Spingfield 1898 Feeding Issue

[DerZilla]

I recently was able to acquire a Springfield 1898 Carbine. It is in pretty good shape. The issue i have is that is wont load the last round from the magazine. If i load 5 rounds, it will load 4 but will not load the final round.

Doing some research it appears online, it appears to be a loose spring in the magazine. Has anyone ever had a similar issue or ever disassemble a Krag magazine before

Thanks

[CEDaytonaRydr]

I recently was able to acquire a Springfield 1898 Carbine. It is in pretty good shape. The issue i have is that is wont load the last round from the magazine. If i load 5 rounds, it will load 4 but will not load the final round.

Doing some research it appears online, it appears to be a loose spring in the magazine. Has anyone ever had a similar issue or ever disassemble a Krag magazine before

Thanks

Yeah, between me and my brother, we have 4 of them...

The follower arm, and spring can be removed by disassembling the rifle, removing the stock, and pulling out the hinge pin that holds the loading gate to the action. It's pretty straightforward, really...

DO NOT use a flathead screwdriver, a steel punch, or a steel hammer to do this job!!! It's a 110 year old rifle, so be gentle...

Harbor Freight has brass punches and plastic/brass mallets that will work fine.

Once you're in, you should inspect the follower arm, the spring, and the magazine cutoff. The cutoff can sometimes get bent, and hang up the action but your problem does sound like a follower/spring issue. Sounds like the follower is losing push at the end, where spring tension would be the lightest. It could also be a bent follower arm, so without the spring installed, check the function of the follower, and ensure it goes all the way to the stop, inside the magazine. Let me know if you need anything else beyond this. I'm far from a Krag "expert" but I am very fond of them, to the point where I've done pretty much everything that doesn't require a mill/lathe.

[DerZilla]

Thanks. I will check that out. Would you by any chance have a guide or photos on how to do this. Im a visual learner unfortunately.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Thanks. I will check that out. Would you by any chance have a guide or photos on how to do this. Im a visual learner unfortunately.

Not offhand but it's pretty straightforward. The loading gate is held to the receiver by a long pin, with a tab on the front end. It's a lot like a door hinge in operation. You pull that pin, and the whole loading gate comes off. Then the follower assembly can be dismantled.

To remove the stock, all you have to do is remove the barrel band, and two action screws. Be very careful with the handguard, if you chose to remove it. They're fragile, and VERY expensive to replace!!!

[DerZilla]

Okay thanks. Just ordered some brass punches and a rubber/brass mallet. Once i get those i will attempt to fix it. Do you know were i can order replacement springs or follower?

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Okay thanks. Just ordered some brass punches and a rubber/brass mallet. Once i get those i will attempt to fix it. Do you know were i can order replacement springs or follower?

Only place I could think of would be Numrich but I don't really do business with them anymore, given that they are not a California friendly vendor. If you're desperate to get her out to the range (and I wouldn't blame you if you were) you can see if they have them.

There's a guy at gun shows that sells gun parts for Krags. I've seen him at the Costa Mesa show but I'm sure he's at all of them.

There is also a Krag Collector's forum but be careful, some of those guys are shady. I offered to trade a guy some parts and he sent me an empty, broken box. Luckily, I hadn't shipped him my parts yet...

[DerZilla]

Okay. Thanks for all your help. Its not the a huge problem, just sucks i can only shoot 4 rounds.

Hoping that a good cleaning of the magazine will help

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Hoping that a good cleaning of the magazine will help

It very well could.

The good news is that it's one of the most accurate, and smoothest C&R weapons you can ever own. Not the most powerful cartridge, or best battle rifle but for sport shooters, deer hunters, and military competitions, it's about as close to ideal as you can get...

[DerZilla]

Thats what i have heard. Been itching to taking her out to a range.

Thanks for all your help

[19K]

Thats what i have heard. Been itching to taking her out to a range.

Thanks for all your help

Mine had a problem loading the soft points and even round nose reloads I made. Mine also only liked to load 4

[RudyN]

For parts you might try S & S firearms as they have quite a few parts. I bought some parts from them.

Sent From The Telegraph Office

[DerZilla]

So I took apart the magazine. Gave it a good cleaning and re assemble it. Still not loading the last round. So I concluded that it is a weak spring. Going to have to order a replacement

[CEDaytonaRydr]

So I took apart the magazine. Gave it a good cleaning and re assemble it. Still not loading the last round. So I concluded that it is a weak spring. Going to have to order a replacement

Let me look through my Krag parts box. I don't think I have one but I'll check anyway...

[TRAP55]

Rifle Disassembly/Reassembly:

http://web.archive.org/web/20101130221552/http://www.surplusrifle.com/uskragrifle/rifledisassemble/index.asp

Bolt Disassembly/Reassembly:

http://web.archive.org/web/20101130222400/http://www.surplusrifle.com/uskragrifle/boltdisassemble/index.asp

Schematic:

http://stevespages.com/ipb-springfield-uskrag.html

[DerZilla]

Thanks Trap

This is really helpful