sporterized Krag Jorgensen pawn shop pickup

[someguy2800]

I have been eyeballing this sporterized 1898 Krag in a local pawn shop for some time now. I believe the first time I saw it in there was about 3 or 4 years ago with a price tag of $775. It has a really beautiful stock on it and it has been very nicely re blued but thats alot of money for a sporterized rifle so I put it back and walked away. I only go there mabey once a year but it always catch's my eye. This spring I looked and the tag was marked $625 but I walked away again. Well on Friday I found myself looking at it once again and it was again marked down to $525. I've spent alot of money on gun stuff this year and I wasn't in the market for another expense but decided to see how much he wanted rid of it. I offered him $450 and said I would pay cash. He went over to his computer and looked something up and much to my surprise agreed without argument. Just in the last few days of playing with it I have really grown fond of it. Its an incredibly smooth action and the wood work on it is really nicely done. Its not grade 5 walnut but its very nice. The serial number dates it as 1899 manufacture and it is as far as I can tell an original barrel shortened to 22" and it is still chambered in 30-40 krag. The bore is in decent shape for being 118 years old. Rifling is a bit worn toward the chamber end but is pretty nice toward the muzzle. The person who did the smithing on it added Williams front and rear sights. Unfortunately they blades are too short for my cheekweld to get down on the sights properly but new blades from Williams should fix that. It does have some wear to the bluing on the edges and muzzle so it appears to have been someones hunting rifle. Fortunately they took good care of it. The shop owner told me he bought it from an older gentleman with a pretty large collection of guns but didn't know any history behind it.















I am planning to make a couple modifications to it. As I mentioned at the moment I cannot get down on the sights. Also because of the protruding magazine and because the only two action screws on a Krag are in the rear of the action, the stock is kind of flimsy at the front and I am worried about it breaking, so I plan to add an attachment point for the forend somewhere in front of the action. If it turns out to be a reasonably good shooter I would like to fabricate a scope mount for it and have it polished and blued to match and add this older Bausch and Lomb 3-9x40 to it and use it (carefully) as a hunting rifle. If not I will probably use it as a cast bullet plinker and to look pretty.

 

[johnnydollar]

Very nice! The styling of the stock reminds me of a Fajen, which were quite popular in the 1950s.

 

[22250Rem]

That's gorgeous.......... Based on looks I'm guessing a 1950's conversion also, and very nicely done. Krags are some of the most smooth cycling bolt actions around. It's a joy just to work the action on one of those. That'll make a classic old hunting rifle as long as you hunt carefully.

 

[MikeInOr]

I have always wanted a Krag Jorgensen in full military trim (I collect military firearms)... but she is a real beauty even through she was sporterized! The Krag is the smoothest bolt action I have ever worked. She should make a fine hunting rifle. A beautiful piece of history!

 

[someguy2800]

Yeah I have always wanted a 1898 in military trim but all they ones I've ever crossed paths with were in terrible shape or have had the stocks and barrels cut down to fake carbine length. Its unbelievable that this managed to sit on a pawn shop shelf for so long being thumbed up by random people wanting to know what the funny rifle with the thing sticking out the side was, and not get all beat up. It wasn't even behind the counter, it was just sitting on the wall. It has a very smooth and nice trigger as well. They have a sporterized M98 rebarreled to 30-06 in there as well for a really good price. Thinking of picking that up and restocking it.

 

[mokin]

Very pretty rifle. Enjoy!

 

[tark]

I am a collector and very much against doing that to an original milsurp gun....but maybe that gun wasn't original in the first place....and that is a very nice job someone did on that rifle. When the end result is that good looking....I can find no fault in what was done! It was obviously done by someone who knew what he was doing. The stampings on the receiver are still crisp and not washed out from improper polishing during the re-blue

I would have paid $450 for it myself. You did well!

 

[tark]

Don't worry about the bore. I have a nice 98 Krag, all original one of the last made. It has the late rear sight and has a 1901 cartouche. The bore is so bad it would make a hyena puke. Dark, pitted, but clearly visible rifling. About a foot in front of the chamber it improves a little.

And it shoots like this

 

[tark]

And my new computer is just as drunk as the last one. The pic was right side up on the screen.

 

[BigBore44]

You won’t find many actions as smooth as a Krag. And that is a very fine looking rifle. I think you got a good deal at $450.

 

[bannockburn]

someguy2800


Very nice looking Krag sporter you've got there! I would have gone up to $500 for it so I think you got a great deal at $450. I thought about converting my Model 1898 to a faux carbine but decided against it, preferring to restore it to something closer to the original military issue. Still need to get a sling for it one of these days.

 

[someguy2800]

Don't worry about the bore. I have a nice 98 Krag, all original one of the last made. It has the late rear sight and has a 1901 cartouche. The bore is so bad it would make a hyena puke. Dark, pitted, but clearly visible rifling. About a foot in front of the chamber it improves a little.

And it shoots like this

Any suggestions on an accuracy load? I was thinking a 150 nosler BT under varget or 4895 but I have been reading that people generally get best results from 180 gr and up with alot of people using 4350. I see your target says your using a 150. And yeah I have a 444 marlin that is pitted up pretty good but somehow shoots 1-1/2 groups at 100 yards. I'm pretty fond of that diamond in the rough as well.

someguy2800


Very nice looking Krag sporter you've got there! I would have gone up to $500 for it so I think you got a great deal at $450. I thought about converting my Model 1898 to a faux carbine but decided against it, preferring to restore it to something closer to the original military issue. Still need to get a sling for it one of these days.

