@@granola661 "5 thou". A thou is short for a thousandth, or .001". So the tape is .005 inches. Normal printer paper is about 3 thou, so that sounds about right.
Here in the UK deactivations are required to be much much more invasive and permanent than what’s shown here and even thinking about attempting to restore a deactivated firearm would see you facing the full wrath of the government. Recently there’s been talk about banning deactivated firearms entirely because apparently they’re somehow an issue?
Never despair! You English are pretty good with edged weapons! Lots of stabbing with kitchen cutlery in London town, from what I have heard. They cannot "ban" human nature!
The UK is a joke state. It;s really easy to make guns - even in the average garden shed. Ammunition manufacture is just as easy. What they're doing is making sure that by restricting firearms, they won't face an armed rebellion against their sillier nonsense.
In the United States it's legal even if it were something like an AK47. As long as it isn't a machinegun. It's a constitutional right to be able to make your own gun, as long as you are not making it for the purpose of selling it. You can even make them for resale if you get a certain federal license. Our gun laws probably sound crazy to a lot of people over there. Your gun laws sound very crazy and like a human rights violation to many of us. Our founding fathers also made our constitution insanely difficult to amend, which is a very good thing.
I love the beefy, heavy look of the old rifle parts. They really look like they were engineered to last forever with proper maintenance. A beautiful rifle and a labor of love. 👍
Well done. Even if it turns out the accuracy isn’t the greatest. You brought a rifle back and one that now can at least be demonstrated as a functional item.
Well, easy if you have spare barrel just like that, real "bad boy gunsmiths" redrill the old barrel and whatnot since not everyone got loose barrels at hand LOL
@@SwedishEmpire1700 Yeah, but on this project the barrel was cut in half and rewelding a barrel? I’m thinking that’s sketchy as heck. Question I have is that if you just had lead in the barrel could you heat the barrel up enough to pour out the lead then reheat treat the barrel or are you going to get a warp?
This is amazing to see such work in action! The gunsmithing on krag rifles is really a lost art now only a few can seem to master it,. My grandfather was gunsmith and through the 60's and 70's he collected these rifles in 30-40 and 6.5x55, he made his krag receiver clamp very similar to yours, he was able to mod the bolt contacts surfaces to where the bolt locking lug and the bolt handle both made contact with receiver when closed greatly added to lockup strength reducing bolt failure.
I'm so glad that you didn't do anything wrong here. I was honestly wary about watching this from some of the atrocities that some people call firearm restorations on RUclips, especially on something as beautiful as a Kraig. I'm a huge prude for giving out likes, but you earned this one.
I have to give you credit for not only the content but your narration makes the video very watchable, I would most likely never get to do what you have done but it was a pleasure watching you sir.
I love this. In most other countries "how to reactivate a deactivated rifle" seems like something that could get someone put on some kind of list. Here, it's a RUclips instructional. This is the way.
@@RetroCaptain in the early years of the war in southeast Asia the guys could bring back guns off the battlefields. Fill out a little form that stays with the gun, bust the fire pin, and lead the barrel and it was decommissioned. Living 5 miles from Ft. Bragg we ended up collecting a lot of these. This was pre-68 Gun Control Act and that america no longer exist.
Lets ban guns because .00001% of the population can't control themselves and 99.9% would follow every law and control themselves. That sounds like a great idea. Every evil person, mentally ill and psychopath will now feel bad and not kill anyone with any other weapon. You have stopped murder by banning guns that can't fire. Congrats. lol
Could imagine if our great grandfather were to come back and see this crap. Every western country suddenly they just popped back up to see what they all worked hard and fought for all those years. Most of you would be getting your a kicked and be called a pansy a wussy.
Great job! You created go/no-go with the brass which is effective on a rimmed case. Krag likely adopted the Mauser production standard where parts made in their licensed factories were made to exacting tolerances and largely interchangeable. I did a Ross .303 rifle once for a collector. This had a 3/8” pin across the rear of the chamber. Fortunately there was enough reinforce left to cut, set-back and re-chamber. Might have machined an adapter but can’t remember. It worked very nicely. For the critics - the root and contact area of even 3 tenon threads of coarse pitch usually equates to more than the locking lugs on most rifles. And the remaining chamber reinforce still exceeded that found on an SMLE.
Brilliant video, especially your dogged approach to every problem, and I appreciate your quiet, methodical narration from beginning to end devoid of the usual noisy hoopla one often must suffer through in gun-related videos. You have just gained a new subscriber.
I just picked a Krag recently. I want one in its original condition, but this one was sporterized. At the very least, it was inexpensive, and whoever did the work seems to have known what they were doing with nice results. Nice video.
