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Krag-Jørgensen

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   Krag-Jørgensen
   Closeup of the Krag-Jørgensen receiver and magazine door on a Norwegian
   M1912 Carbine
   Type bolt action repeating rifle
   Place of origin Norway
   Service history
   In service 1886-1945
   Production history
   Designer O H J Krag and E Jørgensen
   Designed 1886
   Number built more than 700,000
   Variants Danish Krags:
   Rifle 1889
   Carbine 1889
   Sniper Rifle 1928
   US Krags:
   M1892 Rifle
   M1892 Carbine
   M1896 Rifle
   M1896 Cadet Rifle
   M1896 Carbine, M1898 Rifle
   M1898 Carbine
   M1899 Carbine
   M1899 Constable Carbine
   Norwegian Krags:
   M1894 Rifle
   M1895 Carbine
   M1897 Carbine
   M1904 Carbine
   M1907 carbine
   M1906 Boy's Carbine
   M1912 Short Rifle
   M1923 Sniper Rifle
   M1925 Sniper Rifle
   M1930 Sniper Rifle
   Specifications
   Weight 3.375 kg / 7.5 lb to 5.157 kg / 11.46 lb depending on model
   Length 986 mm / 38.8 in to 1328 mm / 52.28 in depending on model
   Barrel length 520 mm / 20.5 in to 832 mm / 32.78 in depending on model
     __________________________________________________________________

   Cartridge 8x58R rimmed (Danish Krags)
   .30-40 Krag (US Krags)
   6.5 x 55 rimless (Norwegian Krags)
   Action Bolt action
   Rate of fire N/A
   Muzzle velocity 580 m/s (1900 ft/s) to 870 m/s (2854 ft/s) depending on
   ammunition
   Effective range 900 m (3,000 ft)
   Feed system 5
   Sights V-notch and front post

   The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the
   Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th
   century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Denmark, the United States
   and Norway.

   A distinctive feature of the Krag-Jørgensen action was its magazine.
   While many other rifles of its era used an integral box magazine, the
   magazine of the Krag-Jørgensen was integral with the receiver (the part
   of the rifle that houses the operating parts), featuring an opening on
   the right hand side with a hinged cover. The cartridges were inserted
   through the side opening, and were pushed up, around, and into the
   action by a spring follower.

   This presented both advantages and disadvantages compared with a
   top-loading "box" magazine, which were often fed using a " stripper
   clip". While a similar claw type clip would be made that could allow
   the magazine to be loaded all at once, normal loading was one cartridge
   at a time. However, the design was easy to "top off", and unlike most
   other top-loading magazines, the Krag-Jørgensen's magazine could be
   topped up without opening the rifle's bolt. The relative complexity of
   manufacturing this magazine has been suggested as a reason why many
   countries did not adopt the Krag-Jørgensen. For others, the magazine's
   features likely aided adoption. The next major US rifle also had a
   magazine-lock off.

   Today, the Krag-Jørgensen is a popular rifle among collectors, and is
   valued by shooters for its smooth action.

Early development

   The 1880s were an interesting period in the development of modern
   firearms. During this decade smokeless powder came into general use,
   and the calibre of various service rifles diminished. Several nations
   adopted small calibre repeating bolt action rifles during this decade.
   An exploded view of an early Krag-Jørgensen
   Enlarge
   An exploded view of an early Krag-Jørgensen

   Even though Norway had adopted the repeating Jarmann rifle in 1884, it
   was soon clear that it was at best an interim weapon. Ole Krag, captain
   in the Norwegian Army and director of Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk (the
   government weapons factory), therefore continued the development of
   small arms, as he had since at least 1866. Not satisfied with the
   tubular magazine of the Jarmann rifle and his earlier Krag-Petersson
   rifle (adopted by the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1876), he enlisted the
   help of master gunsmith Erik Jørgensen. Together they developed the
   capsule magazine. The principal feature of the capsule magazine was
   that instead of being a straight box protruding below the stock of the
   rifle, it wrapped around the bolt action. Early models contained ten
   rounds and were fitted to modified versions of the Jarmann — though
   they could be adapted to any bolt action rifle.

