were probably made of better steels and given a better heat-treatment. They were also made with the guide rib bearing on the receiver bridge, so that these bolts have two locking lugs instead of one. This foreign Krag locking arrangement greatly strengthened the locking system. As a result, they could handle the powerful cartridges for which they were chambered. Both are more powerful than the 30-40.
Perhaps because of over-hardening the bolt, or because of improper heat-treatment, and by the fact that only the front lug bore against the receiver, many U.S. Krag bolts cracked just behind the lug. This was very serious because the guide rib immediately took over the job of locking the bolt. However, cracked bolts should be replaced. I have never seen a cracked Krag receiver, but I have seen a couple of cracked bolts. In both cases, I blamed the failure on the shooter. In one instance, I believe the shooter was using too heavy handloads; in the other, the action was rebarreled to a cartridge much too powerful for the action. At any rate, the U.S. Krag action would have been considerably stronger had it been made with the guide rib bearing against the receiver. It can be made stronger if the bolt is lapped so the guide rib bears against the receiver equally with the front locking lug. Used only with commercial 30-40 cartridges, however, which are normally factory loaded with breech pressures well under 40,000 psi, or if used with handloads which develop no more pressure than this, then the “as issued” Krag action is sufficiently strong and safe.
At this point, it might be interesting to relate what one well-known gunsmith thought of the Krag action.
This man was the late R.F. Sedgley of Philadelphia, best known for his custom 1903 Springfield and Winchester High Wall sporters. Since he was in business when the DCM was releasing Krags, he naturally was called upon to work on them. If my memory serves me right, I recall reading that it was common practice, when a Krag rifle came into his shop, to testfire it first by screwing a 30-06 barrel into the action, and then firing several heavy 30-06 loads through it. I think he had a high regard for the Krag action and that few of them failed to pass this test. He did not, of course, advocate using this action for more powerful cartridges than the 30-40, since this action will hardly handle any other cartridge through the magazine. He did, however, manage in one way or another to alter the magazine of the Krag to handle the 25-35 cartridge. One such, a fine Sedgley Krag sporter, was once described in The American Rifleman. I have no idea of how Sedgley altered the magazine system to handle this cartridge. I attempted a similar conversion on several occasions, but I could never make it work. While Sedgley and other gunsmiths may have thought well of the Krag, many present-day gunsmiths have a very low opinion of them—and some are not hesitant to say so.
U.S. Krag-Jorgensen bolt head, showing locking lug (A), extractor (B), bolt-stop pin (C), and guide rib (D).
Gunsmithing the Krag
Much has been written on gunsmithing the Krag, so I will not go very deeply into this subject. For example, the older gunsmithing books like Modern Gunsmithing and The Modern Gunsmith contain considerable information on the subject. Also, practically every issue of The American Rifleman from the mid-1920s to the late 1940s carried something on this rifle.
As for the availability of Krags for gunsmithing (remodeling, sporterizing, rebarreling, etc.), consider the following: All told, there were about 442,883 Krag rifles and about 63,116 Krag carbines made between 1894 and 1904; practically all of them were disposed of by the military years ago, most of them going to NRA members who bought them through the DCM, but a great number of them went to American legion posts for parade use. Krag rifles and carbines in very good or excellent condition, and in original, “as issued” state, have become collector’s items, so some thought should be given before such a gun is altered. I would estimate, however, that at least half of the Krags which were sold through the DCM in the 1920s have since been altered, remodeled or converted in one way or another, and such guns rarely have any value to a collector. Such altered Krags are continually being put up for sale, and I’d imagine that most of them only underwent minor remodeling to start with. These guns are still entirely suitable for re-gunsmithing. Separate Krag actions probably are impossible to find today, but an ordinary used and remodeled complete Krag rifle will probably cost no more than a separate action, if one could be found.
Top view of the Model 98 Krag action showing bolt and magazine gate open.
Because so many Krag rifles have been remodeled in past years, collectors of military long arms have started another trend. Beginning collectors often buy a remodeled Krag and then attempt to restore it to its original military configuration by purchasing an issue stock and other parts. Issue Krag stocks, handguards and barrels, however, are extremely hard to come by.
As long as there are non-original Krag rifles around, you will be able to obtain such accessories as a low-scope safety, single-stage adjustable trigger, rear receiver sight, semi-inletted/shaped stocks, ramp rear sights, and front sight bases and sights. Because the Krag ejects the fired cases nearly straight up, mounting a hunting scope low and centrally over the action is not entirely satisfactory. I’ve rebarreled a number of Krags with Springfield barrels, and they are entirely satisfactory for the purpose. I know one shooter who had the pitted barrel of his Krag rebored and rechambered for a wildcat 35-caliber cartridge based on the 30-40 case with good results.
Other than the above mentioned 35 wildcat, and if the rifle is to remain a repeater, then the only other cartridge choice is the 30-40. As I’ve said before, I know of no method by which the Krag magazine can be altered to handle any cartridge with dimensions much different from the 30-40 case.
I mentioned that the only two readily available cartridges which will work through the magazine of the U.S. Krag-Jorgensen action are the 30-40 and the 303 British. While this is still true, I now can add another cartridge to this short list. Bob Johnson and my son, Mark, were checking over a Krag rifle to see what they could do with it when they accidentally discovered that the old action came within a hair’s breath of feeding the 444 Marlin cartridge. Using a Dremel tool, files and emery paper, and working in the front of the magazine opening in the receiver, they soon had the action altered to feed the 444.
Years ago, when Krag rifles were cheap and plentiful, a great many of them were remodeled and converted into sporters. Many of these remodeling jobs were poorly done. One by one, these old rifles are being given away, traded or sold. So, if you have a Krag that is not original, and if you want an open-sighted big bore turnbolt rifle for hunting deer, bear and boar in thick cover, then consider rebarreling the old action to the 444 Marlin caliber. Get a couple of 444 cartridges and check them out in the action to see what alteration is required to feed them. Talk it over with your gunsmith. I would suggest using a barrel with a rifling twist of 1:16” or 1:20”, and especially so if you want to use bullets of 260 grains or heavier.
Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen action.
Top view of the Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen action.
The Krag action, however, is suitable for rebarreling to other cartridges, if the rifle is used as a single shot. In years past, a great many 22 Hornet rifles were built on the Krag action. When the 219 Zipper cartridge was first introduced, I built several single shot Krags in this caliber. Other gunsmiths would regularly rebarrel these actions to the 22 Baby Niedner (32-20 case), 22 R-2 Lovell (25-20 S.S. case) and 22 Niedner Magnum. Since the rifle had to be used as a single shot, the common practice was to remove as much of the surplus magazine metal as was possible and inlet the trimmed and lightened action into
