1898 Krag bolt lockup

[tark]

Need some help from you Krag collectors. Picked up an 1898 rifle yesterday, in very average condition. The usual dings and dents, rough bore, but all original with perfect screw heads. Shoots quite well despite the pitted bore.

What puzzles me is the bolt. I have always heard that the Krag locks up with the single lug at the front of the bolt, and the lug in the middle of the bolt is a safety lug, and doesn't bear against the receiver when firing . Mine does. Both lugs bear evenly against the receiver and a little marking fluid confirmed this.

Is this normal?

 

[col.lemat]

I don't know about yours but mine do and I consider them normal. I never gave it a second thought on these two or the others that I have had.

 

[RPRNY]

Normal

 

[tark]

Case closed, it would seem. A perfect example of "just because you read it all your life doesn't make it true"

By the way, did you know that an M-1 Garand bayonet fits perfectly on an 1898 Krag?

 

[carbineer]

US Krags never had the long "safety" fitted to bear intentionally,it took too much time and made parts less field interchangeable. That said, many do bear on the receiver and that is a plus, many don't and that is not a negative as they act as a safety lug just as they were designed.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Both lugs bear evenly against the receiver and a little marking fluid confirmed this.

Is this normal?

No. The safety lug in US Krags was not meant to bear (on Norwegian Krags, it's a different story.)

It was a common practice later on to lap the lugs until the safety lug made contact -- but in the process, this affected headspace. If I had a Krag where the safety lug made contact, I would have the headspace checked before firing it.

 

[AlexanderA]

By the way, did you know that an M-1 Garand bayonet fits perfectly on an 1898 Krag?

The bayonets for Krags, Springfields, and Garands (except the M5 Garand bayonet) are functionally interchangable.

The cadets at West Point continued to use Krag bayonets long after the Krag rifle itself had passed out of service. This may have had something to do with the overall high quality of the Krag bayonets, and the fact that they had bright blades. Also, the catch button, being near the pommel, instead of near the guard, requires a slightly different manual of arms. There were also scabbard issues.

Putting an M1 Garand bayonet on a Krag rifle would be a clear anachronism, although the reverse would not be.

 

[Jim Watson]

If I had a sporterized Krag in, say, .25 Krag or .219 Zipper, I would want the locking lug and the safety lug both bearing.

If I saw a GI Krag with both touching, I would be leery of locking lug setback or a bolt crack. It might have just been assembled that way or lapped in after surplus sale, but hard to tell what.