doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Seymour Griffin Krag Zipper

I finally called in my first coyote today. I walked out behind my house, carrying my new Krag sporter single shot in 219 zipper improved. When I got to my designated calling spot(1/4 mile behind house)there were four deer walking thru. I started to set the foxpro caller out when I looked up and a coyote had been following the deer. The coyote was on the move about 100 yards from me(he hadnt seen me) so I barked him to a stop and put a factory winchester 219 zipper (unimproved)56gr hollow point into him. He took about five steps and dropped. Then I started calling and about 25 minutes later the second coyote came right to me. He was trying to get down wind of the caller(and me) and wouldnt stop to a bark so I shot him at about 50 yds on the trot. The rifle was made by Seymour Griffin for his nephew, it has a lyman alaskan with litschert varmint master booster in steel griffin howe mount.
I have a couple questions for those wise rifle folks here. Why is there a front sight? Is it unusual for the checkering to be interrupted by the bolt handle slot?
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7LPe04GPRvjwHIu9KQ9Mrw6E3aoJYyRe9i89-q8XIvg?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Pv6puNuJo1lTpoleTPq7zg6E3aoJYyRe9i89-q8XIvg?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n4ZRrNkFxtDpaz2qNZJf1g6E3aoJYyRe9i89-q8XIvg?feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IW4jnL_-iGI4kosdycG2GQ6E3aoJYyRe9i89-q8XIvg?feat=directlink

Lovely and unique rifle. Good job on the 'yotes, too! I'm sure the deer are grateful.

With a front sight already on, if the owner wanted to later add a receiver sight, it could be done with little difficulty by any good smith. But adding a front sight would be a big hassle requiring a reblue among other things. Also, they look great and balance the appearance of the rifle. (As good a reason as any.)

Wow! Thanks for the photos and, perhaps more importantly, the inspiration! I have an Alaskan/Litchert scope identical to yours, and am assembling the piece-parts for a Jaeger/Krag side mount. Have been idly considering a similar setup since I love the Zipper cartridge and have reamers in std Zipper as well as 225 Win. A 'someday' project perhaps...

I expect that Griffin and later G&H figured that the rifles of the day looked MUCH better with a front sight (grin).
Regards, Joe

Ross,

I guess I should've read this post first. There could have originally been a bolt peep sight on the rifle.

The scope rings look like they have been hot blued. I suspect originally there was a smaller diameter scope with more eye relief.
When the later scope was installed the bolt handle was most likely bent and the stock inletted for it.

That makes sense on the sight and bolt being bent. Is there a vintage sight that I could use in conjunction with the scope? Ill start watching for one to put on. The safety is hard to access, does anybody have any advice to make it more useable? Its just too close to the scope and I cant get my finger behind it with ease. Looks like it needs to be extended a little.
I am getting groups a little over an inch fireforming the vintage zipper ammo. Does anybody have any pet loads for zipper improved? I was suprised at the low noise and recoil from shooting this morning, Im very impressed with the rifle/cartridge combo.

https://picasaweb.google.com/rossberck/K...feat=directlink

You already have a trapdoor buttplate so therefore a Lyman 48K immediately suggests itself, along with the appropriate dummy slide of course (grin). IMO the rings need a new rust blue for more-pleasing looks. A low scope safety is or used to be available from whoever (sorry, CRS) bought James Wisner's tooling for them, and it's possible that James may have some leftover safeties or parts. A good smith can alter the issue safety for scope clearance but expect to pay.

I wish I had that SPLENDID Krag and you had a feather.....
Just color me drooling, Joe

Now that's a badass BASS for real! Second the drool!

(Funny, just when I forget the ole' Zipper, somebody digs one out and actually USES it!).

Another rear sight alternative is an old Pacific no-drill receiver sight. It has a shank on it that slides into the hole for the magazine cutoff on the LH side of the receiver.

On the general topic of custom Krags, I noticed two caliber-converted ones in the gun porn section of Nick Stroebel's "Old Gunsights and Rifle Scopes:" a Paul Jaeger in .35 WCF on page 316 and a no-name varmint rifle in ".22 Krag" on page 321 (You all may know these, but I just noticed them).

Re: Krag action strength, amply proven by Mike Petrov in previous posts, I note that the .35 Win is/was no pussycat and the ".22 Krag" in one of its many avatars was sometimes called the ".22-250 Rimmed." So the old guys knew the Krag action could "take it"!

I once shot on a line with a guy in western MA who was using a full-length .30-40 case blown out to Ackley specs and necked down to .224 and the neck shortened. It had to have been operating at near .220 Swift levels (in fairness it was on a big FBW action, not a Krag). I wonder if custom Krags were ever pushed to that level of pressure?

I think if you relook at the pictures you will see that all those places the been removed.