28/10/23, 23:03 The Forgotten Krag Rifle - Guns and Ammo

The Forgotten Krag Rifle

Considered a “one-­war rifle,” the U.S. Krag-­Jørgensen possesses a
fascinating and convoluted history.

(Photo by Philip Schreier)

October 09, 2023

By Garry James

By the third quarter of the 19th century, there was no dearth of repeating rifle designs.
Nor was there a scarcity of bolt-­action systems. The trick was to get fussy logisticians
and penurious war departments to realize the aptness of one entity for the other, and
to arrange a suitable marriage. Alas, the courtship, if not a particularly long event,
would be a wary one.

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A U.S. 1st Volunteer Cavalry Regiment trooper armed with the unit’s Krag-­Jørgensen Model 1896 Carbine
wearing a Model 1873 Colt Single Action Army.

Practical percussion bolt guns had appeared on both sides of the Atlantic in time to
prove valuable in the European revolutions of the late 1840s, as well as the American
Civil War. Multi-­shot long-­arms, such as the Spencer and Henry, had also shown their
worth on the American battlefields.

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South Dakota cavalrymen kneeling behind a trench, shouldering Model 1896 Carbines at Pasay, Philippines,
and awaiting orders to fire.

Due to the numbers available, and general usefulness, the Spencer continued to see
limited employment following the cessation of hostilities between the North and
South in 1865. Still, as good as the gun was, it was eventually replaced by the single-­-
shot “Trapdoor” Springfield by the early 1870s, reasons for this regression being the
greater power of the .45-­70 Government cartridge versus that of the .56-­56/.56-­50
Spencer, and the suspicion of military types that soldiers armed with repeaters would
not take careful aim, wasting costly ammunition. Even after ordnance officials had
finally resigned themselves to the inevitable and adopted repeating rifles and
carbines, the majority were fitted with cutoffs so they could be fired single-­shot, extra
rounds being held in the magazine in reserve.

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The ’96 Krag Carbine (above) and its counterpart long rifle (below) saw their most active service in Cuba,
Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

The Prussians, with the ground-­breaking

Zündnadelgewehr, or “Dreyse needle gun,” were the first to issue the majority of its
troops not only with a bolt action, but with a gun that could actually fire self-­contained
cartridges. Other lands viewed the system from afar until, by the mid-­1860s, with the
improvements to ammunition, it had become apparent that this setup might not be a
bad way to go. The French were the first major power to take the plunge in 1866 with
the Chassepot, Fusil modéle 1866, followed five years later, by the Germans with their
Mauser Model 1871, Gewehr 1871.

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The safety was mounted on the rear top of the bolt, and the magazine cutoff on the left side of the receiver. The
swivel bar and ring were jettisoned on subsequent models of the Carbine model. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

The transition was by no means universal, as many countries, such as the U.S. and
Great Britain, preferred to convert existing percussion muskets to breech­loaders and
eschewed turnbolts in favor of, respectively, the “Trapdoor” Springfield Model 1873,
and lever-­action Martini-­Henry. Even when the merits of the bolt-­action repeater had
become manifest by the 1880s, the English were still cautiously exploring the use of an
awkward, ultimately ill-­fated, contrivance that would try and turn the Martini into a
repeater.

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Typical receiver markings involved the gun’s model designation, place of manufacture and serial number.
(Photo by Philip Schreier)

In the meantime, magazine experimentation continued apace, with the principal

competing types, internal and removable box and tubular designs, evolving around
roughly the same time. Tube mags, as represented most robustly in the German 71/84
Mauser and France’s 1886 “Lebel,” achieved some prominence, the latter becoming
especially important as it was also the first smallbore, smokeless-­powder rifle to be
officially adopted by a major power.

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To load the internal magazine, simply open the receiver gate and drop in individual rounds. Capacity of the
Krag was five rounds. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

Depending on the length of a firearm, initially tubular magazines enjoyed a capacity

advantage versus box types. Until the acceptance of clip-­loading, i.e., Mannlicher-­style
and “strip” systems, loading per-­round really didn’t take all that much longer than a
simple box.

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As time and technology progressed, it soon became evident that, with the
improvement in box mags, under-­barrel tubular styles were becoming increasingly
passé. By the early 1880s, most modern states decided the advantages of an
arrangement that could be loaded more quickly, or easily topped-­up, was the wave of
the future.

The Krag-­Jørgensen Model 1896 was fitted with sophisticated rear ladder-­style sights adjustable for elevation
only. Later types could also be regulated for windage. Due to barrel-­length variance, graduations were
different between the two versions. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

In 1884, Norway adopted the 10.15x61mm blackpowder Jarmann rifle, a bolt-­action,

tubular-­magazine rifle. Looking around at other countries distancing themselves from
similar arrangements, Norwegian officials decided that, despite its commitment, it
might be a good idea to start thinking about a more up-­to-­date replacement.

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Accordingly, work was undertaken by the directors of Norway’s Kongsberg

Våpinfabrikk, Ole Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen, for a new arm with which to
supply their nation’s forces. It would be bolt-­action and incorporate a box magazine
that could be easily refreshed.