   In 1886, Denmark was on the verge of adopting a new rifle for its armed
   forces. One of the early prototypes of the new rifle was sent to
   Denmark. The feedback given by the Danes was vital in the further
   development of the weapon. The test performed in Denmark revealed the
   need to lighten the rifle, as well as the possible benefits of a
   completely new action. Krag and Jørgensen therefore decided to convert
   the magazine into what they referred to as a 'half-capsule', containing
   only five rounds of ammunition instead of the previous ten. They also,
   over the next several months, combined what they considered the best
   ideas from other gunsmiths with a number of their own ideas to design a
   distinct bolt action for their rifle. The long extractor, situated on
   top of the bolt, was inspired by the Jarmann mechanism, while the use
   of curved surfaces for cocking and ejecting the spent round was
   probably inspired by the designs from Mauser. For a time after the
   weapon was adopted by Denmark they experimented with dual frontal
   locking lugs, but decided against it on grounds of cost and weight. The
   ammunition of the day did not need dual frontal locking lugs, and the
   bolt already had three lugs—one in front, one just in front of the bolt
   handle, and the bolt handle itself—which were considered more than
   strong enough.

   The rifle had a feature known as a magazne cut-off. This is a switch on
   the left rear of the receiver. When flipped down, the cut-off does not
   allow cartridges in the internal magazine to be fed into the chamber by
   the advancing bolt. This was intended to be used when soldiers were
   comfortably firing at distant targets, so it could be quickly turned
   off in case of an incoming charge or issue to charge the enemy. This
   instantly gives five rounds to the shooter for quick firing. The M1903
   Springfield that replaced the Krags had a magazine cutoff, as did the
   SMLE (Lee Enfield) until 1915.

Danish Krag-Jørgensen rifles

   After strenuous tests, Denmark adopted the Krag-Jørgensen rifle on
   1889- 07-03. The Danish rifle differed in several key areas from the
   weapons later adopted by the USA and Norway, particularly in its use of
   a forward (as opposed to downward) hinged magazine door, the use of
   rimmed ammunition, and the use of an outer steel liner for the barrel.

   The Danish Krag-Jørgensen was chambered for the 8x58R cartridge (0.31
   in / 7.87 mm), and was at least in the early years used as a single
   shooter with the magazine in reserve. It stayed in service right up to
   the German invasion of Denmark on 1940- 04-09.

Subtypes of the Danish Krag-Jørgensen

   While information on the various subtypes of the Krag-Jørgensen used in
   Denmark has proved difficult to find, at least the following subtypes
   were manufactured:
     * Rifle 1889, stocked almost to the muzzle, no hand guard, straight
       bolt handle and an outer steel liner for the barrel. This weapon is
       typical of the period in having a long barrel and stock without
       pistol grip. Was originally issued without a safety catch; instead,
       a half-cock notch on the cocking piece/firing pin assembly served
       this purpose. In 1910, this weapon was modified by the addition of
       a manual safety, which was placed on the left side of the receiver
       just behind the closed bolt handle.
     * Artillery Carbine 1889 and Infantry Carbine 1889, differed only in
       placement of the sling-swivel, and looks like short versions of the
       Rifle 1889.
     * Engineer carbine M1889, wooden hand guard, shorter than the other
       carbines.
     * Sniper rifle M1928, an alteration of the rifle M1889 with a heavier
       barrel and a wooden hand guard, micrometer rear sight and hooded
       front sight.

