ring then cases began to crack, I have seen it before on another rifle that I owned. I found a gunsmith that can do the job, he said that I have two options, one is to set the barrel back and rethread it and set the head space, approx 5 hr labor at sixty bucks an hour. Other option is to get a new barrel, approximately two hundred fifty bucks plus 1/1/2 hr labor, it appears that I would save some money and have a new barrel by taking the new barrel option.

[reincarnated]

I would opt for a new barrel. I have what is probably a Bannerman Krag that produces fired cases much like the ones you describe. Factory ammo is OK, but no more than 2 or 3 reloads per case. I think mine was fitted with a surplus (or reject) WW1 Springfield or 1917 Enfield barrel that was cut down on both ends. & maybe the chambering reamer did not go in quite in line with the bore.

[psteinmayer]

Is there a particular reason you must have the 24" barrel? If not, then go with the Criterion 22" (carbine length). My cutdown sporter also has a 24" barrel... and I would go to a 22" in a second if I had the money. Actually, if I had the money, I would go with a 30", new stock, handguard, etc... and return it to original military. Then, it would be my main CMP match rifle and I could retire my current (which has much more history and I value as my most prized rifle).

[gnoahhh]

I recently re-barreled a custom sporter with a new Criterion barrel. I was in the same boat as the OP in that I wanted to retain the 24" barrel length. I simply bought a 30" Criterion and cut it to 24". The lack of a front sight mortise didn't bother me as I sweated on a ramp front sight. I couldn't be happier.

The advised "short chamber" didn't materialize either. The chamber was perfect from the factory. Minimal headspace with zero stretch marks on fired brass with arsenal-level loads. Accuracy beats any obtained with a plethora of Krags I owned in my life.

I wish Criterion had been around years ago when I pulled my hair out getting a couple of ornery Krags to shoot!

Not recommended for placement on guns for which originality is a concern, but is a panacea for sporterized guns whose barrels are getting "tired".

[psteinmayer]

Criterion barrels are advertised as being "Short Chambered", but in actuality, are already full chambered. Short chambering and finish-reaming is necessary for rifles that headspace on the shoulder, such as a 30-06 (like a Garand). This is because the bolt and go/no-go gauges are required for proper headspacing. Since the Krag headspaces on the rim, this is not a necessity, and so Criterion finish-reams the barrels at manufacture. The threads are cut to properly index and the headspace is fixed in the design. As long as the bolt is correct, you should never experience a problem.

[fastfreddy]

I recently re-barreled a custom sporter with a new Criterion barrel. I was in the same boat as the OP in that I wanted to retain the 24" barrel length. I simply bought a 30" Criterion and cut it to 24". The lack of a front sight mortise didn't bother me as I sweated on a ramp front sight. I couldn't be happier.

The advised "short chamber" didn't materialize either. The chamber was perfect from the factory. Minimal headspace with zero stretch marks on fired brass with arsenal-level loads. Accuracy beats any obtained with a plethora of Krags I owned in my life.

I wish Criterion had been around years ago when I pulled my hair out getting a couple of ornery Krags to shoot!

Not recommended for placement on guns for which originality is a concern, but is a panacea for sporterized guns whose barrels are getting "tired".

I will probably stick with the 30 inch barrel, I think the current barrel is 24 inches, will have to measure it to know for sure, just measured it, it's 25 inches. One advantage with the 30 inch barrel is an extra 100 fps or so of muzzle velocity.

[Parashooter]

If Criterion's photo is representative of what's being shipped, their barrels are not really "short-chambered" but actually "long-faced" - with a raised area surrounding the chamber opening in the breech face. This should allow simple headspace control by reducing this portion with lathe or other appropriate breech face cutter.

[psteinmayer]

I think you're right Para... Sure looks that way to me.

Fastfreddy, measure your Krag barrel by dropping a cleaning rod down the barrel against the closed bolt. Then, mark, remove and measure the rod. It probably is 24 inches however, as that is a somewhat normal cutoff length for Krag sporters. I think you'd do better going with the 30 inch also. You'll get good accuracy, and you'll be partway there should you decide to return it to an as-issued configuration.