Oh My God!! I hate you, Gene!! I've been hankering for a Pope barreled Krag .22 since I was in diapers! (Naw, I don't hate you. Just green with envy!) Great snag! When I got down to the 7th pic my jaw dropped. I knew right away what it was, and why you would've wanted it. Now you need some .22 Pope Armory cartridges to go with it!
I've owned literally dozens of Krags since my first one 50 years ago. Currently I have a custom Krag single shot in .22 Maximum Lovell and a M1896 done up as a pre-war G&H sporter sporter, the action of which is attributable to a trooper in the 1st Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders). One of the neatest rifles ever invented, IMO.
The Ordnance Dept. was casting about for an alternative to using reloaded cast bullet gallery loads for use in Armory's across the country when Pope was approached to come up with a solution. That eccentric bore which allowed use of the stock firing pin and bolt must have been a pisser to engineer- in not just one but each and every specimen.
Wanna sell it?!!
