1898 Krag with bad bore

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tark

tark

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Picked up an 1898 Krag last week # 750XXX cartouche is dated 1903. One of the last ones made. All proper late parts. Sorry, no pics, but you all know what a well worn Krag looks like and I still haven't learned how to post pics yet.(idiot)

The bore looks like the inside of a sewer pipe, but I knew that when I bought it. The rifling is quite visible, but there is HEAVY pitting the entire length. Very dark. I knew I wasn't buying a shooter. But I did want to shoot it a few times just for the experience, so I did. I was surprised to discover that it seemed to hit right where I aimed. I set up a 100 yard target and...

It put five shots into two inches, exactly where I aimed! How can this be? If you saw that bore you would vomit!!

Anyone out there have any similar experiences? I have an 1891 Argentine Mauser with a similar bore that throws em' sideways. How on earth can such a bad bore shoot so well.

For thr record, I was shooting brand new Remington 180gr factory ammo

Thoughts?
 
Yeah, you just never know about a gun until actually trying it.
I've had a few ugly looking ones that shot very well, in spite of their looks.
One had a pitted barrel and another had a dent in the muzzle.
Made no difference.
Good thing you tried it before passing judgement.
 
Are you sure ...

about the serial number? It isn't relevant to how the rifle shoots, but there were never that many Krags built - total production was less than 500K.

PRD1 - mhb - Mike
 
If it hadn't been a shooter, there would still be reason to have bought it.
Just running that smooth bolt back and forth, and opening and closing the mag door is sufficient entertainment.
Are you going to tell us how much it cost?
 
Oops! You are quite right, RD1! What I meant was my gun is 470,XXX. (told you I was an idiot) Production stopped around 475,000, which includes carbines. My rear sight has that silly little flip up peep sight blade. The peep hole is almost microscopic. Maybe young eyes can use it, I can't.

I am still at a loss as to explain that unexpected good accuracy. The bore on the gun is so ugly that I pulled the bullet on the first round I tried and dropped the charge. I wanted to make sure I could even push a bullet down that bore.
 
tark,
I've got a M96 sporter (prob. Bannerman) with an mediocre bore that shoots like a match rifle. I used to turn my nose up at any but vg-exc bores on used guns, but I have moderated in the past 15-20 years. Worst case scenario on your rifle is buying a new bbl from CMP (Criterion) and installing it, but if it ain't broke - save your money ;)

Do you reload for the M1891? If yes, are you using .310-.313 bullets? I have one that I won HP rifle matches with, but a friend brought one over for me to look at that he simply could not get to shoot without keyholing. Surprise, surprise, someone had rechambered it to 30-06 and he was using factory 06 ammo with .308 bullets. I loaded some 06 brass using a 303 Brit expander & .312 bullets, and even bigger surprise, it shot like new. It was too bad, too, because it was a beautiful M1909 with the 98 action, looked unissued. His dad left it to him and he didn't know its history, but - right bullet fixed the problem. If you're using standard 7.65 ammo, then maybe you should slug the barrel & see if it's oversized. You might be able to shoot cast bullets sized appropriately & rescue it from the closet. Good luck anyway :)
 
MajDad, I do reload for the Argentine. I make cases out of 06 brass and I use the same 150gr .311 dia. bullets I load in my .303. I even dropped the charges below starting loads, hoping to get them to stabilize. No luck. It won't stay inside a foot at fifty yards and all bullets keyhole. That's why I'm so shocked that the Krag does so well.

Guess I should just shut up and not look a gift horse in the mouth!
 
Had a "sewer pipe" Garand.

This thing looked like the entire bore had been storing salt water.

I shot a fire lapping kit through it after a serious cleaning. Still looked horrendously scarred the full way.

First rounds through were USGI surplus and accuracy wasn't worth the effort.

For the heck of it, I loaded a full clip of GI .30 AP.

Yowza! What a difference. Just under two inches.

I'm figuring it's mostly me and give it more ball from a different lot... no go.

Back to AP - back to accurate.

Go figure.

Todd.
 
As a teen I borrowed a friends Turkish 8mm mauser that would keyhole at 50 yards. The bore looked like the surface of the moon. The German made 7mm mauser my uncle let me use to kill my first buck had a very clean barrel and shot great. A really poor excuse of a mosin I had shot pretty darn good considering. I guess you really cant tell if an ugly barrel can shoot until you shoot it. Most of the accuracy would be in the last bit of rifling touching the bullet.
 
Accurate but ugly bores are a well-known phenomenon. We don't know everything there is to know about gun barrels yet.

When it quits shooting, if you can't find a used Krag barrel in good shape, check into having the original barrel relined. It's a fairly simple procedure, and should be way cheaper than profiling and threading a new barrel from a blank...
 
Thanks for the input, guys, but I never intended to shoot the Krag very much I wanted it for the piece of history that it is, and because it is all original and complete. I only shot it to see if the Krag legend for smoothness it true. (it is) and that was when I discovered it's unexpected good accuracy.

Having said that, I just might enter it in a old military rifle match......
 
you never know what one will shoot like.

i have a old win hiwall with a bad bore and i mean bad. shot with black powder all its life.

with smokeless and jacketed bullets it will keep them all on a playing card at 50 yrds.which is amazeing considereing how bad the bore is.
 
I was about to say "great candidate for a 35-40" until you said it shot well. No real surprise but it's counter intuitive. Had a Swede with a barrel from hell that shot really well and there are any number of Remington made H&R 444 Marlins with barrels that look like they were made by drunks with Parkinson's that shoot brilliantly. Hard to know what will work and what won't.

I'd want to try some heavy Brit 303 cast sized around .315 over 4227 in that Krag. Mine loves the heavies and 4227 but has a bore tight as a Scotsman's back pocket! .311" fills the throat nicely.
 
When it quits shooting, if you can't find a used Krag barrel in good shape, check into having the original barrel relined. It's a fairly simple procedure, and should be way cheaper than profiling and threading a new barrel from a blank...
Click to expand...
But be careful who does the work!

I picked up a Stevens Favorite for virtually nothing, because the 'smith who relined the barrel got the liner out of alignment with the bore -- it was so far off that the sights would fall out of the dovetails before the rifle was zeroed. I finally fixed it by getting a tang sight and shimming it to zero the rifle.
 
tark, I shoot cast 170 gr RNGC bullets (Lyman 311291) in my 03-A3 and it is a tack driver at 100 yds. Slug your Argie & see if it's oversized - you never know. You might be able to tame the beast with the Lyman 314291 - same bullet, just a tad bigger.
 
Thanks for the info MajDad. I might try that. I have a second Argie in 99% condition, except for the missing crest. It shoots brilliantly. But the first one is a challenge and I like those...
 
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