American Krag-Jørgensen rifles

   Like many other armed forces, the United States military was searching
   for a new rifle in the early 1890s. A competition was held in 1892,
   comparing rifle designs from Lee, Krag, Mannlicher, Mauser,
   Schmidt-Rubin, and about 40 other military and civilian designs. The
   trials were held at Governors Island, New York. Despite protests from
   domestic inventors and arms manufacturers—two designers, Russell and
   Livermore, even sued the US government over the choice—an improved form
   of the Krag-Jørgensen won the contract. The United States formally
   adopted the rifle in 1892 to replace the single shot Springfield.
   Around 500,000 'Krags' were produced at the Springfield Armory in
   Massachusetts from 1894-1904. It was the U.S. military's main rifle
   from 1894 to 1903 when it was replaced by the Springfield 1903 rifle
   with its ballistically similar .30-03 cartridge, and found use in the
   Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War as well as in the
   Boxer Rebellion. In this later war the rifle was referred to in a song
   popular with U.S. troops with a verse running:

          Damn, damn, damn the Filipinos!
          Cut throat khaki ladrones!
          Underneath the starry flag,
          Civilize them with a Krag,
          And return us to our beloved home.

   The US 'Krags' were chambered for the rimmed .30-40 Krag round, also
   known as .30 Army. The .30-40 Krag was the first smokeless powder round
   adopted by the U.S. military, but it retained the "caliber-charge"
   designation of earlier black powder cartridges. Thus the .30-40 Krag
   employs a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) bullet propelled by 40 grains (3 g) of
   smokeless powder. As with the .30-30 Winchester, it is the use of black
   powder nomenclature that leads to the incorrect assumption that the
   .30-40 Krag was once a black powder cartridge.

Subtypes of the Krag-Jørgensen used in the USA

   There were at least nine different models of the American
   Krag-Jørgensen:
     * M1892 Rifle, with a 30 in (762 mm) barrel and a magazine cut off
       that operates in the up position. It can be identified by the
       cleaning rod under the barrel.
     * M1892 Carbine, presumably a prototype, as just two are known today.
       Looks like the M1892 Rifle, but with a 22" barrel, including the
       long stock, and one-piece cleaning rod.
     * M1896 Rifle, where the magazine cut-off operates in down position
       and the cleaning rod is moved to butt trap. An improved rear sight
       and tighter production tolerances gave better accuracy. Stock
       altered slightly (made thicker).
     * M1896 Cadet Rifle, which was fitted with cleaning rod like M1892
       rifle. Only about 400 were made before it was discontinued. The
       Cadet Rifle did not have sling swivels, and the lower band was
       retained by a band spring.
     * M1896 Carbine, with the same modifications as the M1896 Rifle.
     * M1898 Rifle, generally much like M1896, but with a wide range of
       minor changes.
     * M1898 Carbine, same minor modifications as the M1898 Rifle. Only
       5000 made, originally had the same short stock (rear sight touches
       band) as the Model 1896 Carbine; all were restocked as Model 1899s.
     * M1899 Carbine, generally the same as the M1898 Carbine, but with a
       slightly longer forearm and hand guard, and without the swivel
       ring.
     * M1899 Constabulary carbine, built for use in the Philippines.
       Basically a M1899 Carbine fitted with a full length stock and a
       bayonet lug, and the muzzle stepped down to accept bayonet.

Norwegian Krag-Jørgensen rifles

   Norwegian soldiers in 1905, armed with the Krag-Jørgensen
   Enlarge
   Norwegian soldiers in 1905, armed with the Krag-Jørgensen