Good luck getting a stock. Stay away from sporeterized junk unless you want a bunch of worthless rifles in terms of collecting. Im telling you this from experience the cheap rifles are tempting but you’re really doing your investment opportunity a disservice
@DelGTAGrndrs I usually do, but this one was at a price to tempting to pass up and I had been thirsting for a Krag for a while. I am still looking out for an original US Krag. I picked up a Springfield trapdoor in the same purchase.
@genericname4739 oh no this is definitely sporterized. Sporter style stock with raised cheek rest and color case finish on the receiver, with a glossy black finish on the barrel and a Lyman rear sight.
It was probably sold as a collectible that way. Lots of them were imported. It might be a bringback, but I've never seen one with a cut barrel. A friend had a DEWAT Japanese Type 99 machine gun, Amnesty registered, with a cut and brazed barrel. There are effectively no spare parts for these anywhere. What we did was run a rifling swage into the cut to get it properly aligned, then tack-welded. Then we stuck a copper rod of close diameter down as a heat sink, welded all around, lathe turned to clean up. Then run a rifling cutter back through to clean the inside of the weld. It still has some irregularity, but it shoots adequately for a support weapon.
I just recently restored a Mosin nagant M91 that was deactivated. Thry removed the fireing pin and ran allthread through the bolt then welded the cocking peice to the reciver. Thankfully it was a small bead of weld and i was able to file lightly and pop off the weld bead. New fireing pin, spring and cocking peice and shes up and fireing again!
This past year, I desporterized a 91/30 Mosin Nagant. Someone swaped the wood for a cheap polymer drop in stock. Spent a month or so sorceing parts and accessories.
It is honestly amazing that these rifles are going on 134 to 138 years old at this point and yet they still look and function like they where made a few years ago, it unfortunate that the barrel was beyond saving as it would have been nice to have everything match especially the serial numbers
Fantastic video. Great documentary . Your analysis of the condition/safety of that rifle is perfect. I collected Mausers from WW2 and prior. Every one was special. I had a VZ24 bag cut bring back. Luckily only the stock was cut. And repaired by an old German gunsmith I knew. I did something a little different with my reloads. When buying a new rifle..I had downloads to check the firing. I always loaded 50 rounds at a time… with 10 standard loads, then twenty rounds up in two different heavier powder loads and twenty loads down in two different loads. I also tried two different grain weight bullets. I also loaded IMR 4064 and/or 3031. The 8mm Mauser bullet was limited in selection. I also only used Federal cases (Lampua when I could find and afford them) and never did full case resizing. I always resized neck only and only trimmed to correct case length. Those fired cases always stayed with the rifle. Like a “finger print” each rifle had a load it liked. Often got 2” groups at 100yds. Enough of the rambling. I retired as president of my gun club, sold all my rifles and reloading stuff to a member. Your video makes me want to “ have one more”… Thanks for your video.
The Krag isn't the most pleasing to the eye but it is a machined marvel. No plastics no stampings just machined bits and pieces that when assembled make up a fine rifle.
Just think, these rifles are old enough to probably have been made on the old style lathes that were run by a belt coming from the ceiling! I like how you made all the wooden jigs to help reassemble the rifle without any damage. My bro in law has one of these that he inherited from his grandfather in 1980. I don't think he's shot it to this day but it is still in excellent original condition.
I had a .30-40 Krag, given to me by my Grandfather. His cousin Carter and fought with it in the Spanish American war. Unfortunately my house was burglarized, it was stolen. It wasn't deactivated...I fired a couple hundred rounds through it. Had a full length barrel but the stock was shortened. My grandfather etched his initials in the forearm. Family heirloom.
"Vaabenfabriken Kjøbenhavn 1880". Man, this brings a tear to my Danish eye 😢😊 I'm probably biased, but this is such a cool and beautiful rifle. I love how you basically throw a handful of bullets in it, close the gate and fire 😄 I would love to have a working Krag Jørgensen, but gun laws here in Denmark are very restrictive.
I just discovered your channel. I'm very impressed. I always wondered how to reactivate a deactivated rifle. It always helps when you have parts on hand. I never knew these old rifles had barrel shrouds, I always thought it was the actual barrel. I appreciated the test fire at the end. I always wondered how the Krag-Jorgensen magazine worked. Hats off to your impressive bodging. I'm always impressed when people can improvise and MacGyver the tools they need to get a specific job done.
That’s a beautiful rifle. Have only seen it once before and now I know what it is. Kinda reminds you of a Craig. Well just because of the side load. Really dig it, very nice clean example. Great job reactivating it brother.
The us krag rifles and carbines are local production modifications of the Danish krag-jorgenson. While not exact copies, they are licensed versions modified only to meet us standards and "style points". Ours are krags, theirs are krags, all dem krags are krags, lol.