View attachment 771868

I would like one just like that someday.

 

[Scooter22]

Thats a very nice classic sporter. When that was made they were selling Krags out of barrel for 10 bucks or so. Nobody was thinking collector piece. That does look like a Fagen stock. Enjoy it!

 

[Archie]

Nice rifle. My tastes run to a more 'classic' stock without a cheek piece. That also allows better access to iron sights. But this is YOUR rifle, make it fit you.

Lee makes suitable reloading dies. Bullets of course are .308" and plentiful. Empty brass is available from Graf and Sons - perhaps with some delay. Powder and primers are pretty standard. Commercial ammo is too costly for my Scottish blood.

Original load is a 220 grain bullet, but I would save those for really large game. A 150 or 165 grain bullet will most likely do for anything you desire.

 

[Whiterook808]

Nice rifle. I have a similar Krag sporter that looks almost the same. Mine was tapped for a scope mount and I managed to find that a Pachmayer would fit. The scope does get in the way due to the top ejection. I am wondering if at one point they made some kind of swing away mount for these.

 

[someguy2800]

I ordered some hornady brass yesterday. I've been trying to find an appropriate scope mount for it since I prefer scopes for hunting and the stock is made for a scope. The only one I can find in current production is the s&k no drill mount which offsets the scope to the side and is not the look I'm going for. I would like to find something that attaches to the side of the reciever but I don't see anything availible. I've seen a several on sporterized rifles for sale online but can't find a place to actually get the mount. If I don't stumble upon something I will have to make one to match my minds image. I did find a vintage low profile safety on ebay the other day so I ordered that.

 

[tark]

Any suggestions on an accuracy load? I was thinking a 150 nosler BT under varget or 4895 but I have been reading that people generally get best results from 180 gr and up with alot of people using 4350. I see your target says your using a 150. And yeah I have a 444 marlin that is pitted up pretty good but somehow shoots 1-1/2 groups at 100 yards. I'm pretty fond of that diamond in the rough as well.

I don't handload the 30-40, so I am afraid I can't help you with handloads, but I can give you a possible tip. Guns with really bad bores seem to do better with lighter bullets at slower velocities. I had an 1891 Argentine that keyholed with 180 grain bullets but shot reasonably well with 150 gr bullets. It shot even better with 150 grainers loaded down to 2200. It would shoot "minute of orange" at 50 yards.

If your accuracy isn't good try lighter bullets and lower velocities.

 

[Scooter22]

Post a pic of the rifles with the mount you want. We may be able to ID it.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

That sure is a pretty rifle. Back about 50 years ago I remember more than a few sporterized Krags carried in deer camp. I don't remember any looking that nice though.

 

[boom boom]

One warning, some Krags do not like spitzer bullets and have feeding problems as the magazine was not designed for it. Other Krags do not seem to have that issue and never have tried the newer polytips in them. Similarly, slugging the bore to determine actual bore size may help as Krag barrels seem to have a bit more variance in bores than Springfields do, flat based bullets may also shoot better than boat tails in that case.

Krag service ammo never used spitzer bullets although some spitzer ammo was used I believe in 1907 Palma matches by the U.S. Military team.

The other is to check the bolt lug (see http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?199833-What-a-cracked-Krag-Bolt-Looks-Like )

Removing the bolt for inspection is a minor pain but here is a pictorial way to do it. http://armscollectors.com/kragboltremoval.htm

Good luck with your fine looking Krag sporter.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Ya, I think you're asking for trouble combining top eject and a scope on a Krag. I would suggest this, also made by Williams and still available:

But good luck regardless- nice lookin gun ya got there!

 

[someguy2800]

There is an easier way to get the bolt out, if you slide a quarter or a flat screwdriver between the extractor and bolt and lift up on it while turning the bolt it pops right out. It pivots away from all the metal works so its actualy less likely to mark something up than lifting the extractor out of the way by hand. Really easy. I've been playing with my ejecting a piece of spent brass I had found and kept in my loading bench a few years ago. The extractor on mine kicks up and out the side at about a 45 degree angle so the brass will likely deflect off the scope but I think it will make it out. I will more likely just take the spent rounds out of the action with my fingers which is not an issue to me. The peep sights are a good idea but my vision isn't great so peep sights would relegate it to range fun and mabey 50 yard deer hunting. I would really like to make this a fully effective deer rifle.

I'm also considering a scout scope setup. Never had one and never appealed to me but this might be an application where it makes sense considering the action and difficulty in mounting a scope. Anybody have a good place to order scope mounts for barrel attachment? I would like something like leupold dovetail mounts or similar, not a picatinny rail, to go with the classic look.

 

[ontarget]

Very nice rifle. I passed one up about 20 years ago because I didn't know what it was. When I described it to an older friend he enlightened me so I went back a week later. It was gone. Been kicking myself ever since. I think the price was $175.00.

 

[someguy2800]

Nobody seams to be able to decide what these are worth. I've been looking at them for awhile now. I've seen nicely sporterized examples and original military stocked rifles sell on auction sites for as much as $1000, and also seen them on armslist in other states for $200.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Every gun show I go through, it is a special delight to find either as-issued Krags or nicely done sporter Krags.

I think it was much more successful as a sporter than as a military rifle. Single loading a five shot magazine is not a huge disadvantage for hunting.