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The front sight consisted of an integral base and a pinned-­in blade. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

Simultaneously, Denmark was in the throes of updating its arsenal. Included in arms
looked at by the Danes was an early prototype Norwegian Krag-­Jørgensen rifle
featuring a single locking-­lug bolt with an atypical horizontal feed loaded by means of
rounds being dropped individually into a box magazine through a side-­mounted
portal. One accessed the portal by means of a laterally opening cover. This permitted
cartridges to be loaded relatively quickly. Adding rounds through the port and into the
mag could be done while the bolt was closed and a round chambered. The rifle
employed a long extractor mounted on top of its bolt, a holdover from the Jarmann
M1884.

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Maintenance accessories consisted of a sectioned cleaning rod and oil bottle, which were kept within the butt
through a trapdoor. Rifles held three rod sections, while the carbine had two. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

After diligent testing, Denmark decided in 1889 to adopt the Krag-­Jørgensen — with
some modifications. The most salient were a front-­hinged magazine cover and a barrel
jacket, similar to that seen on the German 1888 “Commission” Rifle and Belgian Model
1889 Mauser.

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By this time, the U.S. realized its single-­shot .45-­70 Trapdoor, which had served
faithfully in several incarnations since the close of the Civil War, was getting long in the
tooth. Trials were arranged involving evaluations of more than 50 foreign and
American designs. Most were eliminated out of hand. The promising of those
remaining were the Krag-­Jørgensen, Lee, Mannlicher, Mauser and Schmidt-­Rubin
submissions.

Removing and field-­stripping the Krag-­Jørgensen bolt is quite simple after a few tries. First, ensure the gun is
unloaded. Then, withdraw the bolt, lift up on the extractor [1] and slide it free of the receiver [3]. Next, pull back
on the cocking knob, twist it counterclockwise and remove the knob and firing pin unit from the sleeve, then
carefully unhook the firing pin from the mainspring and guiderod, and slide off the mainspring [4]. Reassembly
is in the reverse order.(Photo by Philip Schreier)

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By August 1892, the decision had been made in the favor of Krag-­Jørgensen, which was
adopted as the “U.S. Magazine Rifle, Model of 1892.” Perhaps the efficient-­looking
repeater’s bolt, with its single locking lug, was not all that robust by modern
standards, but it was still more than adequate for the cartridge it would be handling.
The action was smooth and easy to manage. Those evaluating the arm felt it’s
downward dropping “receiver gate,” which allowed extra rounds to be added to the
magazine while a round was chambered and the bolt closed, was preferable to one
employing en-­bloc or stripper clips — a decision that would be later regretted and
partially doom the Krag to a short service life as a front-­line arm.

The rimmed .30-­40 Krag round was adopted by the U.S. military in 1892 and featured a 220-­grain cupro-­nickel-­-
jacketed bullet backed by a nitrocellulose powder charge that varied from 35 to 42 grains, depending upon
which brand of powder was used. Ultimately, 40 grains was the norm. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

Quixotically, the Norwegians wouldn’t opt for their home-­grown design until 1893,
trailing Denmark and the United States. The Danes and Norwegians would retain Krags
as front-­line arms until the German occupation in World War II.

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The .30-­40 Krag round (center) flanked by its precursor, the .45-­70 (left), and the later .30-­’06 Springfield. (Photo
by Philip Schreier)

As implied, the Model 1892 was a prepossessing piece. Beautifully made at Springfield
Armory, the rifle was svelte, ergonomic and a delight to use. With practice, the
magazine could be filled relatively quickly, the process being slowed down when a
soldier had to pull rounds from his waistbelt.

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Military .30-­40 Krag ammo was generally issued in bandoliers. This example dates from post-­Spanish-­American
War period. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

Controls consisted of a flip-­style safety mounted on the rear of the bolt, and a
receiver-­sited magazine cutoff that allowed the user to arrest the feeding of
ammunition into the chamber and permitting the rifle to be loaded single-­shot.
Contemporary military thinking believed this was the most practical setup for a
magazine rifle, being convinced shooting rounds one-­at-­a-­time would produce better
accuracy and control while saving ammunition. Repetitive bolt-­action loading would
come into play only in situations where quick firing was deemed necessary.

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The .30-­40 Krag became a very popular sporting round and is still loaded commercially to the current day. This
early box of Winchester cartridges notes that it was intended for Krags and Model 1895 Winchester lever-­-
actions. (Photo by Philip Schreier)

The ball cartridge developed for the Krag-­Jørgensen rifle, known variously as the “.30-­-
40 Krag,” “.30 U.S.” or “.30 “Army,” was a rimmed bottle-­necked round with a 220-­grain
cupro-­nickel jacketed bullet backed by 40 grains of nitrocellulose powder. Muzzle
velocity was around 2,000 feet-­per-­second (fps). Trial carbines, only made in
prototype, were devised by simply shortening the infantry rifle from 49 to 41 inches.
This modification had a full-­length stock, saddle ring, and front barrel band with no
bayonet lug. Muzzle velocity in the carbine was reckoned at 1,920 fps.

