Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30-40 Krag Questions

I have a chance to purchase a 1894 Springfield 30-40 Krag Carbine with the serial number in the 3 thousand range. It has been sporterized and the top stock is gone and sights are not the original. The stock is cracked and has been taped, the butt plate has been replaced with a under size recoil pad. Asking price is $130 is this a good buy and can it be restored to original condition? Are parts available? The owner says it shoots accurate.

At 130 bucks, if it shoots and a gunsmith certifies it as safe, its a bargain.

As for restoring it, I am not so sure.

BMT

Krag sporters are nice hunting rifles. When I was growing up and just getting into shooting and hunting, the old timers considered the .30/40 (and the .303 British and .300 Sav.) to be where elk and moose rifles started.

Krags have butter smooth actions and an interesting and effective magazine system. Have a gunsmith check to make sure that the single locking lug is not cracked. That can happen, especially if someone has tried to hotrod it with heavy handloads. You can do a quick check of this yourself before buying the rifle by dipping the front of the bolt in gasoline. If there is a crack, the gasoline in it will not evaporate as fast as the gas on the exterior of the bolt and you will probably be able to see the crack if you look closely.

The last I knew, you could buy a reproduction military carbine stock from Boyd's, but coming up with the sights and other parts necessary to restore it to original condition would be a pretty intensive process and not cheap. And then, when you got it "restored", it would really only be a replica of a military Krag that probably wound up costing more than an original.

Repair parts and sporter stocks can still be had if you look at places like Boyd's and gunpartscorp.com.

It sounds like a good deal, especially if you buy it to just enjoy it as it is.

Thanks guys for all the info back in my younger days (1962).I had the fun of shooting a Krag to chase the deer out of the hay fields. The Krag holds a special place in my youth.

Me too. I had a Krag carbine (sporterized) that I sold to pay for college (1983).