Modern-day Krag: Tactical Rifle

Heat treated modern steel would not have the same glassy smooth feel of the old hardened clear through actions of yore.

Cutting the stock nearly in half for the magazine would do nothing good at all for accuracy.

The single locking lug bolt would not be satisfactory or safe for the pressures involved with any modern long range rifle caliber. Even if made from modern metal.

The split rear receiver ring necessary for the bolt handle clearance would make scope or other optics mounting difficult.

Magazine can be topped off with loose rounds at any time
Loose rounds can be tossed into bolt raceway for fast chambering

Click to expand...

Thats true of any modern bolt-action rifle based on the Mauser staggered box magazine design.


My feeling is if you modernized the Krag enough to be safe with modern pressures, and accept modern optics, it would offer no advantage over any number of modern actions.
And it would no longer be a Krag in any way shape or form except for the magazine design.

Which was already outdated for military use before the Spanish American war.

rc

Doesn't mean you should give up. I'm sure a bridge can be mad over the extractor on the bolt, like you see in Mausers and many other bolt rifles. As far as the stock vs. magazine, I'm not sure what you could do there, but I'm sure there's a way to make it work.

But then comes designing in locking lugs and channels for them to follow. Give it some more thought, I'm sure you can work something up that can be acceptable from a design-standpoint.

The Krag loading system was found inferior to the Mauser clip system in 1898.

The Krag was hideously expensive to produce. No way one could be manufactured and be anywhere reasonable in price.

Who needs a "tactical" bolt gun?

Who needs a "tactical" bolt gun?

Click to expand...

Ruger's marketing VP's!

As far as the stock vs. magazine, I'm not sure what you could do there, but I'm sure there's a way to make it work.

Click to expand...

Chassis stock? Stressed members around the receiver body, and a free-floated barrel...

For the effort going into this thought process, take it further, past "modernized Krag" to "what features would i build into a clean-slate rifle?" How many bolt lugs? Lever throw? Safety type and position? Get REAL creative.

Weak action & a really poor magazine design. Just buy a Mauser based design like everyone since then, even the US with their Mauser 1903 model, has done.

If you change all that stuff, you have a gate loading Mauser or Remington or whatever. A detachable box will handle most such needs at lower manufacturing cost and less functional complication.

If you want a Krag, get a Krag.

The .30-40 Krag round will kill any man and most beasts, the funky magazine feeds rimmed rounds better than anything, and a good peep sight on a Krag carbine will handle most shooting.

rc, you have to open the bolt on a Mauser to load it, unless you have a Mauser action with a detachable magazine. You can top off the magazine in the Krag with the bolt closed. (As far as I know). No advantage, practically, and it makes everything weaker. Everything else, yeah, each reason pretty much gives us some challenge to solve.

+ 1 on what Jim Watson said....