Hello; I'm new here and this is my first post. This seems to be friendly country.

I have a question regarding a 30-40 Krag Carbine that I'm interested in at my favorite gun shop. I've been told by the folks there, friends of mine, that it's all original and not a cut-down rifle. It has a saddle ring on the left side, the original rear sight, cartouches on the stock, etc., but the barrel worries me.

From what I've seen, Krag front sights are on a post soldered to a barrel that has the same taper all the way out to the muzzle. This one has the front sight on what I'll call a "boss" that appears identical to that under the front sight of a Springfield 1903. My memory has it that '03 barrels were sometimes fitted to Krags, but I don't remember the details and haven't been able to find any references to help.

Can anyone tell me the circumstances under which '03 barrels might have been fitted to Krags, specifically carbines, and what effect, if any, this might have on the value of the piece? The asking price is about half what I'm seeing on the internet for similar carbines.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated. For the price it may still be worth having, but I'd like to know what I'm getting.

Best,

Trad

I believe you're right about the Krag front sight and about the use of '03 barrels to replace Krag barrels eaten up by corrosive primers. The Krag carbine was a very popular hunting rifle at one time and hunters never did the military cleaning drill so corrosive primers took their toll of Krag bores. Surplus Springfield barrels were dirt cheap back 50 years ago and gunsmiths worked pretty cheap too, so it was well worth while to cut off the breech, re-thread and rechamber to fit up a Krag. I wonder, is it a two groove barrel? Not that it really matters.

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Does that mean your gun is now chambered for 30-'06, not 30/40 Krag?

The Krag action is really not strong enough to safely handle the
30/06 cartridge. As I recall it only has one locking lug. You would
have had to cut the back of the barrel and re-thread and re-chamber
as Joe already said. So it's probably re-chambered in 30-40 Krag.
It's certainly something to check. Although the Krag is really old
it is an excellent hunting cartridge. It shoots a long slow moving
bullet that has excellent expansion and penetration qualities.
The action is the smoothest action around.
Zeke P.S. Welcome to the Forum.

Welcome Trad.
You are wise to question a Krag Carbine and it's true that a good many were rebarreled with Springfield barrels. Also the longer barrel of a rifle could have been cut and a replacement sight added, etc.
Nothing speaks louder, in this case, than photos. If you could get some digitals there are folks here that could help you post them if needed.
Good luck!
O'C

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Thanks, folks, for your comments and advice.

CoyoteJoe: No, it's not a two-groove. The rifling is worn but the bore is shiny.

broom_jm: That's something seriously to worry about. There's a thread somewhere on the forum that I found where just this happened. Fortunately the chamber was a bit oversize rather than undersize, so the brass got blown out instead of the receiver.

zb338: That's correct, though there is a backup of sorts in the bolt handle and what might be a safety lug near the back of the bolt. Following the Spanish-American War the army decided to heat up the 30-40 cartridge from 2000 fps to 2200 to compete with the Mausers the Spanish were using, with the result that that single lug started cracking. The hotter loads were speedily abandoned and the 30-06/03 Springfield developed instead. One of the reasons the Krag action is so smooth is because the steel is rather hard and therefore brittle. It's best to load conservatively.

True story: A fellow had just taken delivery on a pristine 30-40 Krag rifle, on our range, from the dealer, and occupied a bench to shoot it. Why he did this I haven't a clue, but he'd brought some original (as in "antique," doubtless mercuric-primed) military ammunition to shoot in it. The first round went "pfhhhht." Range officers were literally in the air trying to get to him and stop him, but he jacked the next round into the chamber before they arrived and blew six inches off the end of his barrel. I can't tell you why the receiver didn't shatter; I don't know. No more pristine Krag. I still use this example in my safety briefings.

O'Connersun: That's a good suggestion, but it isn't mine - yet.

Thanks again, folks!

Trad

I have a 1899 Krag carbine and mine has the Springfield front sight on it, along with an aftermarket aperture sight mounted on the bolt. I inherited the rifle so I don't know the history of it. I do know that it shoots very well with cast bullets though.

Krag is a good action so long as you remember its pressure limitations. I regularly rebarrel Enfields to take the Krag round, usually because the bore is ruined. The Enfield Number 4 chambered for .30-40 is a very nice rifle. Like the Krag, the Enfield only has one locking lug...