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ОглавлениеKrag-Jorgensens: U.S., Danish and Norwegian FdH
U.S. Krag-Jorgensen Model 1898 rifle.
THE CALIBER 45-70 single shot “trapdoor” Springfield rifles and carbines had served the United States Army quite well since 1873, when the model was adopted. By the late 1880s, however, military men were discontented with it, and it was felt that a smokeless-powder cartridge and a repeating rifle to handle it were needed. Some of the other world powers had already adopted these changes, including France (8mm in 1886), Germany (8mm in 1888), England (303 in 1888) and Belgium (7.65 mm in 1889). To work toward this change, boards of inquiry were appointed to look into the selection of a suitable new rifle and cartridge, to determine by test the best rifle to adopt and manufacture. In 1890, some 53 rifles were submitted (some were nearly alike or minor variations of the same action) for the tests.
Among the rifles submitted were the Lee Magazine system, Mauser (Belgian M1889), Swiss Rubin, French Berthier, German Commission M1888, Mannlicher, Savage and Krag-Jorgensen. Incidentally, the Savage was an early version of the M99, a lever action with rotary-spool magazine. As a result of these trials, the Krag-Jorgensen (with some modifications to be made) was adopted in 1892, with a royalty to the inventors.
This rifle was a joint invention of two Norwegians: Capt. Ole Hermann Johannes Krag and Erik Jorgensen. Denmark had already adopted their design in 1889, but Norway waited to do so until 1894.
Adopted with the new rifle was a new 30-caliber cartridge. Using a rimmed, bottlenecked case, it was the first U.S. military cartridge loaded with smokeless powder— officially the “30 Army” or “30 Government” or, more popularly, the “30-40 Krag.” More on the cartridge later.
Although officially adopted in 1892, it was not until 1894 that Springfield Armory (Springfield, Mass.) was sufficiently tooled up to begin making the Krag. Meanwhile, and for several years after 1892, the old 45-70 Springfield continued in service use. In fact, not enough Krags had been made by 1898 to arm all of our soldiers who fought in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, and many of the old 73s were used in that short but costly conflict.
The Krag Rifles and Carbines
All U.S. Krag rifles and carbines are marked on the left side of the receiver roughly as follows:
U.S.
MODEL (year) SPRINGFIELD
ARMORY (serial number)
Only rifles were made at first, these the M1892. On this rifle, the word MODEL was omitted from the receiver marking and they were stamped 1894, indicating only the year they were made.* The M1892 (marked 1894) has a 30” barrel with a flat muzzle, a ramrod under the barrel, a square-toed stock, and no trapdoor in the buttplate. The first deliveries were made in the fall of 1894.
A very few test M1892 carbines were also made. These had a 22” barrel, were stocked nearly to the muzzle and had a ramrod. All military U.S. Krags were made without a pistol grip.
Some changes were made, and a Model 1896 rifle and carbine were brought out—and so marked—in that year. The muzzle was crowned, the ramrod was eliminated, and a 3-piece sectional cleaning rod, to be stored in a hole in the buttstock through a trap in the steel buttplate, was furnished. The buttplate toe was rounded also.
The M1892 Krag rifles already in use in the field were returned to the armory and converted to the M1896 pattern. To identify these converted models, look for M1896 features on those pieces bearing the 1894 date.
The first real carbine production began in 1896. The M1896 carbine had a half-length forend with a barrel band to hold forend, hand guard and barrel together. The barrel band lies against the front end of the rear sight. These carbines had no ramrod or sling swivels, but were fitted with a so-called saddle ring on the left side of the stock.
The biggest changes to both Krags came with the M1898 rifles and carbines. The two most noticeable changes were the reversal of the magazine cutoff so that it was in the ON position when swung down, by changing its spring, and eliminating the lip under the bolt-handle notch. Far more M1898 rifles were made than any others, nearly 263,000 of them. Only 5000 M1898 carbines were produced.
The M1899 Krag carbine had a forend about 2” longer than the M1896 type and used the same length handguard as the rifle. This placed the barrel band about 2” ahead of the rear sight. The saddle ring was omitted, and some were made with a knurled, but unflared, cocking piece—commonly called a “headless” type.
A number of very minor changes were made in the Krag from 1894 on, but they are not important enough to be mentioned here. Various rear sights were also used, and these, as well as other changes, are covered thoroughly in other books.
Some unusual and now rare versions of the Krag were made. The Cadet rifle was similar to the regular M1896, but it lacked sling swivels and had a ramrod.
