Restoration of 388786, was 389182

U.S. Military Krags
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Dick Hosmer
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Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:11 pm

Restoration of 388786, was 389182

Post by Dick Hosmer »

Well, today I bit the bullet and got out my tools . . . Everything pretty much went as planned. Not having a mandrel/press, I filed the straps on the upper band; worked fine and you'd need a mic to measure the difference, but, it took the better part of an hour - not hard to see why SA went the way they did. Woodwork was done with a fine-toothed backsaw and various files, really nothing to sand, as no raw wood is exposed.

The fit of the combined parts is so tight that I'll not need to glue it, at least not immediately. Yes, the new shoulder is excessive - but I'm not going to rush to 'fix' it, as that would mean some exposed re-finish.

Should have pic(s) of the fully-assembled rifle tomorrow (everything up to now has been done on a long barrel).
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Last edited by Dick Hosmer on Fri Mar 31, 2023 8:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Whig
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Re: Restoration of 389182

Post by Whig »

Nice, fine work for old eyes! It's so fulfilling to make successful repairs like you are doing and preserving a nice Krag! I was out working in the garden today!

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butlersrangers
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Re: Restoration of 389182

Post by butlersrangers »

A very neat project, I'm looking forward to seeing your 'completed' pictures.

Ned Butts
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Re: Restoration of 389182

Post by Ned Butts »

Nice work, anxiously awaiting the finished product

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Dick Hosmer
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Re: Restoration of 388786, was 389182

Post by Dick Hosmer »

Well, (anyone remember Zero Mostel?) "a funny thing happened on the way to the forum" . . .

I had never had the hand guard off 389182 and when I removed it this morning to make the barreled action swap I was met with some really ugly wrench marks on the receiver. Nothing to do with authenticity, just so ugly I didn't want that to be my keeper - plus, the bore is a sewer. I was going to live with that because 389182 seemed to be the more authentic (correct rare sights, etc.) of my two rifles. But, I always had a soft spot for 388786 because it was my first BoOF find, and, aside from being a little shiny on the side plate, is "pretty", and has a very nice bore.

So, these are not the pics I intended, but, progress is being made. Good thing I saved the last files strokes, because the new fit is just a hair tighter. The special BoOF front sight does not require blade removal to clear the band - but I'm still swapping stuff. :lol:
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Dick Hosmer
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Re: Restoration of 388786, was 389182

Post by Dick Hosmer »

Pretty much done. Need to put in the sight blade. Speaking of which, I was wrong about the BoOF blade being low enough to pass the band - it does not. I could take the whole thing apart again and take off a couple of more thousandths (I now know exactly where it was hanging up) but I may not. The rifle itself looks much better than these pics, which tend to highlight every tiny flaw. Overall, I'm pleased; just sorry I postponed doing it for so long! More pics to follow, including a comparison shot with my school gun and a full-length rifle.
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