Accuracy from the Stevens Pope Krag. This was 100 yards in the prone with the leather sling and standard velocity ammunition and the 1902 rear sight.
Just say'n
Jeff the Caterpillar man
.22 cal target Krag
Re: .22 cal target Krag
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butlersrangers
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Re: .22 cal target Krag
Nice photos Jeff and thanks for sharing your insights about two entirely different U.S.Krag .22 caliber "systems".
Part of my post strived to clearly explain that there were two different systems. A privately made approach (Pope) and Springfield Armory's (GP action).
I thought the high 12 o'clock positioning of the chamber, utilized on the Steven's-Pope barrel, would have made the act of loading relatively easy.
(So much for assuming).
To me, the Steven's-Pope approach has many virtues.
I would love to have a reproduction Steven's-Pope barrel that is bored and rifled for standard .22 Long Rifle ammunition.
I enjoyed the photos showing how your Steven's-Pope Krag rifle performs.
I am curious if your GP .22 caliber Krag shows comparable accuracy?
It was not my intent for .22 caliber Krags to be viewed as POS rifles. The Springfield Armory GP Krag design does have serious shortcomings.
I am sure both types of the U.S. .22 caliber Krags could have performed better,
if .22 caliber ammunition had been more refined and standardized in the early 1900s.
Part of my post strived to clearly explain that there were two different systems. A privately made approach (Pope) and Springfield Armory's (GP action).
I thought the high 12 o'clock positioning of the chamber, utilized on the Steven's-Pope barrel, would have made the act of loading relatively easy.
(So much for assuming).
To me, the Steven's-Pope approach has many virtues.
I would love to have a reproduction Steven's-Pope barrel that is bored and rifled for standard .22 Long Rifle ammunition.
I enjoyed the photos showing how your Steven's-Pope Krag rifle performs.
I am curious if your GP .22 caliber Krag shows comparable accuracy?
It was not my intent for .22 caliber Krags to be viewed as POS rifles. The Springfield Armory GP Krag design does have serious shortcomings.
I am sure both types of the U.S. .22 caliber Krags could have performed better,
if .22 caliber ammunition had been more refined and standardized in the early 1900s.
Re: .22 cal target Krag
We have not talked about the Norwegian Krag .22 training rifle yet...........
I guess we I better get started on some side by side target testing.
Jeff The Caterpillar Man
I guess we I better get started on some side by side target testing.
Jeff The Caterpillar Man
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Re: .22 cal target Krag
The Model 1898 Gallery Practice Rifle I put through the wringer was one of the first 50 made. It was chambered for the .22 Extra Long cartridge and had an 18" twist. Bore & groove were oversize. It is my understanding that barrels made after the first 50 were of more conventional twist, bore & groove dimensions. Experimenting with later production rifles may give very different results.
Dick, in your search for replacement parts for the GPR extractor, take a look at the extractor/ejector parts for the Winchester Winder Musket. They might work.
Keep in mind that when the Stevens-Pope conversions for the Krag, the Model 1898 Gallery Practice rifles, and the Winchester Winder Muskets were in use by military units, .22 rimfire ammunition had a very short shelf life. Townsend Whelen in "The American Rifle" (1916? 1918?) wrote that usable accuracy was lost after 6 months and that "fresh" cartridges were necessary for accurate shooting. Those training National Guard or National Army troops had to shoot whatever was fresh and available. Any .22 rimfire ammunition obtained via the standard gov't procurement methods might well have been "time expired" and not very accurate.
At the time in question, the late 1890s until 1917 and WW1, carefully manufactured .22 Shorts and .22 Long Rifle cartridges were as accurate as any manufactured today. The problem was accurate shelf life. Back then, it was weeks or a few months. Today, accurate shelf life is measured in decades.
Dick, in your search for replacement parts for the GPR extractor, take a look at the extractor/ejector parts for the Winchester Winder Musket. They might work.
Keep in mind that when the Stevens-Pope conversions for the Krag, the Model 1898 Gallery Practice rifles, and the Winchester Winder Muskets were in use by military units, .22 rimfire ammunition had a very short shelf life. Townsend Whelen in "The American Rifle" (1916? 1918?) wrote that usable accuracy was lost after 6 months and that "fresh" cartridges were necessary for accurate shooting. Those training National Guard or National Army troops had to shoot whatever was fresh and available. Any .22 rimfire ammunition obtained via the standard gov't procurement methods might well have been "time expired" and not very accurate.
At the time in question, the late 1890s until 1917 and WW1, carefully manufactured .22 Shorts and .22 Long Rifle cartridges were as accurate as any manufactured today. The problem was accurate shelf life. Back then, it was weeks or a few months. Today, accurate shelf life is measured in decades.