Problem with chambering new brass

[butlersrangers]

Neat little facsimile 'school rifle' with a better than usual fitting of the front barrel-band!

The 'chamber cast' would be my next suggestion, if 'roto-rooter' doesn't do the trick.

Follow instructions on the chamber-cast removal. If it is allowed to set-up for days, I hear they are a bear to remove. Gun owners have removed broken case parts with chamber cast.

[Zac952]

Well I soaked it well I was at work today and tried rotorooting it with a brush, still having the shoulder issue but I should receive that cerrosafe this week and I will let all of you know what I find out, I appreciate all the help all of you have given me in trying to find the problem and I will be sure to update this as to what I find. I look forward to shooting this rifle and I am determined to get it into shooting shape one way or another!

[Zac952]

Alright well after a long work week I got the chamber cast done this morning, it appears as if it is short chambered, oddly it almost looks as if the reamer may have been wore out as the actual shoulder is slightly shorter, fortunately I think a reamer should be able to correct it, any thoughts?

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Also my barrel diameter seems to be right on at .308

[butlersrangers]

'Zac952'- Nice job on the chamber cast!

That is a truly odd situation. I imagine the correct type of 'reamer' could establish a proper .30-40 shoulder?

[Zac952]

Thank you for all the help along the way, I will likely be getting a finish reamer and a set of headspace guages to chamber it. Also how do you guys feel about lapping the lug to gain headspace and also make the bolt guide or the bolt handle contact the receiver for more strength? I know people will lap lugs on the mausers for more contact when rebarreling, and I have heard of people lapping the Krag lug to gain an extra lug or two, my only concern is the potential surface hardening of the bolt only? I know that I would have to lap 10 thousandths or more to make contact.

[FredC]

Lapping the bolt will not only remove some of the case from the bolt but also from the receiver. I do not like the idea as a solution. The shoulder would still be misshaped when you finally got enough material removed.
How much evidence of wear do you see on this Krag. Does the bolt shows wear marks? If the barrel had been reamed with a chipped reamer from the get go this problem would have been addressed decades ago, otherwise it would almost be pristine in condition from lack of use. Almost seems like it was a parade gun with weld in the chamber to prevent chambering a round that was only partially removed before you got it. I would not like to use a good reamer on a welded barrel either. Any indication of heat discoloration under the sight? I would still look in there with a borrowed bore scope. It might tell what the actual problem is.

Swapping for a good used barrel may be the easiest fix.

[Zac952]

I checked out the top of the barrel for discoloration and it doesn't appear to have any, it may have been reblued but the blue is not worn where the upper handguard lies on both the reciever or barrel so it has seen much handling since a reblue if one was done, also bolt does appear to have wear and I am getting copper fouling coming from the barrel when I clean it, blue patches. It can chamber a round and potentially be fired, potentially as I have never fired it, but the bolt is just hard to close on a cartridge. It closes fine empty. I am going to purchase a bore scope and do some inspection. If it was a weld what would I be looking for with the borescope?

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[Ned Butts]

Sent you a PM

[butlersrangers]

I would recommend against lapping the bolt 'locking-lug' on your Krag.
IHHO - Rather than increase action strength, it will grind through the case hardening of the lug and increase head-space.

I have to wonder how a "short-chambered" Krag barrel ever got through inspection?

Possibly, it was rejected, sold as 'scrap' or Armory discard, purchased at auction by Stokes-Kirk, and came to be put on one of his parts guns?

The vise or wrench marks on your barrel support the idea that the barrel was put on your Krag action outside of the Armory.

[Zac952]

I appreciate the info on lapping the lug, weaking it is what I had assumed would happen but with some stories of people doing that made me think possibly it was an accepted thing. If it was a defective barrel it would definitely explain the problem and the potential sale to stokes kirk, it had copper fouling and powder fouling in it so somebody has shot it, I will plan on either getting or borrowing a borescope, being that it was within 30 of the highest serial number made possibly it was never assembled until after it was surplus? Not sure if that is a thing or not, but hopefully I can get it proper as the rifling is strong and exactly .308 so it should shoot cast as I'm a caster and like the option of doing that due to shortages.