1898 Rifle project

[RickyG]

Well here goes.... I am going to attempt to return a rifle to shootable condition. If you have been following the other thread you know what happened so I wont harp on that here. I am going to try to document my attempt to do am amateur restoration and will welcome advice.

Problems as I see them.

1: Rifle will not feed. This seems to be a consensus of broken or missing magazine spring. I have ordered a replacement and have to learn how to take that apart and fix it soon.

2: Unstable crack in wood. Im fairly decent with wood so that should go ok. Will stabilize the crack and then attempt to clean 125 years of grime. Hoping not to sand.

3: Rust and pitting. There is a lot of damage to the sling loops, barrel bands and finish on the magazine gate and exterior. I am going to try to rub most out with scuff pads and oil but may have to resort to polishing wheel and go to bare metal. Good news is after running a rod the barrel looks in decent condition.

And away we go... I am going to try posting now photos.

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[RickyG]

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That should give an overview of my starting point

[Knute1]

Well, if that is what you want to do I will be cheering you on. Bringing this firearm back into a respectable condition is a worthy project. I restored a non-Krag rifle that someone had left in a damp basement where it was neglected. I'm not a professional, but the owner was surprised how much it could be brought back to original condition.

You will get a lot of help at this forum and I wish you good luck. Be patient, think it through, ask questions, enjoy the process and I'm sure you will come out well on the other end. This old girl deserves it.

[RickyG]

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[RickyG]

Started on the metal bands and swivels.

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[RickyG]

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[butlersrangers]

RickyG - Be patient with metal and wood clean-up. There is lots of good information on old KCA posts; that's worth exploring with the 'search feature'.

I bumped one thread, "Boil, Bubba or not?", that appears in Chit-chat. There is lots of discussion of metal clean-up and treatment.

With old gun clean-up, "Do no harm".

[RickyG]

Yes, there's a lot more to do. Just showing the initial start at clearing the surface to see whats underneath to work with. Appreciate the input!

The start is simply a red scuff pad intended for glass cookstove tops, oil and a brass brush. I don't want to cause more damage.

[Knute1]

Even with a somewhat blurry picture, the rifling still looks distinct. Put that one in the plus column.

[RickyG]

Doing cleanup and waiting for a new magazine spring but noticed something....

Is what I circled the current magazine spring out of place? Could this be the feed issue? If so why would it be that way and does anyone have photos of one they have taken apart and put back together?

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