   The Swedish-Norwegian Rifle Commission started its work in 1891. One of
   their first tasks was to find the best possible calibre for the new
   weapon, which was found to be 6.5 mm (0.256 in). The round of
   ammunition is known variously as 6.5x55 Scan, 6.5x55 Mauser, 6.5x55
   Swedish and 6.5x55 Nor, but they all referred to the same round
   although the shell dimension on the 6.5x55 Nor was slightly longer
   (0.15 mm / 0.006 in). Due to different interpretations of the blueprint
   standard, i.e. the standards of manufacturing using maximum chamber in
   the Krag vs. minimum chamber in the Swedish Mauser, a small percentage
   of the ammunition produced in Norway required a certain push on the
   bolt handle to chamber in the Swedish gun. However, a rumour arose not
   long after the round was adopted that one could use Swedish ammunition
   in Norwegian rifles, but not Norwegian ammunition in Swedish rifles.
   Furthermore, the rumour stated that this was deliberate, to give Norway
   the tactical advantage of using captured ammunition in a war, while
   denying the same advantage to the Swedes. After the rumour first
   surfaced in 1900, it was examined by the Swedish military. They
   declared the difference to be insignificant, and that both the Swedish
   and Norwegian ammunition was within the specified parameters laid down.
   Despite this finding, the Swedish weapon-historian Josef Alm repeated
   the rumour in a book in the 1930s, leading many to believe that there
   was a significant difference between the ammunition manufactured in
   Norway and Sweden.

   Once the question of ammunition was settled, the Norwegians started
   looking at a modern weapon to fire their newly designed round. The
   processing was modelled on the US selection process performed in the
   same timeframe, and considered, among other things, sharp shooting at
   different ranges, shooting with defective rounds, shooting for speed,
   rust proofing, and ease of assembly and disassembly. After the test,
   three rifles were shortlisted:
     * Mannlicher 1892
     * Mauser 1893
     * Krag-Jørgensen 1892

   A collection of rifles from the Fram museum, a civilian Krag-Jørgensen
   M1894 with a carved stock on top.
   Enlarge
   A collection of rifles from the Fram museum, a civilian Krag-Jørgensen
   M1894 with a carved stock on top.

   About fifty Krag-Jørgensen rifles were produced in 1893 and issued to
   soldiers for field testing. The reports were good, and a few
   modifications were incorporated into the design. The Norwegian Storting
   ( parliament) decided in 1894 to adopt the Krag-Jørgensen as the new
   rifle for the Norwegian Army, and it was formally adopted on April 21
   that year. It is worth noting that Sweden instead adopted a modified
   Mauser in 1896. A total of more than 200,000 rifles were built in
   Norway, at a time when the population was less than three million
   people and Norway had yet to make money off the rich oilfields in the
   North Sea. The various subtypes of Krag-Jørgensen replaced all rifles
   and carbines previously used by the Norwegian armed forces, notably the
   Jarmann M1884, the Krag-Petersson and the last of the remaining
   Remington M1867 and modified kammerladers rim fire rifles and carbines.

Subtypes of the Krag-Jørgensen used in Norway

   M1894
   Enlarge
   M1894
   M1894 with telescopic sight.
   Enlarge
   M1894 with telescopic sight.
   M1897
   Enlarge
   M1897
   M1895 (top) and M1906 (bottom)
   Enlarge
   M1895 (top) and M1906 (bottom)
   M1906
   Enlarge
   M1906
   Unmodified M1912
   Enlarge
   Unmodified M1912