A few 22 rimfire Gallery Practice rifles were made at Springfield Armory in 1906. They were single shot rifles based on the M98 action, the barrels offset at the breech and made with an auxiliary extractor. These 22 barrels were made under the watchful eye of famed barrelmaker Harry Pope. Some, at least, carry his name stamp.
After the 1903 Springfield rifles were in production, most of the Krag rifles and carbines were sold to NRA members through the DCM at unbelievably low prices.* The carbines were far more desirable than the rifles, so many of the M98 Krag rifles were converted to the carbine style at the Benicia Arsenal. These were like the regular M99 carbine, but came with sling swivels and 03 Springfield front sights.
U.S. Krag-Jorgensen Model 98 action.
The Krag Action
As already mentioned, those changes made in the Krag action were minor, relatively unimportant. Because the M98 Krag was made in the largest numbers and is the model most likely to be seen, I’ll describe it.
The Krag has a very smooth-working turnbolt action with a unique non-detachable, but quick-loadable, horizontal magazine. It is probably one of the smoothest bolt actions ever made in the United States, but it does have its faults, as we shall see.
The receiver was precisely machined from a one-piece steel forging. The barrel is threaded (square-type threads) into the front of the receiver. The barrel, made without a shoulder, has a flat breech end which butts against a collar machined inside the receiver ring. The round receiver ring has no recoil shoulder. The left wall of the receiver continues straight back from the ring, and since it is not milled out for a locking lug raceway, it is very thick. The receiver bridge is slotted for the extractor and top part of the bolt sleeve, but naturally has no cuts for a stripper clip, since the magazine can only be loaded from the side. The receiver ends in a tang, rounded on top.
The one-piece smoothly machined and polished bolt has a single forward locking lug which engages a matching mortise milled in the bottom front of the receiver, just to the rear of the internal collar against which the barrel abuts. The rear surface of this mortise is partly inclined so that the locking lug can gain a purchase on it when closing the bolt, to force it forward the last .150” against the tension of the mainspring and/or a hard-to-chamber cartridge. When the bolt is locked, the locking lug is at the bottom, but on the ¼-turn required to open the bolt, the lug is to the right.
On the center of the bolt body, 90° above the locking lug, there is a guide rib about 2.70” long. As the bolt is opened and closed, this guide rib, and attached long extractor, slides through the slot in the receiver bridge, helping to prevent any binding of the bolt movement. More importantly, however, the guide rib provides an auxiliary safety locking lug for the bolt; it engages forward of—but does not contact by a few thousandths of an inch—the front edge of the bridge.
The bolt handle, integral with the bolt, is on the extreme rear of the bolt body. Its base is square; its shank is straight, round, heavy and tapered; and it ends in a round grasping ball. It is positioned at a very low angle when the bolt is closed and is still sufficiently low when fully raised to clear the eyepiece of a low mounted scope. The receiver tang is deeply notched to receive the square base of the bolt handle, and although there is normally considerable space between the rear of the handle base and the notch, this provides another safety lug to hold the bolt in the receiver should the single forward locking lug and the guide rib fail. More on the Krag locking system later on.
The right rear of the receiver bridge is slightly angled. Primary extraction power is achieved on raising the bolt handle when its base slides along this surface.
The face of the bolt is recessed the depth of the 30-40 cartridge rim. The rim around this recess is quite thin, but when the bolt is closed, the head of the bolt fits snugly within the receiver ring collar. Thus the cartridge head and rim are fully enclosed and supported.
The firing mechanism is held in the bolt by a projection on the bolt sleeve which is milled to form a hook engaging over a raised semicircular collar on the rear end of the bolt. This projection houses the rotary wing safety, and in a slot in its front part, the long extractor is held with a rivet driven in from the underside.
The striker rod, with its peened-on cocking piece, extends through the bolt sleeve; the coil mainspring is compressed over the striker rod against the front of the bolt sleeve and the separate firing pin. The firing pin fits over a groove on the front of the striker rod. When the striker is forward, a cocking cam on the bottom of the cocking piece extends forward into a deep notch cut into the rear of the bolt; on raising the bolt handle, the cocking piece is forced back, cocking the action.