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The “Cartridge, Ball, .30 Caliber,” aka “.30-­40 Krag,” was designed as a smokeless round. The 220-­grain bullet
was cupro-­nickel jacketed.

The Model 1892, while a sound arm, did have features that officials felt could be
improved. After some tweaking, a new model, the 1896 in rifle, carbine and cadet
versions were introduced into American service. The main changes in the rifle involved
the alteration of the older-­style stepped rear-­sight base to one that was more fluid and
slightly concave, and the rifle’s one-­piece cleaning rod beneath the barrel was
replaced by a three-­piece style that could be stashed in the butt through a trap in the
buttplate.

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Danish Krag patent drawing shows how the magazine gate swings forward rather than downward as in the
Norwegian and U.S. variants.

The carbine — now a full-­fledged issue-­piece — was half-­stock style with 22-­inch
barrel. Its action was the same as the rifle’s. The carbine butt only contained a two-­-
piece rod. The sight was slightly recalibrated to take into account the mounted arm’s
shorter length and was individualized on the ladder with a prominent “C.”

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Krags were supplied with sight covers. The ones for the rifle and carbine differed in details and complexity.

The Spanish-­American War (April to August 1898) proved to be the Krag’s major debut,
featuring Model 1896 rifles and carbines and some unconverted Model 1892 rifles
seeing service. Because of limited production, many state troops and volunteers were
still issued the hoary Trapdoor .45-­70. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt,
second-­in-­command of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, “Rough Riders,”
exerted his influence to ensure his men were issued Krag carbines. With these
longarms, the unit gained immortality in its famed charge (on foot) up Kettle Hill
during the Battle of San Juan Hill.

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Diagram of the U.S. Krag-­Jørgensen design illustrates its deceptive simplicity.

As well as the Spanish American War, the Krag also saw service during the Philippine
Insurrection (1899 to ­1902), and in the hands of U.S. Army infantry and cavalry during
the Boxer Rebellion (1899 to ­1900) in China. In 1898 and 1899, the Krag was again given
a makeover and received several updates, the most noticeable being more
sophisticated rear sights that could be adjusted for windage; simplified construction of
bolt and loading mechanisms; and the replacement of the knobbed cocking piece with
a headless one, which didn’t last long as troops complained that it did not allow them
to re-­cock the action in the event of a misfire.

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U.S. Krag-­Jørgensens were supplied with several appendages, including a screwdriver with different-­sized
blades and a pin drift.

Experiences with Krags during the war were mixed. Though reliable and accurate, they
were found wanting because of the longer reloading time compared to that of the
clip-­charged Model 1893 Spanish Mauser. The trend to eliminate purposed carbines,
rifles and specialty arms, and to issue all branches a common longarm sealed the
Krag’s fate and resulted in the adoption of the famed Springfield Armory Model 1903, a
universal bolt-­action that featured a stronger system and fired a more powerful,
rimless .30-­’03 (later .30-­’06) round, and clip loading.

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The Model 1899 Carbine (bottom) was similar to its precursor, the ‘96, though there were differences. Most
notably, the M1899 lacked the saddle ring and had a more sophisticated rear sight.

Krags continued to be issued, though, because the ’03 Springfield took time to reach
U.S. servicemen. Krags remained in the hands of state troops, especially, and served a
useful training role when Uncle Sam entered The Great War in 1917. After the cessation
of hostilities, Krags that were sold as surplus became popular, inexpensive sporting
arms. Some were converted by retailers, others simply used in military configurations
or sporterized by civilian owners. The .30-­40 round, which is still commercially loaded,
was only primarily chambered in Krags and Model 1895 Winchester lever-­actions at
first. Later, the popularity of the Krag as an inexpensive hunting arm led some makers
to offer other options in .30-­40.

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One of the more interesting and unusual features of Krag-­Jørgensen’s design was the horizontally feeding
magazine.

Shooting the Krag

I have long been a fan of the Krag-­Jørgensen, finding it be one of the sweetest
handling, smoothest military bolt-­actions ever. Recoil is manageable, and accuracy,
with rifle or carbine, has been quite good. For this story, in tribute to Col. Roosevelt
and his troopers, I took my favorite Model 1896 Carbine and, from a rest, using
Remington 180-­grain Core-­Lokt ammo, was able to achieved five-­shot groups hitting at
close to point-­of-­aim. The average was 2¾ inches. Shooting the Krag always results in
an entirely enjoyable and rewarding shooting session.

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The Krag-­Jørgensen (M1896 tested) is one of the author’s favorite bolt-­action shooters. The smoothness of the
action coupled with the gun’s elegant lines, light recoil and superb craftsmanship, make it an accurate, reliable
repeater.

There can be no question that the Krag-­Jørgensen, despite some of its limitations,
remains a handsome, beautifully made and is a joy to operate. According to some, it
may have been only a “one-­war rifle,” but as far as I’m concerned, in its class, it
remains a bolt-­gun for all time.

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Typical 50-­yard groups were achieved from a rested position. They averaged 2 3/4 inches at point-­of-­aim from
the the Model 1896 Carbine.

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