   The Krag-Jørgensen was produced in Norway for a very long time, and in
   a number of different variations. The major military models are the
   following:
     * The M1894 Rifle, "Long Krag", was the most common Krag in Norway. A
       total of 122,817 were produced at Kongsberg until 1922 when
       production ended, as well as approximately 30,000 bought from Steyr
       weapons factory in Austria. In 1910, after some initial tests,
       1,000 M1894s were fitted with telescopic sights on a specially
       constructed bracket. Issued five to each company, they were meant
       to be used against enemy officers and other high value targets.
       Since the model was considered to be less than satisfactory,
       further production was stopped.
     * The M1895 Cavalry carbine and M1897 Mountain artillery & Engineer
       carbine differed only in how the strap was fitted to the stock, and
       were issued in one series. A total of 9,309 were made between the
       years 1898 and 1906.
     * The M1904 Engineer carbine & M1907 Field artillery carbine differed
       from the earlier carbines mainly by being stocked to the muzzle.
       The difference between the two models was only in the attachment of
       the strap, and again they were issued as one series. A total of
       3,500 were produced between 1906 and 1908.
     * The M1906 Guttekarabin (Boy's carbine) was a simplified M1895
       carbine, with a shortened stock and no hand guard. They were issued
       to schools in Norway, and used to train boys aged 14 to 17 to
       shoot. Special "school ammunition" was developed to allow shooting
       in restricted areas. A total of 3,321 were made, of which 315 were
       later modified to fire .22 Long Rifle ammunition. Shooting was on
       the syllabus for Norwegian teens until World War II.
     * The M1912 Carbine / M1912/16 Carbine / M1912/18 Carbine, "short
       rifle", was made after it became clear that the long barrelled
       M1894 left something to be desired. The M1912 was adopted after
       experiments with shorter, thicker barrels and different
       projectiles. It differed from the earlier models by being stocked
       all the way to the muzzle; the bracket for the bayonet was moved
       from the barrel to under the stock. It was soon clear that the nose
       band was too weak, which led to the /16 and /18 modifications of
       the basic design. A total of 30,118 were produced between 1913 and
       1926. It was also decided that any further production would be of
       this model.
     * The M1923 Sniper rifle was the first attempt to produce a sniper
       rifle, but it was not solid enough for use in the field. A total of
       630 were built between 1923 and 1926, half of which were sold to
       civilian sharpshooters. Most were later converted to M1930 or
       hunting rifles.
     * The M1925 Sniper rifle was an improved version of the M1923 built
       for the civilian market. A total of 1,900 were made from 1925 to
       the German invasion on 1940- 04-09. A further 250 were built for
       the Germans during the war, and the last 124 were put together in
       1950.
     * The M1930 Sniper rifle was another improvement of the M1923 and
       M1925, featuring a heavier barrel, a different stock, sights, and a
       fine tuned trigger. It was a successful weapon, but no more than
       466 were built between 1930 and 1939.

   In addition, most models were produced for the civilian market as well.
   After WWII a limited number of Krag-Jørgensens were made in purely
   civilian models.

Bayonets for Norwegian Krag-Jørgensen

   The Swedish-Norwegian Rifle Commission only briefly looked into
   bayonets, focusing on selecting the best possible rifle. However, their
   report mentions that they have experimented with knife shaped bayonets
   and spike bayonets, both in loose forms and in folding forms. Very few
   of the experimental bayonets are known today.

   The bayonet that was finally approved, probably alongside the rifle
   itself, was a knife bayonet. Later on longer bayonets was approved as
   well, and renewed experiments with spike bayonets took place during the
   development of the M/1912.
     * Bayonet M/1894 was a long knifebayonet, with a bladelenght of 21.5
       cm, a bladewidth of 1.9 cm and a total length of 33.5 cm. The
       scabbard was made of steel, hanging from a leather strap, and was
       22.7 cm long. A total of 101750 was manufactured by Kongsberg
       Våpenfabrikk, Husquarna and Steyr.
     * Bayonet M/1912 was constructed during the development of the 'short
       rifle' that became the M1912 Carbine. It was significantly longer
       than the M/1894, to maintain the 'reach' of the soldier. The total
       length of the bayonet was 48.5 cm, of which 38.5 cm was blade. The
       very long blade proved to be too weak for actual use, and the
       Bayonet M/1913 was adopted instead.
     * Bayonet M/1913 was stronger, but heavier, than the M/1912 but was
       or identical size. However, it soon became clear that the short
       rifles was to weak in the stock to be used with the very long
       bayonets, which lead to the development of the M1912/16 and
       M1912/18 carabines. Production was ended after 3000 was
       manufactured by Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in favour of the M/1916.
     * Bayonet M/1916 was meant to be used on both the short carabines and
       the long rifles. Of almost identical size to the previous M/1913,
       it was stronger and had a sharpened edge along both sides of the
       blade. The scabards to the M/1916 was initialy of leather, but was
       later changed to steel. The production run is unknown.
     * Bayonet M/1894/1943 was a variation of the Bayonet M/1894
       manufactured during the war for delivery to Nazi Germany. Only 3300
       was manufactured, all of lower quality than the bayonets delivered
       before the German invasion.

