New to Krag

[Okstate86]

Greetings all! I just picked up a really nice 1896 Krag rifle serial 399xx. Any advice for a Krag newbie? Resources? Best bets for available ammo? Etc?

[psteinmayer]

First of all... welcome to the wonderful world of Krags! Be careful, as they tend to multiply.

The best advice I could give you would be to treat her like a lady and feed her well!

Remington is one of the very few manufacturers still producing Krag factory ammo (albeit seasonally), although Winchester still has it listed. Finding it is another story though, so when you do find some, my first piece of advice would be to purchase it. A box of 20 rounds of Remington with 180 gr Core Lokt bullets will run you around $36.00. Sometimes you can find it on sites like Midway, Cheaper than Dirt, and Graf & Sons. SAVE YOUR BRASS!!! I can't stress this enough. Available brass for the Krag has been a dicey affair at best the last couple years, with some jerks charging $2 a piece or more on sites like Gunbroker. Recently, Graf & Sons has had brass available under the GRAF name, and 50 pieces will run you around $42.00, (about $0.84 a case). My second piece of advice would be to get as much brass as you can, whether new Graf's or once-fired Remington, and learn reloading. That's what most of us with Krags do these days! You'll find no shortage of great people here willing to help you get started!

How about posting some pictures of your new found love?

[5MadFarmers]

Greetings all! I just picked up a really nice 1896 Krag rifle serial 399xx. Any advice for a Krag newbie? Resources? Best bets for available ammo? Etc?

Tis a little known fact that Alvin York actually enlisted with his cousin. Nobody ever talks about his cousin. Probably due to the Courts Martial.

When the two of them were in training camp, York's cousin had the bunk to the right of him. When the Krags were issued for training the guy in the bunk to the left of York marked his rifle so nobody would steal it. Great big X after the serial. York, impressed with the idea, followed suit and marked his with two X's. His cousin, following the pattern, used three "XXX" and was promptly drummed into the brig for that. Sad end to a promising career.

Your rifle, with them two X's, is clearly York's.

[jon_norstog]

Then there was the guy 2 bunks down who marked his "XXOX."

Welcome to the club. What Steinmeyer said, hoard brass. Buy it when you can. One nice thing about the Krag round is that it shoots cast bullets really well. Some of the guys swear by wheel weight alloy.

I'm not a collector, I hang out here. I hunt with the Krag and I'm also really interested in that period of American history, including military history.

If you get a chance, read "the Little War of Private Post" by Charles Johnson Post. Another good read, but it's fiction, is "Cuba Libre" by Elmore Leonard.

Good luck!

jn

[Okstate86]

LOL! Gosh what a lucky guy I am! Thanks for the laugh.

[Okstate86]

Thanks guys! I've manage to find one box of Remington and I'm going to hoard it until I find more. Guess I'll start shopping for reloading dies huh?

[Dan Shapiro]

Stick a fork in him, he's done.

[Rick the Librarian]

Ah, those days of yore when all I wanted was a "sample" Krag!! LOL!

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[Pietro Panama]

Hey OSU Cowboy. Come to Tulsa and shoot that Krag in our Vintage Military Match on first Saturday of each month.
petebrunel@yahoo.com

[psteinmayer]

Hey OSU Cowboy. Come to Tulsa and shoot that Krag in our Vintage Military Match on first Saturday of each month.

There's the next big thing that will grab hold of you... Shooting them in a match! I shoot my 1898 every month too, as well as the National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry every summer. In addition to the Vintage Rifle Match, they're holding a Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Match which is geared towards Krags (although they also allow 1903s).

As for dies, there are a lot of good dies out there, but I always use LEE Pacesetter dies. Great value and IMHO just as good as others. Been using 'em for more than 30 years and nary a problem had!!!