Very clean reactivation! Our quickest and easiest was an M95 "Spanish" Mauser carbine sold as a "parade rifle" for $25 at a swap meet around five years ago. It appeared upon first external inspection to have a solid barrel, and the bolt was missing. When my son got it home it took him around 15 minutes to sand the weld off the tip of the barrel, shake the steel plug out and re-dress the muzzle. The rifling looks like new - and he quickly located a replacement bolt all ready to put in.
@@ZacharyBurgard Back when many military arms were so plentiful, they didn't think it was a big deal. Now, it is a way for the government to keep some weapons out of the hands of the citizens.
I use a bit of rosin dust on the barrel to get a better grip on it. I have the gun vise sold by Midway as well as the receiver vise. When space is critical, and you need to use paper to fit it, again, rosin dust will help there too. Great work! Too bad they cut the rifles to bits today...
I would have needed to get my hands on some rosin if the gym chalk didn't work. Larry Potterfield from Midway's videos were a help in putting this together.
Yes I have seen this exact same thing before. There is another video on youtube of a guy reactivating one and having to find a spare barrel. His was cut and one spot had been drilled. I don't know if you have access to a lathe but when a Krag doesn't index right you can always turn the shoulder back a couple thousandths of an inch and run in a solid pilot reamer in the chamber. I've done that a lot.
Unfortunately in South Africa we are in the same sinking boat as the UK, even talking about reactivating a deactivated firearm would be reason for the cops to be snooping about. Didnt know it was a legal thing in the US, awesome.
Very cool, one of the good things about living in the middle of nowhere, is the range is almost always vacant when I go, no safety concerns, no noise from other shooters
I love the old 30-40's! The first gun I ever deer hunted with. The barrel and stock had been shortened on mine. The bolt felt like glass as I worked it.
Just have to say thank you. Just a well spoken and well placed video. Very nice job rebuilding that rifle. But Absolutely hats off to you on you barrel vise, and receivers vice. Ive saved your ideas on the simplicity of metal and bolts on your build. Thank you for sharing & showing us this wonderful video .
Someone here posed an interesting question on melting the lead plug. I was intrigued, and a quick search confirmed for me that the melting point of steel is 2500-2800°F(1371-1540°C) while the melting point of lead is only 327.5°C. I did find that the strength of steel is unchanged up until 600°F
All rifles are heat treated so that it strengthens the barrels. It's a very very high heat. No damage is done to the barrel of one melts the lead plug.
I’m here by accident. Was watching the “thumbnail” and it fought my attention when I saw the title of the video. I watched till the end and I must say well done sir.
Good job! I've always found heat to be a huge help when dealing with threaded parts. I'm not talking about temper changing heat, but enough to cause the metal to expand. A heat gun should be sufficient.
I have an 1888 German Commission rifle with a spiked barrel. Unfortunately they used hardened steel rods in the muzzle and the chamber. I picked up another barrel but can't get the barrel broken loose from the action. The actions are very long and thin with no hold for a wrench of any kind. They must have had a special built jig to hold them. I completely restored and sourced parts for the rest of the gun and it looks great. I will try again someday.
The Gewehr 88 receiver has a very similar shape to the Danish Krag in the video. It's mostly round with a lug protruding. You can use a similar receiver bushing. For the barrel, other commenters here had some good tips to get a better hold, using rosin, aluminum bushings, etc.
Nice , very crafty and gets my approval . Two points I'd recommend - The rim of the cartridge should be placed behind the extractor , as this is how they are fed up , out of the magazine ( could very possibly harm/brake the extractor , and I always never put my face behind a rifle I'm concerned about headspace or have never fired before ( surplus ) , I shoulder and turn it to the side , then if the brass check's out , all should be fine !
I have a Krag that I've had for about a year and it's in very nice shape. When I saw how you loaded yours, I was surprised to see how the rounds were fed into the magazine. Mine opens like the door on an oven and that's the only kind I've ever seen, unlike yours that hinges on the front edge of the door.
I bought a couple 03A3 demilled rifles from the local JROTC unit as they were replacing them all with wooden fake rifles. Along with the plugged barrel, they also tack welded over the bolt face to cover firing pin. Safety was broken on the ones I got, not sure it was from being dropped or they were issued that way. 2 barrels and 2 bolts later they were functional, but took some scrounging.
I have my great-grandfather's 1898 Springfield 30/40 Krag (family tradition has it that this was the rifle he used in the Spanish-American war...probably not true, but fun to think about). It was sporterized by my father to make it a better(?) hunting rifle. I have taken 25-30 deer, 10-15 elk, and one bear with this rifle, all on original iron sights. The bolt action is still buttery smooth, and is accurate out to 200 yards. Unfortunately, no one in my family wants it after I pass.