   A number of special bayonets and oddeties was experimented with during
   the time the Krag-Jørgensen was a Norwegian service rifle, two of which
   deserve mentioning.
     * The Officers bayonet was an attempt to replace the traditional
       sidearm for offiers in dress uniform with a high quaility,
       decorated M/11916. The prototype was made in 1928, with two
       different scabards (one in black laquered steel, the other in brown
       leather), poished blade and the coat of arms inlaid in the handle.
       The bayonet was never issued, and the prototype is lost.
     * The Bayonet 'lengthener' was a special scabard for the M/1894 with
       a bayonet mount added. By mounting the bayonet to the scabard, and
       the scabard to the rifle, a total length of 47 cm was accived. It
       is speculated that the reason was to acchive the same reach as with
       the M/1916 without having to scrap the huge quantities of M/1894 in
       storage. The 'lenghteners' was never issued.

Production for Nazi Germany during WWII

   During the German occupation of Norway ( 1940- 04-09 to 1945- 05-08),
   the German forces demanded that Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk build weapons
   for the German armed forces. They placed large orders for the
   Krag-Jørgensen, the Colt M1914 (license-produced Colt M1911), and 40 mm
   anti-aircraft guns. However, production was kept down by sabotage and
   slow work by the employees. Out of the total of 13,450 rifles ordered
   by the Germans, only between 3,350 and 3,800 were actually delivered.
   To begin with, the order was for standard M1894s, but during the war
   the model was altered to be externally more like the German Kar98K.
   Experiments with using German 7,92 x 57 mm ammunition also took place,
   a cartridge as powerful as the .30-06 and the modern 7.62 mm NATO.

   While information on the Wehrmacht's use of the Krag-Jørgensen is hard
   to find, it must be assumed that it was issued primarily to second line
   units since the Wehrmacht attempted to only issue firearms in standard
   calibres to front line troops. It was also issued to the Hird - the
   armed part of Nasjonal Samling (NS) ("National Unity"), the
   national-socialist party of Vidkun Quisling's puppet government. It's
   further likely that the experiments with 7.92 mm ammunition means that
   the Germans considered a wider use of the Krag-Jørgensen.

Post-war production

   A few Krag-Jørgensen rifles were put together after 1945, for sale to
   civilian hunters and sharpshooters. While there were at no point any
   plans for re-equipping the Norwegian Army with the Krag-Jørgensen,
   attempts were made to adapt it to firing more modern, high-powered
   ammunition like the .30-06 and 7.62 mm NATO rounds. While this was
   found to be possible, it required a new barrel (or relined barrels) and
   modification to the bolt and receiver. The resulting cost of the
   conversion was about the same as that of a new gun of a more modern
   design. The last Krag-Jørgensen in production was the m/1952 Elk-rifle,
   of which 470 were sold during the 1950s.

Special Krag-Jørgensen rifles / carbines and oddities

   The Krag-Jørgensen was manufactured for almost 60 years in Norway.
   During this time several special models and prototypes was designed and
   manufactured. Some of these special weapons was meant as an aid in
   production or to meet a specific demand, but there was also various
   attempts to increase the firepower of the weapon.

Model rifles

   The so called model rifles were used both when the various sub types
   were approved and as a guide for manufacturing. Basically, the model
   rifle or model carbine was a specially manufactured weapon that showed
   how the approved weapon should be. They were numbered and stored
   separately. Several model rifles and carbines were manufactured, since
   small things like a change in surface treatment or other seemingly
   minor things. There were especially many model rifles made for the
   M1894, since several were sent to Staur to work as controls and models.

