the sear about halfway off the cocking piece; the heavier second-stage pull moves it entirely off to release the striker. On being pulled, the trigger not only moves back, but also swings downward, not too unlike the trigger on the military Mannlicher-Schoenauer action. This is why the curved part of the trigger appears so short; by the time the trigger is pulled back far enough to release the striker, the bottom end nearly touches the guard bow.
The trigger guard bow is a separate part milled from a steel forging. Two guard screws, passing through holes in the ends of the guard, thread into the bottom of the receiver at the rear of the magazine and tang. These two screws are more than ample to hold the rear part of the action in the stock, but some additional fastening is needed (a barrel band is employed on the military Krags) to hold the barrel and front of the action in the stock.
The Magazine
The Krag magazine is novel, clever and somewhat complicated. The receiver forging was made deep enough so a hole could be milled through it to form a horizontal magazine well. The milling is complicated, the front and rear ends of the well slanting forward from right to left to compensate for over-lapping of the cartridge rims. Another long opening is milled into the left receiver wall to provide an opening to allow cartridges to enter the receiver.
A concaved cover, mortised and screwed in place, is positioned over the openings on the left side of the receiver; this forms a rounded curve for passage of the cartridges from the magazine well proper into the receiver-well opening. The rear part of this opening is only wide enough to allow part of the cartridge rim to project from it so it can be picked up by the bolt. About halfway forward, the opening widens so the rim can slip out into the receiver while being pushed into the chamber.
The rest of the magazine is fully as complicated. The follower arm consists of the arm itself, plus a movable follower plate pivoted on a pin at the rear of the arm. The front end of the follower arm has a round integral hinge pin which fits into a matching hole milled into the right front side of the receiver. The follower is powered by a flat spring which lies in a groove in the bottom edge of the magazine well, with its front end contacting a small lug on the follower arm hinge pin. Finally, to cover the right opening, and to allow loading the magazine through it, a box-like gate is hinged longitudinally to the bottom edge of the magazine well on a long hinge pin. The gate is powered by the follower spring, providing a lot of tension to the gate to keep it either closed or open. A sturdy hook in the forward bottom edge of the gate engages a matching cut in the follower arm so that, when the gate is swung open, the hook engages the follower arm and pulls it within the hollow gate, so cartridges can be dropped into the open magazine.
Top view of the Model 98 Krag action.
With cartridges in the magazine and the gate closed, the follower arm is released and the cartridges are pushed to the left and up around the curve into the magazine receiver-well opening. An upright projection on top of the gate serves as a thumb-piece so the magazine can be quickly and easily opened. The magazine can be loaded, with the bolt open or closed, and cartridges can be added to a partially filled magazine. No skill or precautions need be exercised when loading; as long as the bullet is pointed forward, the cartridges can be just dropped into the open magazine.
The magazine cutoff is a lever on the rear left of the receiver. The round stem of the cutoff fits into a hole drilled lengthwise into the side of the receiver. The end of the hole exits in the top of the magazine-well opening. The end of this stem is flattened on one side, and when the cutoff is in the upright or ON position, the flattened end of the stem is level with the surrounding metal and does not interfere with cartridges moving through the magazine. When swung down, however, in the OFF position, the round end of the cutoff stem projects into the magazine well, preventing cartridge movement in the magazine and holding the topmost cartridge head within the magazine well so the bolt cannot pick it up when it is closed. The rifle can then be used and loaded as a single shot while keeping a reserve of cartridges in the magazine. The cutoff is tensioned to keep it in place in either the up or down positions.
Takedown and Assembly
First make sure the rifle is unloaded. To remove the bolt, open it fully and, while lifting up the front end of the extractor, turn or raise the bolt handle further until the extractor swings to the right, then pull the bolt out. To remove the firing mechanism, grasp the bolt handle with one hand and, with the other hand, pull back on the cocking piece and rotate it counterclockwise until it is released from the bolt. With a firm grasp on the rear of the firing mechanism, and with the other hand grasping the firing pin, tilt the firing pin up or down. The firing pin, mainspring and striker rod can then be removed from the bolt sleeve. Place the safety in the upright position and, with the rear of the bolt sleeve resting on an edge of the work-bench, give a sharp rap to the safety with a hammer handle and it will snap out. The safety plunger and spring cannot be removed. Remove the extractor by driving out the holding rivet from top to bottom with a drift punch. The auxiliary extractor spring can be driven out to the left, and the bolt-stop pin can be driven out. These two parts, however, should remain in place unless it is absolutely necessary to remove them. Reassemble in reverse order.
To remove the barrel and action from the stock, first remove the barrel band (or bands), then remove the two trigger-guard screws; lift barrel, action and trigger guard from the stock.
To remove the trigger and sear assembly, pull the rear of the sear down as far as it will go; then tap the assembly to the left. Drive out the trigger pin from left to right to remove the trigger from the sear.
The magazine cutoff is removed by inserting a small screwdriver blade under the cutoff plunger, depressing the plunger as far as it will go and then pulling out the cutoff. The cutoff plunger is peened in place. It and the spring should not be removed from the cutoff unless necessary; as it would be if this part is to be blued in hot-dip bluing salts. If it is necessary, the plunger can be pulled and twisted out by gripping it with a pair of pliers.
To remove the magazine gate, hold the rear part of the gate and receiver in a padded vise or by some other means, the lip on the hinge pin pivoted up; the pin is then driven, or pulled forward, all the way out. On removal from the vise, the gate can be lifted off and the follower spring lifted out. Swing the follower to the right, and it can be pushed downward and removed. Do not remove the follower-arm plate unless necessary, and then only by driving out its pin. Remove the sideplate screw, lift up the rear of the plate and remove it. Pull out the ejector pin with the fingers, and the ejector can be removed. Reassemble in reverse order. In assembling the follower spring, the rounded end must contact the lug on the follower. The barrel has a right-hand thread, but do not attempt to remove it from the receiver unless you have the proper tools.
Krag Steel and Heat-Treatment
According to Hatcher’s Notebook, Krag barrels were made of Ordnance barrel steel, the same steel used to make 1903 Springfield barrels. The receiver was made from Springfield Armory Class C steel (later known as W.D. 1325), the same steel used in the so-called low-numbered 1903 Springfields. Alloyed with carbon, manganese, silicon, sulphur and phosphorus, it was given a lengthy heat-treatment which resulted in the receiver becoming very hard throughout, but having a harder outside surface. The bolt was most likely made of a steel different from that used in the receiver, but it, too, was thoroughly casehardened to a considerable depth. After precisely machining and polishing the receiver and bolt, as well as those parts which rubbed together, the result was a very smooth-working action.
Only the single front locking lug holds the bolt closed against the thrust of firing. The guide rib clears the bridge by a few thousandths of an inch, and the base of the bolt handle, which has still more clearance, acts as auxiliary safety lug only. The Danish Krag (chambered for the 8x58R Danish cartridge) and the Norwegian Krag (chambered for the very fine 6.5x55mm cartridge), while essentially the