The safety consists of a wing-type lever, to which a round stem is permanently pressed in place, and a small spring and plunger assembled in the wing before the stem and wing are joined. The stem of the safety extends through a hole in the upper part of the bolt sleeve with the plunger engaging a shallow groove cut into the bolt sleeve. Swung to the far left, the safety is in the OFF or FIRE position. When the striker is cocked, swinging the safety upright or to the far right position locks both striker and bolt. There is a wide notch cut into the top of the cocking piece to allow the safety to be engaged (swung up or to the right) when the striker is forward, locking the bolt closed. Whether cocked or uncocked, the bolt is locked closed when the safety is up, or to the right, by the flattened end of the safety stem engaging a notch in the rear of the bolt.
Left side of the Model 98 Krag action.
The extractor serves several functions besides its primary job of extracting fired cases or cartridges. The extractor, about 5” long, is made of a rectangular bar of spring-tempered steel and is attached to the bolt sleeve by a rivet. A narrow hook on the front of the extractor extends over the forward end of the bolt and through a matching notch in the receiver ring collar when the bolt is closed. The breech end of the barrel also has a shallow inclined notch for the entrance of the extractor hook, so that it can engage the case rim when the bolt is closed. Although the long extractor itself is spring-tempered and made to lie with tension against the bolt, an additional small extractor spring is fitted into the underside left-front end of the extractor. It slides under a small shelf in the receiver and provides extra downward tension to the extractor for positive initial extraction.
The extractor also functions as a means of holding the bolt in the receiver and in removing the bolt from the receiver. When the bolt is fully opened, it can be removed from the receiver by merely raising up the extractor hook so the bolt handle can be turned open further, and then the bolt can be pulled out of the receiver. The long stem of the extractor, which fits snugly in the receiver bridge slot, also prevents the bolt binding in the receiver when the action is operated and adds to the smoothness of operation. There is also a small pin projecting from the top right-front of the extractor, and when the bolt is fully opened, it engages a shallow notch in the receiver bridge. This small pin has enough tension to hold the bolt open when the muzzle is pointed down. This is helpful to the shooter using the rifle as a single shot, as he can drop a cartridge directly into the chamber. This feature, retained in the 1903 Springfield by different means, was called the “bolt-stop.”
Actually, there is no separate bolt-stop in the Krag action, that is, a part or parts to halt the rearward travel of the bolt. The Krag bolt is stopped in its rearward travel by the locking lug contacting the receiver bridge. This is a very simple and positive arrangement, but few actions other than the Krag can use this feature.
The ejector, a small lever positioned in a groove in the rear bottom of the receiver, pivots on a small pin. One end of the ejector is always above the inside bottom line, and there is a long L-shaped groove cut into the bottom of the bolt to allow passage over the protruding rear part of the ejector. The long groove in the bolt ends just short of the front end of the bolt, and when the bolt is fully opened, the ungrooved end of the bolt causes the ejector to tip up. This, in turn, causes the cartridge case to tip up and be flipped upward out of the action.
The trigger assembly is composed of the trigger, sear, sear spring and trigger pin. The sear, with a cylindrical pivot surface on its front end, fits into a matching hole in the receiver. A projection on the rear of the sear passes through a hole into the receiver and engages the sear projection on the cocking piece cam when the action is operated.
The trigger is the standard double-stage military pull type. The first stage disengages 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 same as the U.S. Krag, 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 a new stock, so the scars of removing the metal and remaining magazine-well openings would be concealed.
In rebarreling the Krag, I certainly recommend enough honing and lapping in the front locking lug so that the guide rib will contact the receiver equally with the locking lug. Doing this will definitely make the old Krag action a bit stronger and may possibly prevent the bolt from cracking at the front lug area. I believe it was G&H’s practice to do this lap-in job on the Krags they rebarreled. But even with the two locking lug system, I still do not consider this action suitable for rebarreling to a cartridge such as the 225 Winchester.
In fitting the Krag with a sporter stock, an inside barrel band should be used, placing it about three-quarters of the way up the forend to hold it against the barrel. I also advise routing out grooves in the stock, inletting to the rear of the magazine and glass-bedding this area to evenly distribute the thrust of the recoil. This should prevent the stock from splitting at this point.
Norwegian Krag action open.
Model 1889 Danish Krag rifle.
Danish Krag action open.
The 30-40 Cartridge
Originally known as the “U.S. Caliber .30 Government” or “.30 U.S. Army” cartridge, it was introduced with the Krag in 1892. Today, and for years past, it was most commonly called the 30-40 Krag, or simply the 30-40. The 30-40 designation was given to it many years ago, probably soon after Winchester and other arms makers began chambering some of their sporting rifles for it. For example, the Model 95 Winchester lever-action repeater and the Model 1885 Winchester single shot rifle were chambered for the 30-40 as early as 1896. Beginning back in the blackpowder cartridge era, it was common practice to name metallic rifle cartridges by two sets of digits. The first two figures roughly represent the caliber, while the last two indicated the amount (in grains) of blackpowder used. Although the 30-40 Krag cartridge was developed in the smokeless-powder era, the “40” in the designation merely indicated that its case had a powder capacity approximately 10 grains more than the 30-30 cartridge, and therefore was comparatively more powerful than the latter.
