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What you read in this post is personal experience with U.S. Krags over the past 20+ years. I'm nutty enough to have built Krags in 22Krag, 257 rimmed, 7x57 rimmed, 30-40, 8x57 rimmed, 35 Win, and 40-60 Maynard (1882)...actually a .416 on a full length 30-40 case. In addition to my experience, friends in Alaska ground the front single lug off a Krag bolt and proceeded to destroy the action by overloading 30-40s with the guide rib and bolt root as the locking surfaces. They started with max loads from a Lyman manual and couldn't blow it up until they switched to a stupid heavy load with bullseye. No doubt some Krag actions were burnt by the eyeball heat treatment, but most of these self destructed long ago. For anyone wanting to shoot a Krag, I consider headspace a huge determinant of safety. Zero headspace will ensure the bolt face doesn't get slapped every time it's fired. If a new barrel is in the equation, just set the chamber so there's slight resistance as you close the bolt. With mismatched bolt and receiver, it's likely there will be excess headspace with normal breeching, and one must machine a tiny .600" diameter extension ring to tighten the headspace on the rim to zero...not a problem for any smithy. The modern chrome moly barrel in a Krag with zero headspace will be strong and trouble free...as Daryl correctly surmised. If working with an original 30-40, I suggest adjusting the shoulder on your cases to achieve zero headspace by using a 338 expander and necking back until resistance is felt closing the bolt. I've one action where the single lug was lapped until the guide rib was bearing on the rear ring...making it a two lug action with a safety lug at the bolt handle root. Whether all that work results in a stronger action is intuitively appealing, but the front lug and/or the lug recess in the action will necessarily lose some surface hardening, so it may not be. I also consider slower powders to be best for full power loads in Krags to, again, mitigate any slap to the bolt face. Before he retired, Cliff LaBounty was making a 35 Win for a famous guy and called to discuss the job. He, a master machinist, swooned over the craftsmanship in a Krag action, and neither of us could figure exactly how some of the internal machining was done...broaching perhaps. In any event, a nice sporting rifle on a Krag action can provide both utility and aesthetic satisfaction.

Otto

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