This is SO awesome to see! A friend of mine had a carbine version of this weapon! We took it to the Clark Co. Museum and was identified by Mark from Pawn stars (epic dude, go visit him! Seriously) I've never seen another! THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
A lot of these plugged Krags we’re turning from Veterans organizations and used for parades. They were plugged to prevent chambering a cartridge. Based on the duffle cut it might well be a bring back. These were Skso sold as cheap surplus back in the day from companies like Bannermans. I’ve seen them in various sporterized configurations from minor changes to completely modified. Just saw one last weekend in a shop in ME with a bishop stock , rebuked with a scope mounted . The issue today would be cost of replacement parts would be a labor of love and far outweigh the value of the rifle
Filling the barrel with lead and cut it in 2 while keeping the fire mechanism unspoiled seems a dangerous way to deactivate a rifle. Imagine what happens if someone tries to load a cartridge and pulls the trigger....
@@perterslse2543yes good point- most deactivations are more permanent and involve welding up parts so a cartridge can’t be chambered . This seems somewhat amateurish but at least allows the rifle to be restored to firing condition.
You should use rubber gym bands in that wooden clamp, they grip steel insanely well and act as a cushion, ive used it to disassembling airguns when tuning them with great success
I posted a follow up where I attempt to salvage the original barrel
ruclips.net/video/3BxtWPuNeKw/видео.html
The tape is 5000 thick? what?
@@granola661 "5 thou". A thou is short for a thousandth, or .001". So the tape is .005 inches. Normal printer paper is about 3 thou, so that sounds about right.
@@TheFreshmanWIT Just say 0.1mm jesus fucking christ
@@granola661I have no idea what that is in lengths of King George's shoes. So what good is saying it that way?
@@granola661 we dont use the metric system.
Hell yeah, man. Guns were built to be shot, not forgotten on a shelf. Brought back an old fighter. Good on ya
*beings
@@casperjohanssonekstrom5564 nope.
@@CrashRacknShoot yes
@@CrashRacknShoot they are called weapons for a reason buddy
@@casperjohanssonekstrom5564 I love how you think you're being clever right now.
Here in the UK deactivations are required to be much much more invasive and permanent than what’s shown here and even thinking about attempting to restore a deactivated firearm would see you facing the full wrath of the government. Recently there’s been talk about banning deactivated firearms entirely because apparently they’re somehow an issue?
Good luck * slam fire pipe shotguns exist *.
The UK is unfortunately turning quickly into a cucked out, leftist hellscape.
Never despair! You English are pretty good with edged weapons! Lots of stabbing with kitchen cutlery in London town, from what I have heard. They cannot "ban" human nature!
The UK is a joke state. It;s really easy to make guns - even in the average garden shed. Ammunition manufacture is just as easy. What they're doing is making sure that by restricting firearms, they won't face an armed rebellion against their sillier nonsense.
In the United States it's legal even if it were something like an AK47. As long as it isn't a machinegun. It's a constitutional right to be able to make your own gun, as long as you are not making it for the purpose of selling it. You can even make them for resale if you get a certain federal license. Our gun laws probably sound crazy to a lot of people over there. Your gun laws sound very crazy and like a human rights violation to many of us. Our founding fathers also made our constitution insanely difficult to amend, which is a very good thing.
I love the beefy, heavy look of the old rifle parts. They really look like they were engineered to last forever with proper maintenance. A beautiful rifle and a labor of love. 👍
As a Gunsmith I applaud your self made tools. I too build special setups.
Excellent training!
Well done. Even if it turns out the accuracy isn’t the greatest. You brought a rifle back and one that now can at least be demonstrated as a functional item.
Well, easy if you have spare barrel just like that, real "bad boy gunsmiths" redrill the old barrel and whatnot since not everyone got loose barrels at hand LOL
@@SwedishEmpire1700 Yeah, but on this project the barrel was cut in half and rewelding a barrel? I’m thinking that’s sketchy as heck.
Question I have is that if you just had lead in the barrel could you heat the barrel up enough to pour out the lead then reheat treat the barrel or are you going to get a warp?
@@Whitpusmcg
@@Whitpusmc I was thinking the same thing.
@@Whitpusmcprobably nothing would even happen to the barrel. Though your health might suffer if you don't do this in clinical conditions.
Absolutely beautiful rifle.
I saw a couple Krags at a local shop last weekend.. someone decided to sporterise the poor things.
bubba at it again!
@@Future-Preps35 They're about 3000 danish crowns here in Denmark, just about 500 usd. But you gotta find them when they're being sold.
anyone who sporterizes these babys needs to have their life relooked because these are not meant for modernization
@@SigfredBarfod I was fortunate enough to acquire 2 1889s for €510 from Lauritz shortly before their bankruptcy
@@corditechewer lucky for you, that's a steal
This is amazing to see such work in action! The gunsmithing on krag rifles is really a lost art now only a few can seem to master it,. My grandfather was gunsmith and through the 60's and 70's he collected these rifles in 30-40 and 6.5x55, he made his krag receiver clamp very similar to yours, he was able to mod the bolt contacts surfaces to where the bolt locking lug and the bolt handle both made contact with receiver when closed greatly added to lockup strength reducing bolt failure.
