Krag Collectors Association Forum

Kyle', I too, like many of us here, own a Krag sporter. Mine also wears a 24" barrel. It has a M1903-type front sight, such as yours. My barrel is actually for a M1903 rifle modified for the Krag, not a cut down Krag barrel. It has markings rear of the front sight that points to its pedigree. I only bring this up as a quick glance for your rifle to make this determination.

My rifle has been used for hunting and required sighting in with this set-up. The rear sight is a Krag M1896 and had to be adjusted for the miss-matched sights where it required being set at 600 yards to be sighted-in at 100 yards. But it works.

Enjoy your rifle for what it is. You may catch the Krag fever to where you desire to purchase a full military sample. In the meantime, you can experience the Krag mechanism and patiently await a good deal on another rifle. I have both a sporter and a full military Krag and would not wish to part with either. They both have a place in the history of the Krag-Jorgensen rifle.

Knute is correct about some altered 'short' Krags having modified 1903 Springfield barrels.

Modifying surplus 1903 barrels was a cheap commercial gunsmith remedy to improve a Krag with a rotten bore.

For most of its length, (except the chamber area), the 1903 barrel will be smaller in diameter than a Krag barrel.

I have seen five of these rebarreled Krags. Three were drilled & tapped to mount a Krag rear-sight. Two were not and had receiver sights.

The 1903 barrel has to be shortened at the breech end to rechamber for .30-40. A Krag extractor cut has to be machined for the new chamber.

The 1903 barrel shank and chamber-area O.D. is reduced and new barrel threads are cut to fit the Krag action.

If the OP's barrel is 24 inches or longer, it is likely a Krag barrel.

Originally, IIRC, 1903 barrels were 23 & 1/2 inches long. If shortened a bit at the muzzle, the Ordnance Bomb and date marking may be gone.
Still, a tell-tale clue would be a shallow groove, across the outside of the barrel (and usually on the bottom), back at the chamber-area.
This was for a cross-pin that 'locked' the 1903 rear-sight collar into place.

butlersrangers wrote: ↑Sat Jun 10, 2023 5:39 pm Knute is correct about some altered 'short' Krags having modified 1903 Springfield barrels.


Originally, IIRC, 1903 barrels were 23 & 1/2 inches long.

I thought 1903 barrels were 24.25", then shortened to 24.00" when chambered for the new .30-'06 cartridge? Or did you mean that they were 23.5" when modified for a Krag?

You are pretty much correct, Richard.

Per Brophy, the early 1903 Springfield rifles in .30-03 caliber had barrels that were 24.206 inches long.
When the 1903 Springfield was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge the length was reduced to 24.006 inches.
(This allowed salvaging the .30-03 barrels).

If a 1903 Springfield barrel is altered, by rechambering for .30-40 Krag and re-threading to fit the Krag action, it will end up being about 23.5 inches, max.

The OP's 24-inch-long barrel is most likely a 'cut-down' Krag rifle barrel.

Just too much stuff to remember, precisely!

A 1903 barrel that was altered and fitted to a Krag Action will have visible clues, to the experienced eye.

Yeah, I knew that wasn't right - but close. They set the barrel back two threads on a 10tpi shank.