Harpoon rifles

   A minute number of Krag-Jørgensen rifles was converted into harpoon
   guns, in the same fashion as it was being done to the Jarmann M1884. It
   was realised that converting the Jarmann was more cost efficient than
   converting the Krag-Jørgensen, so further conversions was halted. It is
   not known how many that was converted in this way.

Krag-Jørgensen rifle modified for belt feed

   In the factory museum at Kongsberg Weapon Factory, there is preserved
   an interesting prototype of a M1894 modified for belt feed. Although no
   documentation has been uncovered, it's clear that the rifle has been
   modified at an early stage in the manufacturing process to use the same
   feed belts as was used on the Hotchkiss heavy machine gun that was in
   use in the Norwegian Army at the time.

   The backwards and forward movement of the bolt operates a mechanism
   that moves the belt through the receiver, presenting fresh rounds for
   the weapon. While this might have been advantageous while fighting from
   fixed fortifications, it cannot have been very practical for the user
   of the rifle to carry a long feed belt with him in the field. Even so,
   it is an interesting and early attempt to increase the firepower of the
   Krag-Jørgensen.

Lieutenant Tobiensen's 'Speed Loader'

   Cutaway drawing of the 'Speed Loader'
   Enlarge
   Cutaway drawing of the 'Speed Loader'

   In 1923 Lieutenant Tobiesen, working at Kongsberg Weapon Factory,
   designed what he called a 'Speed Loader for repeating rifles'. It can
   be seen as a new attempt to increase the firepower of the
   Krag-Jørgensen, just as the attempt to convert it to belt feed.
   Basically, the design consisted of a modified cover that let the user
   of the rifle attach a magazine from the Madsen light machine gun. The
   cover had a selectorswitch, allowing the user to select if he wanted to
   use the Krag-Jørgensen's internal magazine with its 5 rounds of
   ammunition, or if he wanted to use the external magazine with 25
   rounds.

   The design was considered promising enough that 8 prototypes were
   manufactured and tested. However, in testing it was revealed that the
   heavy magazine mounted on the side of the weapon not only made the
   rifle more cumbersome to carry and use, but also made it list sideways.
   Deciding the 'Speed Loader' was not a practical design for military
   use, no further manufacture took place.

   In 1926, a group of seal hunters approached Kongsberg Weapon Factory
   and asked to purchase a number of Speed Loaders for use when hunting
   seals from small boats. They were turned down due to the high cost of
   manufacturing a limited number of the device.

Krag-Jørgensen rifles modified to self loaders

   At the same time that the hotchkiss heavy machine gun was introduced to
   the Norwegian Army, some people started considering modifying the
   Krag-Jørgensen to semi-automatic fire. Doing so would have multiplied
   the firepower of the infantry, allowing more weight of fire to be
   brought at a target. Most of the designs put forward were not very well
   thought out, and few of the designers knew enough about firearms to be
   able to calculate the pressures and dimensions necessary. However, two
   designs were investigated further, and eventually one prototype was
   built.

Sunngaard's automatic rifle

   In 1915 Sergant Sunngaard proposed a design for making the
   Krag-Jørgensen into a selfloading rifle. The design was considered over
   a period of time before it was declared to be 'quite without value',
   primarily because the requisite pressure would not be attainable
   without major redesign of the rifle. For this reason, no prototype was
   made.

Self loading device SNABB 38

   In 1938 a Swedish design surfaced that seemed interesting. The SNABB
   was a modification that could be made to virtually any bolt action
   rifle that allowed it to be converted into a self loading weapon, thus
   saving money as compared to manufacturing new weapons from scratch. The
   device used gas pressure to operate the bolt handle with the help of a
   runner. The modification seems, in hindsight, to be unnecessarily
   complicated. A separate pistolgrip was needed, and the receiver needed
   major modifications.

