Krag 30-40 Carbine

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Armchair Bronco

Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
227
Location
Seattle, WA
I have an old Krag 30-40 Carbine from 1898 that I inherited years ago from my Granddad. He originally purchased the gun during the 1930's from the federal government, probably from the precursor of today's CMP.

Like a lot of craftsmen of his time, he sporterized the stock by adding a pistol grip and building up the comb. His work was impeccable, not your typical bubba-esque chop job.

The gun is still in great condition. True to form, the bolt action is as smooth as butter -- some say that the Krag 30-40 has the sweetest, smoothest bolt of any gun ever designed. I wouldn't disagree.

However, I've never had the courage to shoot this gun on account of its single locking lug on the bolt. Am I just being overly cautious, or should I "man up" and take this thing out the range?
 
Last edited:
This is not the gun, but he probably started out with something that looked a lot like this.

h0248.jpg
 
if your unsure take it to a good gunsmith for a once over. Its probably not necessary, but it feels better taking that first shot after a good smith tells you shes in fine shape. I did that with my 1903 even tho i watched the guy who gave it to me shoot it.

As long as you respect the strength of the action as fars handloads go, factory loads will be held to spec for those actions, your rifle should perform wonderfully.

Ive always liked the look and style of the krag, Its one of the few military arms i like in stock form. Id like to have one eventually.
 
A Loon stated, don't exceed the standard CUP pressures and you should be fine. I too would also recommend you take it to a COMPETENT gun smith to have it looked over. Those old Krag actions are usually fine and dandy but there have been cases of that lug letting loose because some reloader decided he knew more than the engineers that set up the CUP pressure listings. Would be a good idea to have the head space checked and the chamber inspected while the smith has it. Just for safety's sake.

All that said, those actions are sweet aint they!
 
Whenever you are using one of these 1890's vintage rifles, it is always good to be cautious.

I have been reviewing old American Rifleman magazines for a specific article, and I ran across several warnings about Krag's.

One author, who seemed to really know his stuff, mentioned the primitive metallurgical knowledge at SA in the 1890's. These Krags are made from plain carbon steels, and until you study the history of metallurgy, you really do not understand how little was understood about metals in the 1890’s. The process controls were primitive leading to high variability in the end products.

If someone examines the rifle, finds the headspace OK and no evidence of a crack on the lug, chamber and barrel bright, then it is OK to shoot period 30-40 loads in the thing. It is not OK to soup those loads up. This rifle has the reputation of cracking lugs, I saw one myself. It is a combination of non symmetrical loading and primitive plain carbon steels poorly heat treated.

You can look up 30-40 loads, the round is in fact pretty darn good in its original loadings, you push a 220 grain bullet at 2200 fps, and that was an excellent game round in its day, and even now.

I have a Krag, been shooting cast bullets in the thing. Hard to justify jacketed when you push a cast bullet close to the same velocity. The Krag is just outstanding with cast bullets largely due to the long case neck of the cartridge.
 
The Krag is plenty strong for the operating pressures about which it was designed. The only issues with Krags that will occasionally show up is a cracked lug. Use the gasoline test to verify the lug is not cracked. Even if the lug fails the Krag has two safety lugs - the guide rib bearing on the receiver and the bolt handle set into a mortise in the receiver. The Krag was not Mauser- strong but it was plenty strong for the intended ammo. Krag rifles make great cast bullet rifles. Agree with Slamfire - why shoot jacketed when you can shoot cast from the Krag with essentially the same ballistics?
 
What's the gasoline test?
Click to expand...

It's a test to detect invisible cracks. Disassemble the bolt, clean it off thoroughly, then dip the bolt face and locking lug in gasoline. Dry thoroughly with a towel and observe. If there is a hidden crack, it will become visible as the gasoline seeps out of it.

I have two, an original 1896 Carbine and a sporterized 1898 that I'm restoring. Thousands of Krags are still used for hunting, target shooting, and plinking. Use only factory loaded ammo, or use light to moderate handloads. It's still a great brush load, especially in a carbine.
 
The krag is a beautiful well built solid rifle, honestly I would trust its strength over many current modern production rifles.

I watched my father in the 50's shoot running whitetail in thick brush with a 30-40, long barrel and all, shooting 5 gal buckets at 300 yards with open sights no trick at all(would be today with old eyes) and as someone said the action is pure smooth. Have it checked out if your concerned reload or purchase some ammo(expensive) and have at it.
 
Here are some pictures I just took in the back yard.

Right side, buttstock & receiver / trap door

right1j.png

By armchairbronco at 2011-12-07

Right side, barrel

right2.png


Serial Number, 122K range

serialnumber.png


Trap Door

trapdoor.png


Patch, left side of stock

patchleft.png
 
Last edited:
And here's a detail of the mods my Granddad made to the stock (pistol grip and raised comb).

The stock needs to be refinished, but the mods and patches were nicely done I think.

stockmods.png
 
Too bad that rifle was modified. I realize back then it wasn't a collectors item, but today a legit 1898 carbine is worth quite a bit (they only made 5000 of them). Based on what I see there is a good chance you have a legit 1898 carbine. They are fairly easily faked because there are no differences between an 1898 rifle receiver and carbine receiver. If the receiver is marked 1899 you know you have a carbine (there was no Model 1899 rifle). The headless cocking piece is also somewhat rare - although not terribly so. Interesting Krag you've got there. Enjoy it!

I think that may also be the original 1898 carbine stock which is very rare. Most 1898 carbines were re-stocked in 1899 stocks when they were returned for re-arsenal repair. Someone did some grinding on the front of that receiver to round it down to the barrel. It might not hurt to have a qualified gunsmith look at that aspect as it looks as though material was removed from the receiver in the chamber area.
 