I'm so glad that you didn't do anything wrong here. I was honestly wary about watching this from some of the atrocities that some people call firearm restorations on RUclips, especially on something as beautiful as a Kraig. I'm a huge prude for giving out likes, but you earned this one.
Beautiful. Glad you could correct this act of vandalism.
I have to give you credit for not only the content but your narration makes the video very watchable, I would most likely never get to do what you have done but it was a pleasure watching you sir.
I love this. In most other countries "how to reactivate a deactivated rifle" seems like something that could get someone put on some kind of list. Here, it's a RUclips instructional. This is the way.
Think about Maple Syrup Hockey and strong beer...
Our fearless leader has been banning everything except the super soaker
@@RetroCaptain in the early years of the war in southeast Asia the guys could bring back guns off the battlefields. Fill out a little form that stays with the gun, bust the fire pin, and lead the barrel and it was decommissioned. Living 5 miles from Ft. Bragg we ended up collecting a lot of these. This was pre-68 Gun Control Act and that america no longer exist.
Lets ban guns because .00001% of the population can't control themselves and 99.9% would follow every law and control themselves. That sounds like a great idea. Every evil person, mentally ill and psychopath will now feel bad and not kill anyone with any other weapon. You have stopped murder by banning guns that can't fire. Congrats. lol
Could imagine if our great grandfather were to come back and see this crap. Every western country suddenly they just popped back up to see what they all worked hard and fought for all those years. Most of you would be getting your a kicked and be called a pansy a wussy.
@@mikekares-b8q The women voters won him majority seats.
Thanks man. Im Danish. Its nice to see these old rifles brought to life again.
Great job! You created go/no-go with the brass which is effective on a rimmed case. Krag likely adopted the Mauser production standard where parts made in their licensed factories were made to exacting tolerances and largely interchangeable.
I did a Ross .303 rifle once for a collector. This had a 3/8” pin across the rear of the chamber. Fortunately there was enough reinforce left to cut, set-back and re-chamber. Might have machined an adapter but can’t remember. It worked very nicely. For the critics - the root and contact area of even 3 tenon threads of coarse pitch usually equates to more than the locking lugs on most rifles. And the remaining chamber reinforce still exceeded that found on an SMLE.
Brilliant video, especially your dogged approach to every problem, and I appreciate your quiet, methodical narration from beginning to end devoid of the usual noisy hoopla one often must suffer through in gun-related videos. You have just gained a new subscriber.
Boy would I love to have a conversation with you. I am a huge Krag fan. Love to see people who still appreciate them or just the era in general.
I just picked a Krag recently. I want one in its original condition, but this one was sporterized. At the very least, it was inexpensive, and whoever did the work seems to have known what they were doing with nice results. Nice video.
I also have a 1896 sporterized Krag. It's in a nice black walnut Bishop stock. Still a tac driver and the action is butter smooth.
Good luck getting a stock. Stay away from sporeterized junk unless you want a bunch of worthless rifles in terms of collecting. Im telling you this from experience the cheap rifles are tempting but you’re really doing your investment opportunity a disservice
@DelGTAGrndrs I usually do, but this one was at a price to tempting to pass up and I had been thirsting for a Krag for a while. I am still looking out for an original US Krag. I picked up a Springfield trapdoor in the same purchase.
Keep in mind that the 1896 Carbines look sporterized but actually are not. They are built like that.
@genericname4739 oh no this is definitely sporterized. Sporter style stock with raised cheek rest and color case finish on the receiver, with a glossy black finish on the barrel and a Lyman rear sight.
It was probably sold as a collectible that way. Lots of them were imported. It might be a bringback, but I've never seen one with a cut barrel.
A friend had a DEWAT Japanese Type 99 machine gun, Amnesty registered, with a cut and brazed barrel. There are effectively no spare parts for these anywhere. What we did was run a rifling swage into the cut to get it properly aligned, then tack-welded. Then we stuck a copper rod of close diameter down as a heat sink, welded all around, lathe turned to clean up. Then run a rifling cutter back through to clean the inside of the weld. It still has some irregularity, but it shoots adequately for a support weapon.
Interesting. Thanks for explaining the process. I knew it was technically possible but wasn't sure just how it was done
I just recently restored a Mosin nagant M91 that was deactivated. Thry removed the fireing pin and ran allthread through the bolt then welded the cocking peice to the reciver. Thankfully it was a small bead of weld and i was able to file lightly and pop off the weld bead. New fireing pin, spring and cocking peice and shes up and fireing again!
