I finally opted to do something with the Krag sporter that I'd sent away for last Christmas. It cost me the princely sum of 259 dollars shipped to my door (the joys of pre 1899 guns). It came to me rusty, part of the stock broken off, and with cobwebs in the barrel and on it. I looked as though someone had also spilled part of a can of white paint on it. Eh, fine fixer upper.

But I never had time to fix it fully, so I just cleaned it up a bit, glued the stock and painted the gun and woodwork to stop the rust (I live in a humid part of SC where it is a quasi tropical climate. I'm growing a pineapple in a pot in the back yard....)

There it sat until I happened to show it to one of the local Marines who was an armorer. He's doing a correspondence school gunsmithing program so for a very low rate, and the practice, he offered to fix it up for me.

A couple of weeks later, and I got it back tonight. An attempt to reblue it didn't work out - the armorer said that Krags used a sodium blue compound that he couldn't match? - thus it was time for the Duracoat after all the paint came off. Eh, it was better than BBQ paint, and the BBQ paint was an improvement over how it was when I got it...

The old Krag still has good rifling, all the gauges check out, and so on. Now, after it's "dye job" and the wood being redone it looks years younger. Like it was only 75 or 80 and not over a hundred... Solemn nod. Could almost pass for being a mere 60 or so years old. A slip on recoil pad and the stock, which looks like someone made it in their barn years ago with hand tools for a shorter person than I, even now fits just right. Although it does lead to having to explain that no, I'm not afraid of the recoil of a .30-40 Krag.

As a nice touch, an old looking OD canvas USMC sling (the sort meant to be a shooting aid) was gifted to me by someone and it seems to complete the Krag nicely. (Some people dislike these sporters, but a great many Krags were turned into hunting guns in years past, particularly between the wars when they were cheaply to be had surplus and the Doughboys had come home with experience of bolt action rifles.)


Anyway, I was told not to cycle it or shoot it for a week to ten days in order to let the Duracoat fully cure. But now that the old Krag is all pretty, I want to play with it, the more so since I found a few rounds of ammo sitting in an ammo can that I forgot that I had. Not much, but just under two boxes. Enough to enjoy that 1896 workmanship.

Do I really need to just look at it for the next week to ten days for that Duracoat to cure, or would moderate handling and use be acceptable at a sooner point in time?

Anyone ever shoot one of these with 150gr bullets by the way? Or cast lead bullets and blackpowder? I'm not heavily invested in the old fellow and I've been curious about both the points. I still have .308 and 30-30 rifles and thus find myself curious about using lighter weight bullets than the Krag was traditionally loaded with.

Good Morning, GatorFarmer:
I would wait and follow the instructions of the Armorer. He is the expert.
You have waited this long, a little more wait and if things don't turn out, its his fault and not yours.
Jimmy

For my money, the 220 gr rn (lead or jacketed) was made for the Krag, and the Krag for it. You can't beat the .308 with your Krag with a 150 gr bullet. When you get past 180, the .308 falls by the wayside.

__________________
and what his trumpet saith

I used to have and shoot a '98 Krag. I had good luck with a 150 grain .307 .30-30 bullet. I'm pretty sure it was a Speer. I can't remember the powder charge, but IIRC it was a low load of IMR 3031, taken from the Speer manual, probably #8.

I was getting 1 1/4" 100 yard groups, with open sights (I was in my 20s back then ).

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I have a '96 Carbine I love. Someone long ago put a recoil pad and a Lyman #34K receiver peep sight on it.. The sight is great but it's a shame about the pad as the ser.# says it was issued to the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry. I get good results with Rem. or Win. factory loads.
The reload I use is 49 grs of IMR 4831 and a 150gr .308 bullet. This gives 2400 FPS. I like 4831. In the 30/40 you CAN'T over charge with this powder. You can't get any more in the case. It will shoot 1" groups all day long.

I shoot a '98 Krag and am now using up a box of 180gr cast GC bullets marked 'Green Bay Bullet Company'. Got 'em at a show along with lots of others for a good price.
I've shot alot of 150gr cast thru it and they seem to shoot just fine.
I shoot all light loads using RedDot powder @ 12.5gr. Sightbar up to 250yrds places the 150gr bullets in the bull at 100yrds for me. Probably about like a 32-40WCF load but I've never tested it for velocity.

Wish I could see those tiny sites better, but I'm not about to alter the rifle.
Just a fun gun to shoot and a very easy cartridge to load.
Brass seems to be getting scarce lately so it seems.

Don't know a thing about the spray-on-finishes. Probably should go by the instructions provided. Maybe it needs cure time like an epoxy.

The original finish on the Krag receiver was case-harden w/oil quench IIRC.
That left the metal with a somewhat dull blue color. The bbl was rust blued.
Bolt was case hardened also. Some with an extra step using (potassium) cyanide at the bolt head for extra hardness there.

Sounds like the process those Austrian pistol guys are using. Revolutionary.