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I love watching those guys.

The 2nd vid is semis vs bolt guns, pretty amazing shooting. Bolt guys win a lot of the matches.
 
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When I was an adolescent, I went hunting, fishing, and clamming with my childhood friend and his grandfather on many occasion. As I didn't have my own centerfire hunting rifle, the "loaner" I had was my pal's grandfather's sporterized Krag. It may be old and weird, but one could do a lot worse. And dang the action on that thing was smooth. :D
 
Norwegian Krag-Jorgenson, likely in 6.5x55, which is a nice light shooting caliber. Looks like Swedish diopter sights. He's shooting lightning fast.

They are fun rifles to shoot, and definitely an oddity with the lunch box magazine. They were never a really solid military rifle, as they never lasted long in the USA.

But as a milsurp collectible and shootable rifle, in both original and sporterized condition, they are lots of fun. I would love to own an original carbine. They do make beautiful sporter rifles.

C118208A-8B57-4EAB-9CD7-F6F7DEF5F309.jpeg

Old school Lyman 34 peep sight, banded front sight, and a remodeled Bishop sporter stock. I wanted something reminiscent of the old Griffin and Howe guns.
 
Krags are magnificent machines made to the highest standards of workmanship. The 30-40 caliber is very good but was outclassed by the 7X57 during the Spanish/American war so quickly fell out of favor through no real fault of it's own. The action is labor intensive to manufacture and more intricate than Mausers of the day so they were soon replaced by a Mauser patent infringing clone.....the 1903 and later 1903A1. The difference in cartridge encouraged the USA to surplus the rifles instead of storing them as War Readiness weapons like we did with later Springfield's and Garands that we see coming out of the CMP these days. These rifles have a wonderful heritage whether as an original or sporterized. They were very popular elk rifles in the days when 30-30 was a serious big game rifle.
 
I wonder how many of us got to hunt our first time with a hand me down Krag loaner! My uncle had that rifle and every one of us got schooled early on with it, and most of us took our first deer with it! Back then, it was considered the new guys rifle for the sake of power and recoil! Little did most folks realize just how good these really were!
 
That was not a slight or a poke at you Bear or that fine Krag of yours, I called on you in hopes that you would post a picture of that fine rifle, and you remember my offer, which still stands!
 
Krags are magnificent machines made to the highest standards of workmanship. The 30-40 caliber is very good but was outclassed by the 7X57 during the Spanish/American war so quickly fell out of favor through no real fault of it's own. The action is labor intensive to manufacture and more intricate than Mausers of the day so they were soon replaced by a Mauser patent infringing clone.....the 1903 and later 1903A1. The difference in cartridge encouraged the USA to surplus the rifles instead of storing them as War Readiness weapons like we did with later Springfield's and Garands that we see coming out of the CMP these days. These rifles have a wonderful heritage whether as an original or sporterized. They were very popular elk rifles in the days when 30-30 was a serious big game rifle.
The real secret of the Spanish Mauser wasn't so much the bolt as the stripper clip. Americans were fumbling around with loose rounds when reloading while the Spanish were clip, strip, and shoot.
 
I wonder how many of us got to hunt our first time with a hand me down Krag loaner! My uncle had that rifle and every one of us got schooled early on with it, and most of us took our first deer with it! Back then, it was considered the new guys rifle for the sake of power and recoil! Little did most folks realize just how good these really were!
Or a 303 Brit
 
I wonder how many of us got to hunt our first time with a hand me down Krag loaner! My uncle had that rifle and every one of us got schooled early on with it, and most of us took our first deer with it! Back then, it was considered the new guys rifle for the sake of power and recoil! Little did most folks realize just how good these really were!

You can put me on that list. I have never felt a smoother action than that one lug 30/40. The Mauser caliber may be a superior load, but I still have a respectable Roosevelt rack my dad took with that Springfield in the forties. I still wonder how he got it out of that gully.
 

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