The 30-40 cartridge would probably have been a very popular one even without the Krag rifle because, long before Krag rifles and carbines were released for sale, the 30-40 had proved to be quite adequate for hunting most species of North American big game.
For military use, it was normally loaded with a full-jacketed, round-nosed 200-grain bullet, the muzzle velocity 200 fps. At various times in its long history, it was commercially loaded with full-jacketed and softpoint bullets of various weights, but mostly with 220- and 180-grain softpoints or some other type of expanding bullet.
The Norwegian Krag
Norway adopted the Krag rifle in 1894. The action of this rifle is not much different from the U.S. Krag, and a close study of the photographs will reveal most of the differences. The first Norwegian Krags (20,000 of them) were produced for Norway by the great Austrian arms makers in Steyr, and they can be identified by the word STEYR stamped on the receiver. The rest of the many Norwegian Krags were made in Norway by the Kongsberg Vapenfabrik, a government-owned arsenal in the town of that name. These rifles can be identified by an ornate letter K beneath a crown, stamped on the receiver ring. The date (year) of manufacture is normally stamped on the receiver ring, and they probably were made as late as 1930. According to the The Book Of Rifles by W.H.B. Smith, a few were also made in the late 1940s for target shooting. Various models of the military rifles and carbines were made, as well as a sporting model. Unlike the U.S. Krags, all were made with a pistol grip stock and for the 6.5x55mm cartridge, which has a rimless case.
As can be seen in the photographs of the U.S. and Norwegian Krag actions, there are numerous minor outward differences. For example, the safety is different, and it is retained in the bolt sleeve with a cross screw; the extractor is retained with a screw and has a near-center auxiliary spring; various parts have different contours, such as the magazine gate and receiver, which has a hollow groove milled in the receiver wall. The Norwegian action is several ounces lighter in weight than the U.S. Krag action. Many of the Norwegian Krags have flattened bolt handle knobs, the flattened surfaces checkered. There are also several differences inside the action; for example, the barrel thread is entirely different—it is one of the few rifle actions with a left-hand thread. In fact, there are probably no parts of these two actions that are interchangeable.
Top view of the Danish Krag showing the magazine cover swung open.
Krag-Jorgensen
General Specifications
Type . . . . . . . . .Turnbolt repeater.
Receiver . . . . . .One-piece machined steel forging with slotted bridge.
Bolt . . . . . . . . . .One-piece with single forward locking lug. Guide rib on bolt and base of bolt handle act as a auxiliary safety lugs.
Ignition . . . . . . .Firing mechanism composed of striker rod with integral cocking piece, separate firing pin and coil mainspring. Cocks on opening.
Magazine . . . . .Non-detachable five-shot horizontal hinged-box type.
Trigger . . . . . . .Non-adjustable, double-stage military type.
Safety . . . . . . . .Rotary wing-type built into the bolt sleeve. 180° swing, locking both bolt and striker when in the UP or RIGHT position.
Extractor . . . . . .Non-rotating bar-type, attached to bolt sleeve, has auxiliary spring.
Bolt-stop . . . . . .Locking lug serves as bolt-stop.
Ejector . . . . . . .Pivoting lever positioned in bottom of receiver. Cases eject upward.
As pointed out early in this chapter, the Norwegian Krag action is so made that both the forward locking lug and the guide rib contact the receiver when the bolt is fully locked and closed. This, plus the fact that most Norwegian Krags were made years after the U.S. Krag was discontinued, makes it almost certain that Norwegian actions were made of a better quality steel, and this steel given a more controlled and uniform heat-treatment. All in all, the Norwegian Krag action is superior to the U.S. Krag action, and early Norwegian actions, which reveal the most precise machining and finishing, are even smoother in operation than the U.S. counterpart.
Operation of the Norwegian Krag is the same as the U.S. Krag, and the action is loaded in the same way. Many Norwegian Krag rifles were sold on the surplus arms market during the 1950s, so they are fairly common. No one makes a replacement safety or trigger. William Gun Sight Co., makes a receiver sight to fit the rifle.
