So, I was about age 13 and hiking with friend Jim to a place in our mountains called the Hermit’s Pass. We were checking fox traps and ran into a deer hunter in his early 20’s. I kind of knew him; his family lived across the crick that ran through our section of town. I was a budding gun nut back then and recognized his rifle as a sporterized Krag. He let me handle it and of all things it was the red recoil pad with straight slots I remembered most because it was so different than the pads with round or zigzag holes I’d seen.
Fast forward many decades to last Saturday when I was with two nephews at the Firemen’s annual dinner and gun raffle in my old home town. I struck up a conversation with a gent at our table and recognized his surname as one of the families that had lived across that crick. I asked about his family and learned his Uncle was the same young hunter I’d met up with along with Jimmy on the trapline so long ago. The gun raffle went on and the gent casually mentioned he had some old guns for sale. I asked what he had ….. nothing of much interest to me except for a cut-down Krag. I met up with him yesterday and she came home with me. Nice reunion!
I know this will give some of our custom rifle aficionados the shivers. I’ve always liked Krags - grand rifles back then and even now. Even with the “lunchbox” on the side. A very nice job on the sporterizing and the bore is excellent, kind of unusual for an old Krag. The bolt peep is a Leroy Rice made in Ohio circa 1930's and sold for a few bucks. I checked her sighting at the range today. 50 yards and with the 4 cartridges that came with the rifle. That red square is the back of a Fiocchi 100 count shotshell primer cardboard sleeve. 3-inch group, not bad for these old eyes. That lower hole with a cross over it in the red is from another rifle I checked. I’ll get her moved a little right and down next week when I can get a box of 30-40 shells.
The old Krag will be back in my hands this year when our deer season comes in.