This past year, I desporterized a 91/30 Mosin Nagant. Someone swaped the wood for a cheap polymer drop in stock. Spent a month or so sorceing parts and accessories.
It is honestly amazing that these rifles are going on 134 to 138 years old at this point and yet they still look and function like they where made a few years ago, it unfortunate that the barrel was beyond saving as it would have been nice to have everything match especially the serial numbers
Thank you for saving that beautiful work of art and piece of history.
Fantastic video. Great documentary . Your analysis of the condition/safety of that rifle is perfect. I collected Mausers from WW2 and prior. Every one was special. I had a VZ24 bag cut bring back. Luckily only the stock was cut. And repaired by an old German gunsmith I knew. I did something a little different with my reloads. When buying a new rifle..I had downloads to check the firing. I always loaded 50 rounds at a time… with 10 standard loads, then twenty rounds up in two different heavier powder loads and twenty loads down in two different loads. I also tried two different grain weight bullets. I also loaded IMR 4064 and/or 3031. The 8mm Mauser bullet was limited in selection. I also only used Federal cases (Lampua when I could find and afford them) and never did full case resizing. I always resized neck only and only trimmed to correct case length. Those fired cases always stayed with the rifle. Like a “finger print” each rifle had a load it liked. Often got 2” groups at 100yds. Enough of the rambling. I retired as president of my gun club, sold all my rifles and reloading stuff to a member. Your video makes me want to “
have one more”… Thanks for your video.
The Krag isn't the most pleasing to the eye but it is a machined marvel. No plastics no stampings just machined bits and pieces that when assembled make up a fine rifle.
Just think, these rifles are old enough to probably have been made on the old style lathes that were run by a belt coming from the ceiling! I like how you made all the wooden jigs to help reassemble the rifle without any damage. My bro in law has one of these that he inherited from his grandfather in 1980. I don't think he's shot it to this day but it is still in excellent original condition.
I had a .30-40 Krag, given to me by my Grandfather. His cousin Carter and fought with it in the Spanish American war. Unfortunately my house was burglarized, it was stolen. It wasn't deactivated...I fired a couple hundred rounds through it. Had a full length barrel but the stock was shortened. My grandfather etched his initials in the forearm. Family heirloom.
"Vaabenfabriken Kjøbenhavn 1880". Man, this brings a tear to my Danish eye 😢😊
I'm probably biased, but this is such a cool and beautiful rifle. I love how you basically throw a handful of bullets in it, close the gate and fire 😄
I would love to have a working Krag Jørgensen, but gun laws here in Denmark are very restrictive.
This video hurts so bad....such a piece of history abused this way...glad it was given the love it deserves
My hat's off to you, good sir. Excellent work preserving such a fine piece of history!
Learning to appreciate old guns through your channel. Thanks.
Keep the old cut barrel. Looks great for a hunting rifle conversion. Sometime in a lathe, some new parts,....
My compliments for the creativity and problem solving with removing the old barrel from the receiver.
I just discovered your channel. I'm very impressed. I always wondered how to reactivate a deactivated rifle.
It always helps when you have parts on hand. I never knew these old rifles had barrel shrouds, I always thought it was the actual barrel.
I appreciated the test fire at the end. I always wondered how the Krag-Jorgensen magazine worked.
Hats off to your impressive bodging. I'm always impressed when people can improvise and MacGyver the tools they need to get a specific job done.
That’s a beautiful rifle. Have only seen it once before and now I know what it is. Kinda reminds you of a Craig. Well just because of the side load. Really dig it, very nice clean example. Great job reactivating it brother.
Uhm it IS a Krag. A Danish one
Danish Model 1889 Krag Rifle
I wonder why you didn't think it was a krag? Even when he says it is in the first 3 seconds lol. I don't know any other side loaders myself.
It's not a Craig, it's Krag and that's what's in the video.
The us krag rifles and carbines are local production modifications of the Danish krag-jorgenson. While not exact copies, they are licensed versions modified only to meet us standards and "style points". Ours are krags, theirs are krags, all dem krags are krags, lol.
Excellent. I love seeing old battle rifles brought back to life.
love the work that you put into this gun thank you for bringing back history
So cool to see something revived like this, such a beautiful rifle.
Very clean reactivation! Our quickest and easiest was an M95 "Spanish" Mauser carbine sold as a "parade rifle" for $25 at a swap meet around five years ago. It appeared upon first external inspection to have a solid barrel, and the bolt was missing. When my son got it home it took him around 15 minutes to sand the weld off the tip of the barrel, shake the steel plug out and re-dress the muzzle. The rifling looks like new - and he quickly located a replacement bolt all ready to put in.