While I do consider the Norwegian Krag action stronger than the U.S. Krag action, I would limit its use to the standard factory-loaded 6.5x55mm Norma cartridge or to handloads which develop somewhat less breech pressure. This action was made for the 6.5x55 cartridge, which it will handle better than any other.
The Danish Krag
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, the Krag-Jorgensen rifle originated in Denmark and was first adopted as a military weapon by that country in 1889. The various models were made by Gevaerfabriken Kjobenhavn (Copenhagen Arms Manufactory) and Haerens Tojhus (Army Arsenal), and were so marked on the left side of the receiver. The model designation, as well as the date (year) of manufacture, is stamped on the left side of the receiver also.
Several models were made, but the most common one seen in the U.S. is the Model 89 rifle with a 32.75” barrel. Like the German M88 Commission rifle, the Danish M89 rifle has a thin metal tube over the barrel to serve as a handguard. The rifle weighs about 9.5 pounds and is 52.3” overall.
Less common Danish Krags are the M89 infantry carbine with 23.63” barrel, which has the letter F in front of the serial number; the M89 artillery carbine with 24.02” barrel and the letter A proceeding the serial number; the M89 engineer carbine with 23.53” barrel (with wood handguard) and the letter I before the serial number; the M89 cavalry carbine is like the engineer’s carbine, but has the letter R before the serial number; the M1928 sniper’s rifle with 26.50” barrel of heavy weight, with globe front and rear sights, and marked with the letters FSK, which means “sniper’s rifle;” and the Danish single shot target rifle. This last is similar to the sniper’s rifle, but is a single shot without magazine cuts in the receiver.
All of these Krags, both rifles and carbines, are chambered for the Danish 8mm (8x58R) rimmed cartridge. The single shot target rifle was chambered for the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser cartridge.
The Danish Krag repeating action is very similar to the U.S. Krag action except for the following: 1) The magazine cover, hinged near the front, opens by swinging out and forward. It has a checkered knob-type catch on its top rear surface to hold the cover closed and acts as a handle to open it. When open, cartridges are merely rolled into the magazine. 2) The safety is a round, checkered button positioned on the right side of the tang behind the bolt handle. Pressed to the left and swung back, the rifle is ready to fire and the bolt can be operated. Swung forward, the safety locks the bolt and sear. It can’t be swung forward unless the striker is cocked. 3) The cocking piece has a stubby “hook” with its front curved surface checkered. By grasping this hook with the thumb, the striker can be manually cocked or the cocked striker lowered, either to the full down position or to a half-cock position. When in the half-cocked position, the safety can be engaged. 4) The ejector is a thin leaf spring mounted in a groove in the bottom of the bolt raceway. 5) The receiver magazine cover or plate is shaped and attached to the receiver differently than other Krags.
Like other Krags, the Danish actions are well made and finished, and are very smooth in operation. The bolt head is recessed, and the bolt is disassembled and removed from the receiver just like the U.S. Krag. Unlike the U.S. Krag, but like the Norwegian Krag, the forward locking lug and the guide rib contact the receiver to take up the rearward thrust of firing a cartridge in the chamber. For this reason, the Danish action is considered to be a bit stronger and better than the U.S. action.
Here are some dimensional specifications for the Danish Krag repeating action: Receiver diameter, 1.365”; bolt diameter, .700”; bolt travel, 3.710”; striker travel, .500 ”; bolt face recess diameter, .590”; bolt face recess depth, .060”; magazine length, handles certain rimmed cartridges no longer than about 3.20” overall.
The Danish Krag single shot target action was made with a bolt face recess to accommodate the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser cartridge, which has a .480” case head diameter. In the early 1960s, several firms offered these actions for sale, and they were an excellent choice on which to build a long-range target rifle in the 6.5x55 caliber.
Like the other Krags, the Danish action should not be used with cartridges which develop much over 45,000 psi breech pressure. It has the best safety of all the Krags. There is no commercial trigger mechanism made for the Danish Krag.
*The unending search for U.S. Krags marked Model 1892 has failed, so far, to turn up even one.
*Sometimes in the mid-1930’s, I learned that a “special” Krag was available from the Rock Island (Illinois) Arsenal. These were brand-new rifles, the barrel 24" long (not 22", as had been the standard DCM carbine) fitted with a carbine stock, also new, and an 03 front sight. The price was $6.50, plus the usual package and shipping charges, compared to the $1.50 the 22" barreled carbines had cost some years earlier. I obtained two of these, kept them a while and traded them off. I wonder where are they now?
