doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Fun with Brown Rifles.

Lets look at a few everyday type rifles, show me your brown gun.

Where the gang shoots we have a bunch of old small propane bottles that we shoot offhand at fifty and hundred yards at for fun. Everyone seems to have a “Brown Gun” or “Dog Fight Gun” , an old Trapdoor, Borchardt or the like that we do not have to worry about getting a little wet, or a couple new scratches is not a big deal. When I first came to Alaska an old Krag sporter was my hunting rifle and have always like the krag, when I find a nice one I let Mark know. I have an old trapdoor and last winter at a local gunshow I picked up a Krag. This was a Krag rifle with an OK bore but a little pitting at the muzzle and the stock had been cut back some. I cut the front of the barrel off then slid a 1903 Springfield sight down the barrel and recut it for the sight to fit there and crowned the barrel. (John did the crowning ;-)) There are milled wide channels in the bottom of a Krag rifle stock right were it looks right when you make a sporter out of it. Most folks fill this in but it’s end grain and never looks right to me.

Mark contributed the “Rice” peep sight, this is a nice little sight and you can remove the bolt and not move your sight setting like other Krag peeps. With the splice hidden under the barrel band no one has noticed that it's a new piece of wood.

Very nice splice work! Looks like it was always there.
Almost all my guns are brown, so very few I have to worry about at the range!

Another rifle I "need". I just don't know how I've lived so long without a Krag.

Here is one of mine. A Ballard Pacific, .45-70, 100% original, although the front sight was not on in this instance. The picture is from this fall's elk hunt in Wyoming. No luck, but good fun nonetheless.

Brent

Many much more elaborate sights than the Rice were made for the Krag during its years of sporting glory between the World Wars, but the Rice was as good as any of them for hunting or casual target work. Pluses were that no holes had to be drilled and as Mike says you didn't have to remove the sight or change the adjustments to take out the bolt. And as value for money it was outstanding - I think it cost a dollar and a half, a tenth of a Lyman 48. Of course at G&H or Neidner if you asked them to make a fancy Krag with a Rice they would be scandalized.

IMO one of the best things about the Krag is the Rice sight. No alterations and no sight removal and the absolute epitome of the KISS principle. Once had a 4-digit action (1894) sporter converted to 444 Marlin, always wanted one converted to either 405 or 40-70 SS. Still got the 40-70 SS reamer but the 4-digit Krag is long gone....too bad.
Regards, Joe

Brent, Nice Ballard I've always liked the Pacific models.

This is my old trapdoor with a bore that is flat mint, I've had this about twenty-five plus years. Looks like I could pull that pistol grip off and do a better job of rounding it off.

A very nice cut down Trapdoor. Looks like it should make a dandy hunting rifle and it probably handles like a well balanced shotgun. I'm rather partial to Trapdoors as they are very well made rifles that come with real history, a lot of character, and are a real hoot to shoot.

Jerry Liles

Michael,
Do you ever have any trouble with the noses coming apart where the end grain is glued together? I know the splice will hold things together, but was just wondering about any cracks along the glue line.
Thanks,
Blair