Last edited:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but my carbine has this marking on the stock....can you give me any insights....and yes the rest of the rifle looks that good...looks like it was made yesterday.

Thanks.

IMG_8500.jpg
 
kragluver said:
Too bad that rifle was modified. I realize back then it wasn't a collectors item, but today a legit 1898 carbine is worth quite a bit (they only made 5000 of them). Based on what I see there is a good chance you have a legit 1898 carbine. They are fairly easily faked because there are no differences between an 1898 rifle receiver and carbine receiver. If the receiver is marked 1899 you know you have a carbine (there was no Model 1899 rifle). The headless cocking piece is also somewhat rare - although not terribly so. Interesting Krag you've got there. Enjoy it!

I think that may also be the original 1898 carbine stock which is very rare. Most 1898 carbines were re-stocked in 1899 stocks when they were returned for re-arsenal repair. Someone did some grinding on the front of that receiver to round it down to the barrel. It might not hurt to have a qualified gunsmith look at that aspect as it looks as though material was removed from the receiver in the chamber area.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. It's interesting to get some more background on this old gun.

As I mentioned, my Granddad purchased it for a few dollars from the federal government during the early 1930's at the height of the Depression. He lived his entire life in Laramie, Wyoming, and for a couple of decades he used the gun annually to go deer hunting in South-Central Wyoming. When he got his deer (as he always did with this gun), he would gut it & clean it in the field. Then he carried the carcass back to the car, and my Dad (who was just a young kid) would carry the gun. My Grandma would then make beef jerkey and leather shoelaces from the hide.

It was a different time back then. My Granddad made most of the nice furniture in his home (coffee tables, ottomans, wooden chairs, radio cabinets, etc.) so I'm not surprised that he modified his Krag 30-40 Carbine. He would have had a utilitarian sensibility rather than the perspective of a collector.
 
Last edited:
I can tell by your serial # that it was made in 1899.
I'd shot the thing. Just do a "polish test fire" and inspect
the case real well.
Do make sure the bore is clear and clean.
 
CnRnut said:
I can tell by your serial # that it was made in 1899.
I'd shot the thing. Just do a "polish test fire" and inspect
the case real well.
Do make sure the bore is clear and clean.
Click to expand...

Is the "Polish Test Fire" when you set the gun down near a tree, tie some string around the trigger, walk back 10 yards, and pull? ;)
 
FPGT72 - that is the standard inspection stamp applied to almost all Krag's. JSA was John Sumner Adams. Your rifle was made in calendar year 1901 which makes it a Model 1898 rifle.
 
Armchair - please don't take my comment about the rifle being modified as criticism - times were different in the 1930s. Nobody could have guessed then that any Krag would ever be a collectable. He did nice work on this carbine.

Two telling features that indicate to me that the stock is an original 1898 are the shape of the forearm and the filler where the saddle ring once resided.

I too have a sporterized Krag rifle that my Grandfather did back in the 40s or so. It is worth way more in intrinsic value to me than any dollar figure could ever bring. It is also my favorite range rifle:)
 
Too bad that rifle was modified. I realize back then it wasn't a collectors item, but today a legit 1898 carbine is worth quite a bit (they only made 5000 of them).
Click to expand...
I know what your saying. But IMHO grandpa's hunting rifles are priceless.
AB if you find it shootable take the old gal huntin'. I can tell you from personal experiance there's something special about a hunting with grandpa's gun.
 
Yes I have a second rifle that the father in law and his brother went in together on and bought out of a barrel for $15 in the early 50's...he said the springfields where $25 and that was too expensive. They did "fancy it up"....like you said the times where very different back then. Real hunting rifles had big price tags on them. Today it is a very different story. The cost and trouble in making a sporter is in most cases more then if you just bought a new rifle right out of the box.
 
kragluver said:
Armchair - please don't take my comment about the rifle being modified as criticism - times were different in the 1930s. Nobody could have guessed then that any Krag would ever be a collectable. He did nice work on this carbine.

Two telling features that indicate to me that the stock is an original 1898 are the shape of the forearm and the filler where the saddle ring once resided.

I too have a sporterized Krag rifle that my Grandfather did back in the 40s or so. It is worth way more in intrinsic value to me than any dollar figure could ever bring. It is also my favorite range rifle:)
Click to expand...

No worries, Kragluver. No criticism taken at all. :)

I'm sure if my Granddad had known what an unmodified Krag Carbine would be worth today, he wouldn't have touched a thing. My grandparents may have been utilitarian, but they were also financially smart! Having lived through the Depression, they probably wanted nothing more than to build a sizeable estate for their children and grandchildren. If a valuable Krag Carbine had been part of that, so much the better. My Grandma was constantly saying: "Waste not, want not." and "A penny saved is a penny earned."

I looked closely at the front of the receiver, and it definitely looks like part of it was ground down or modified in some way. Would the original Carbine have had the top forearm cover? Also, is the rear peep sight original or something added later on?
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

K
  • Locked
30/40 Krag
Replies
3
Views
440
klnrbrt
K
K
  • Locked
30-40 Krag
Replies
6
Views
813
SaxonPig
S
U
  • Locked
Value 30-40 Krag
Replies
1
Views
399
eastwood44mag
E
R
  • Locked
WooHoo! 30-40 Krag!
Replies
5
Views
617
Ronaldo
R
Woodnik
  • Locked
.30-40 Krag ammo
Replies
19
Views
3K
dh1633pm
dh1633pm
Back
Top