Thank you for keeping these living works of art going.
the krag is my favorite bolt action THANK YOU FOR SAVING THIS ONE when you said the name in the intro i legit said ohhh it hurts outloud
It hurts to know that rifle are demilitarized and other weapons
I can see doing it for parade use by young students at a school, to prevent an accident.
@@jeffreyyoung4104Proper gun handeling and a inspection before use is all you need.
Its still better than being destroyed aka made into metal parts
@@jeffreyyoung4104 it’s still not right
@@ZacharyBurgard Back when many military arms were so plentiful, they didn't think it was a big deal. Now, it is a way for the government to keep some weapons out of the hands of the citizens.
This is cool great done and as a danish i thank you for reactivating this danish rifle its made to shoot and not being a useless icon on a shelf
I use a bit of rosin dust on the barrel to get a better grip on it. I have the gun vise sold by Midway as well as the receiver vise.
When space is critical, and you need to use paper to fit it, again, rosin dust will help there too.
Great work! Too bad they cut the rifles to bits today...
I would have needed to get my hands on some rosin if the gym chalk didn't work. Larry Potterfield from Midway's videos were a help in putting this together.
Drywall tape for shims is genius. Greasing your bolts before tightening will help with longevity but I cant criticize, well done!
Very well done, sir! Beautiful rifle, and a very well narrated video.
ahh dang. a 30 40 krag. loved the fireball out of these things. and that big super-flip safety, and the side loading mag. great deer rifle.
beautiful to see a good old Danish rifle brought back to life😍
One more thing, thank you for explaining that headspace is determined by the thickness of the rim on rimmed cartridges, I always wondered that.
I’ve never seen one of these before but now I have an appreciation, beautiful gun.
I'm just as amazed at the homemade jigs as I am by the final "product". Well done!!
Doing the Lord's work saving Krags
Yes I have seen this exact same thing before. There is another video on youtube of a guy reactivating one and having to find a spare barrel. His was cut and one spot had been drilled.
I don't know if you have access to a lathe but when a Krag doesn't index right you can always turn the shoulder back a couple thousandths of an inch and run in a solid pilot reamer in the chamber. I've done that a lot.
Deactivated is a term sad people use to get around selling broken guns at an "actually works" price.
I bought a rewat m2 carbine (receiver cut in three pieces)many years ago. It was properly done and have had no problems.
Unfortunately in South Africa we are in the same sinking boat as the UK, even talking about reactivating a deactivated firearm would be reason for the cops to be snooping about. Didnt know it was a legal thing in the US, awesome.
Very cool, one of the good things about living in the middle of nowhere, is the range is almost always vacant when I go, no safety concerns, no noise from other shooters
I love the old 30-40's! The first gun I ever deer hunted with. The barrel and stock had been shortened on mine. The bolt felt like glass as I worked it.
Nice job and rifle! Always enjoy your videos. Appreciate you taking the time to explain how you did things. Enjoy!
Wow, I've never seen such an old and powerful rifle before...seeing and hearing its full might is very exciting!
Impressive job, cleverly employing simple and affordable tricks.
Just have to say thank you. Just a well spoken and well placed video. Very nice job rebuilding that rifle. But Absolutely hats off to you on you barrel vise, and receivers vice. Ive saved your ideas on the simplicity of metal and bolts on your build. Thank you for sharing & showing us this wonderful video .
Someone here posed an interesting question on melting the lead plug.
I was intrigued, and a quick search confirmed for me that the melting point of steel is 2500-2800°F(1371-1540°C) while the melting point of lead is only 327.5°C. I did find that the strength of steel is unchanged up until 600°F
It can easily be melted with a simple propane torch.
All rifles are heat treated so that it strengthens the barrels. It's a very very high heat. No damage is done to the barrel of one melts the lead plug.
@@screwthecabal6453 Thanks for the confirmation. I was just concerned about weakening the strength of the barrel.
Having been born in Denmark. My ears immediately perked up when you said Danish. I love old rifles.
Well done! I admire your workshop chops.
I’m here by accident. Was watching the “thumbnail” and it fought my attention when I saw the title of the video. I watched till the end and I must say well done sir.
Good job! I've always found heat to be a huge help when dealing with threaded parts. I'm not talking about temper changing heat, but enough to cause the metal to expand. A heat gun should be sufficient.
A heat gun is a good idea. I didn't want to use a torch because the bluing is so nice.
I agree with that. Heat is like magic. Especially when working with automotive applications.
I have an 1888 German Commission rifle with a spiked barrel. Unfortunately they used hardened steel rods in the muzzle and the chamber. I picked up another barrel but can't get the barrel broken loose from the action. The actions are very long and thin with no hold for a wrench of any kind. They must have had a special built jig to hold them. I completely restored and sourced parts for the rest of the gun and it looks great. I will try again someday.
