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A nicely done sporterized Krag makes a delightful hunter. The butt stock is well shaped, I think better than on an '03 and the action is as slick as glass. A carbine length version handles like a shotgun and the action is so smooth it almost feeds itself. The problem is finding one that was well done and still has a decent bore. A not too bad Bubba job can, of course, be rescued. A Krag done by Sedgley or G&H would be a real find but are rare as hen's teeth and priced accordingly. I have managed to acquire a fine looking intact rifle that, unfortunately, has a poor bore. It's a fun shooter but not very accurate. I like it so much that Steve Durren found me a really bad Bubba job with a good action that is becoming a full stock carbine with a 20" barrel and a Redfield no drill receiver sight as my walk about woods and hog rifle. A 200gr bullet, cast or jacketed, at 2000fps will do the job.

The Krag is a really finely made and neat rifle that comes with history that makes it really appealing to me. It was, after all, the weapon that saw the US, for better or worse, leave its shores and become a world power. It was the transition from the 19th to the 20th century.

Jerry Liles

I would see if anyone local to you owns a couple of the rifles in contention here and try to spend an afternoon sampling them side by side. I betcha you opt for the Krag. The '03 will be a close second, the 03A3 an also-ran. 03A3's may (or may not) have acceptable accuracy, but they are so crudely made as to abrogate that trait. ("Clear that stuff off your bench, kid, and get started on the next batch. Don'tcha know there's a war on?") I can't imagine anyone the likes of Owen, Griffin, et al devoting the extra pile of time it takes to make a silk purse out of the sow's ear crude 03A3. The same holds true today.

Since shooting it is your goal, opt for bore quality in whatever you get. Exterior deficiencies can be dealt with.

AT ONE TIME I HAD A REMINGTON 03-A4 WITH A 2 GROOVE STARGAUGE Barrel that shot the lyman 311413 bullet 16gr 2400 through one hole all day long at 100yds only thing I have left is the early tasco scope and the lyman mold.. dumbest trade I ever made for a 1949 fal around 1970.
tom

Although it doesn't say so on the rifle, the Springfield is a Mauser. I belive it was after WWI, I don't think before, we even paid Mauser for what was basically patent infringement.

I do understand what you're talking about though. Sounds as if the hunt is on for a Krag. Good luck and I believe you'll really enjoy the process.

tomc, my 03-A3 shot like a house afire too. A 5 gallon bucket wasn't safe at 500+ yards with battle sights and 1 1/2 in. groups at 100 with the same sights were the norm. I don't recall mine being "crude" or a "sows ear" but some of the Smith Corona's I've seen certainly were.

It was before WWI that we paid royalties for Mauser patent infringement. We stopped paying when we declared war on Kaiser Bill, and naturally didn't resume payments after the Armistice.

Ahhhh...ok, so I have it backwards. Thanks for the correction Gary.

Well, not that this will seem like a big leap to you guys, but to me it is. I commissioned a friend to bring one or two of his Krags to Raton this July to tinker with between matches that use "real" rifles.

Just consider it as the rifle that ended the 19th century. Goes right along with the single shots of the era. I think you will appreciate the intracacies of the action and the obviously fine workmanship they display. It's a bolt action made for the single shot lover.

Jerry Liles

I'm going to have to trust you on this

Sure seems like an oddball to me.

Well it is. That's part of the appeal. Fits right in with our oddball single shot rifles and oddball characters that populate this site.

Jerry Liles