krag .308 cal

ryan robert

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hey there, so i got a Krag a couple of months ago, real good deal,although i didnt even know what it was when i bought it, the cal was right and so was the price!! and as always I look for unusual rifles and what not. the thing is i really like this rifle and it shoots pretty good the way it is, but like many other CGN's i would like to tweak it a bit, personally i would like to put synthetic on it but havent been able to find one anywhere, also i have the S&K scope mount that came on it but it is only held on with on small screw and dosent go on straight!! anyone ever use one of these? I was thinking about having a custom stock made and then have it bedded and what not, also would like to play with the trigger, as with many older milsurps it has alot of play in the trigger before it actually fires :(, dont like that, basically what im looking for is opinions or guys who have had these rifles ...
any help would be great, will post pics later tonight when kids are in bed...

by the way the bore is mint and the bluing is awesome, it was sporterized Globe firearms stamped on barrel

thanks
RR
 
KRAG IN 308 WIN = CANDIDATE FOR "KABOOM" unless your loading to min specs. I've heard that the Norwegian Krags are stronger, but don't know enough to say for sure. bearhunter
 
So you want to take an antique and bubba it? I agree with the other folks. .308 loads in a Krag is like pulling the pin on a grenade, letting the handle fly off, holding on to it, and expecting the fuze to not function.

This rifle has ONE locking lug!!!!!
 
Are you sure it is not a Scmidth-Rubin instead of a Krag, I have an old Globco Catalog and they only list the Krag sporters in their original 6.5x55 mm calibers.
 
Globeco did some of the worst work ever in the history of bubba-ing milsurps......
I wouldn't buy anything that had their name on it.
 
I had a Schmidt-Rubin in 30-30.

Barrel was nice so I gave it to a 'smith to do what he wished with.

I still have the bolt.
 
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Do you have any pics of this rifle. As others have mentioned (some a little more harshly than others), if this is in .308 Winchester calibre, it is not the safest thing in the world to shoot. The Krag action has only one locking lug and it is only designed for about 40,000 psi max. 308 is normally around the 50000 + psi, so if you continue shooting it, you will get a kaboom.

Unless by .308, you mean bore size and it fires the 30/40 Krag round, then your fine.
 
A friend of mine has the same gun, Globe Manufacture 308 and it is a side magazine. That has gotta be a Krag. I'll stand a few more feet from him at the range next time....:p

Seriously, I've seen him put two boxes of 308 180 grain through it. So it should be blown up right or is this a "milsurp myth"
 
I wonder if we are talking about a Danish Krag instead of an American one? In either case, .308 is not what I would shoot in it without handloading down to a lower velocity.
 
One locking lug=trouble at 308 pressures - I've got a gunsmith book from the 50's that advised against shooting them in any other calibre other than what they were originally offered - they even knew then what we are talking of.
 
pics of krag 308

holy crap guys i think im about to have a massive coranary, the way you guys are talking i nearly #### my pants, ive put about 40 rounds through it it shoots real nice and accurate but hey.... what do i know, thats why im asking!!! anyway here are some pics, it is in fact .308 win stamped on the barrell as well as "made in Austria"







IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/RYAN-URSUS/DSCF0837.jpg[/IMG]
 
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Well, being a Krag collector, I found this whole thread odd and a bit disturbing. Springfield Krags were 30.40 caliber. Norwegian Krags were 6.5x55. I've never heard of a .308 barreled Krag, so, I started searching the Internet for whatever I could find in reference to .308 Krags. The only thing I could find was a very old message from 1998 from someone else who found a .308 Krag. I hope this helps you, but to be honest, I wouldn't shoot this beast any more until you get some better clarification ....... :)

To: Curio and Relic c-r-ffl@shelfspace.com
Subject: .308 krag??
From: Nate Wilke wilke@eagle.cc.ukans.edu
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 15:29:43 -0500 Sender:
Sender: owner-c-r-ffl@serge.shelfspace.com

Guys -

Today at the gun show, I saw a Krag (M1898) converted to fire .308 with a new barrel. Whats up with that? Not to open a can of worms, but is that safe? The dealer said it was converted to .308, NOT 7.62 NATO, so lets not open that thread back up;)

thanks

nate

*********************************************************
Nate Wilke mailto:wilke@fullnet.net
http://eagle.cc.ukans.edu/~wilke/home.html

To: "wilke"@eagle.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: .308 krag??
From: Craig Bugno <cabugno@rtcol.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 16:41:40 -0700
CC: "c-r-ffl"@shelfspace.com
References: <l03110700b229c3b086d8@[129.237.7.152]>
Sender: owner-c-r-ffl@serge.shelfspace.com

Nate, Tell all your friends Please do not fire this rifle. Tell the dealer, if he is willing to listen not to sell it as a shooter but to have the barrel removed and sell it for parts. This is a great but weak rifle in 30/40. It has a one lug bolt and primitive heat treatment. This is a conversion by someone with poor judgement, lack of knowledge or both.

CAB

Regards,
Badger
 
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All Krags are not equal. The U.S. Krag (that fired the 30/40 - a round that puts out about 65% of the energy of the 308) is the poor cousin of the Norwegian Krag.

The Norwegian Krag has three bolt locking points, not one: the lug at the bolt front, a lug mid-way up the bolt that locks into a recess in the receiver, and a "safety" lug at the bolt handle. Three points on the bolt lock into the receiver with a combined area that is substantial. Combine that with typically excellent steel and heat-treating, and we have an explanation as to why this gun has not gone to pieces, as well as why there are zero confirmed cases of it ever happening. Zero, nada, zip. Of course there is a point at which a 308 handloaded by some bonehead will damage any gun its fired in, but it seems reasonable that the Norwegian Krag should theoretically stand up to factory 308 - the anecdotal evidence seems to support that.

Love these "Milsurp Myths" and the hysteria they create.

I have several "Eaton" Carcanos that were done up by Cooey for Eatons between the wars. The barrel is held into the receiver in a way that is allegedly "very dangerous", and could only safely be fired with special reduced loads. Story goes that Eatons, after discovering the foolish engineering of Cooey, tried to recall them, but many slipped through. I tested one of mine with a load 30% over the listed max. Did not blow up, bolt handle opened with ease, zero visible damage. There is no number of listed max loads that would ever cause catastrophic damage to that gun if it holds together with a 130% load. Of course people will cling to their beliefs, and explain my simple test as "I must have got the one that was accidently well-made".
 
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thanks for the info guys, sad thing is i really like this rifle but if its not safe...well?

Andy, it seems that i indeed have three locking spots on the bolt? Anyone know of any diagrams , that could help me find out if its Norwegian or not, or a way to identify its origin?

thanks RR
 
A Krag strong enough for a stready diet of 308? Bullcookies! The Mauser 96 action is a pile stronger than the Krag, and that action isn't recommended for a 308 conversion! It's your lips on the line man - beautiful rifle, but what was said 50 years ago still applies now....
 
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