The Gewehr 88 receiver has a very similar shape to the Danish Krag in the video. It's mostly round with a lug protruding. You can use a similar receiver bushing. For the barrel, other commenters here had some good tips to get a better hold, using rosin, aluminum bushings, etc.
British people watching this video: 👀
Nice job, it lives again!
It's lucky to have you taking care of it. Nice job.
Really nice work. This was a great coffee companion this AM.
If you use powdered sugar on the barrel gives more friction or grip to remove reciever . Old gun smithes trick. Great job on this restoration!
Nice , very crafty and gets my approval . Two points I'd recommend - The rim of the cartridge should be placed behind the extractor , as this is how they are fed up , out of the magazine ( could very possibly harm/brake the extractor , and I always never put my face behind a rifle I'm concerned about headspace or have never fired before ( surplus ) , I shoulder and turn it to the side , then if the brass check's out , all should be fine !
I have a Krag that I've had for about a year and it's in very nice shape. When I saw how you loaded yours, I was surprised to see how the rounds were fed into the magazine. Mine opens like the door on an oven and that's the only kind I've ever seen, unlike yours that hinges on the front edge of the door.
You have either a US or a Norwegian Krag. Both of them have the door opening downwards. The Danish is the only one that opens to the side.
i would have liked to see how you can remove the barrel plug even though the barrel was no good
Its great that you made your own fixtures, well done!
I bought a couple 03A3 demilled rifles from the local JROTC unit as they were replacing them all with wooden fake rifles. Along with the plugged barrel, they also tack welded over the bolt face to cover firing pin. Safety was broken on the ones I got, not sure it was from being dropped or they were issued that way. 2 barrels and 2 bolts later they were functional, but took some scrounging.
That screw off/on rig you got is so cool! I was initially confused by what its purpose was, but damn, good job
Nice one, lovely gun.
your videos are the ones i watch to fall asleep
just your calm voice and the occasional asmr brings me to sleep
hello you called? 2:39
Nice, well done, and an old classic brought back to life
CHAD
Civil war
I have my great-grandfather's 1898 Springfield 30/40 Krag (family tradition has it that this was the rifle he used in the Spanish-American war...probably not true, but fun to think about). It was sporterized by my father to make it a better(?) hunting rifle. I have taken 25-30 deer, 10-15 elk, and one bear with this rifle, all on original iron sights. The bolt action is still buttery smooth, and is accurate out to 200 yards. Unfortunately, no one in my family wants it after I pass.
You can still technically shoot it even deactivated like this, but only with blanks.
You can also use lead or aluminum barrel blocks.
dear lord this is beautiful, you're the opposite of people who sporterize historic rifles
I'm glad this didn't turn up as a parts gun. Very informative and well done video.
The Kraig design is so interesting to me I love the idea of flicking the load door open and slapping in some rounds in
Your love for Krags reminds me of my love for Mauser 1898's.
From start to finish, Very well done my friend.
This is SO awesome to see! A friend of mine had a carbine version of this weapon! We took it to the Clark Co. Museum and was identified by Mark from Pawn stars (epic dude, go visit him! Seriously) I've never seen another! THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
A lot of these plugged Krags we’re turning from Veterans organizations and used for parades. They were plugged to prevent chambering a cartridge. Based on the duffle cut it might well be a bring back. These were Skso sold as cheap surplus back in the day from companies like Bannermans. I’ve seen them in various sporterized configurations from minor changes to completely modified. Just saw one last weekend in a shop in ME with a bishop stock , rebuked with a scope mounted . The issue today would be cost of replacement parts would be a labor of love and far outweigh the value of the rifle
Filling the barrel with lead and cut it in 2 while keeping the fire mechanism unspoiled seems a dangerous way to deactivate a rifle. Imagine what happens if someone tries to load a cartridge and pulls the trigger....
@@perterslse2543yes good point- most deactivations are more permanent and involve welding up parts so a cartridge can’t be chambered . This seems somewhat amateurish but at least allows the rifle to be restored to firing condition.
The rifle was plugged to the end of the chamber. Couldn't load a round.
Great video and I liked your tooling nice to see and old rifle restored to a shooter again.
You should use rubber gym bands in that wooden clamp, they grip steel insanely well and act as a cushion, ive used it to disassembling airguns when tuning them with great success
I’ve got an 1898 that was US Arsenal reworked in 1902 in the carbine length. It’s nice to look at, hold and fire. Your video was fun to watch.
Good restoration, keep saving history.
I love your skill and work.
This reminds me of the time i was in the militairy, cleaning the gun. It was a Diemaco C7 ( a.k.a. Colt Canada C7 ). Greets from the Netherlands
rosin like the kind used for violin bows or similar works well for grip on removing barrels
Just found your channel, thoroughly impressed with your content. going through the back catalog now. keep up the good work