   A prototype was manufactured in the autumn of 1938, and tested for
   several months. While moderately successful, the modification would
   cost about three times as much as originally thought, and the project
   was dropped due to lack of money.

Ammunition

   The various Krag-Jørgensens were manufactured for a wide variety of
   ammunition. Apart from various civilian calibres, the rifle was
   manufactured for the following service ammunition:
     * Danish 8x58R, a 7.87 mm (0.31 in) rimmed round. Early rounds had a
       15.3 grams (236 grains) long round nosed bullet, and was loaded so
       that it produced a muzzle velocity of about 580 m/s (roughly 1900
       ft/s), while later rounds had a 12.8 grams (198 grains) spitzer
       bullet and gave a muzzle velocity of 823 m/s (2740 ft/s).
     * US 30-40, a 7.62 mm (0.30 in) rimmed round loaded with 40 grains (3
       grams) of smokeless powder. It gave a chamber pressure of 40000
       lbf/in² (276 MPa), which resulted in a muzzle velocity of 609.6 m/s
       (2000 ft/s) in the rifles, and 597.4 m/s (1960 ft/s) from the
       shorter barrel of the carbines.
     * 6.5x55 a 6.5 mm (0.256 in) rimless round. Most variations are
       loaded for a chamber pressure of 350 MPa (roughly 51000 lbf/in²).
       Early rounds, with a 10.1 grams (156 grains) long round nosed
       bullet (B-projectile) had a muzzle velocity of around 700 m/s
       (roughly 2300 ft/s), while later rounds with a 9 grams (139 grains)
       spitzer bullet (D-projectile) offered a muzzle velocity up to 870
       m/s (2854 ft/s).

   Contarty to some rumous, the Krag-Jørgensen action can be modified to
   fire modern, high power cartridges. During World War 2, and also in the
   early '50s, several was produced in 7,92 x 57 mm, which can hardly be
   considered a low power cartridge. A number of Krag-Jørgensen has also
   been converted to .30-06 and 7.62 mm NATO for targetshooting and
   hunting. However, it must be stressed that these were all late
   production Norwegian Krag-Jørgensen rifles, made in an era when
   metallurgy was vastly more advanced than when the American
   Krag-Jørgensen rifles was made.

Comparison of service rifles

   What follows is a comparison between the Danish, American and Norwegian
   service weapons.
   Nation Model Length Barrel length Weight
   Denmark Rifle 1889 1328 mm / 52.28 in 832 mm / 32.78 in 4.275 kg / 9.5
   lb
   Denmark Carbine 1889 1100 mm / 43.3 in 610 mm / 24 in 3.96 kg / 8.8 lb
   Denmark Sniper Rifle 1928 1168 mm / 46 in 675 mm / 26.6 in 5.265 kg /
   11.7 lb
   USA M1892 Rifle 1244.6 mm / 49 in 762 mm / 30 in 4.221 kg / 9.38 lb
   USA M1892 Carbine 1046.5 mm / 41.2 in 558.8 mm / 22 in 3.735 kg / 8.3
   lb
   USA M1896 Rifle 1244.6 mm / 49 in 762 mm / 30 in 4.023 kg / 8.94 lb
   USA M1896 Cadet Rifle 1244.6 mm / 49 in 762 mm / 30 in 4.05 kg / 9.0 lb
   USA M1896 Carbine 1046.5 mm / 41.2 in 558.8 mm / 22 in 3.488 kg / 7.75
   lb
   USA M1898 Rifle 1247.1 mm / 49.1 in 762 mm / 30 in 4.05 kg 9.0 lb
   USA M1898 Carbine 1046.5 mm / 41.2 in 558.8 mm / 22 in 3.51 kg / 7.8 lb
   USA M1899 Carbine 1046.5 mm / 41.2 in 558.8 mm / 22 in 3.542 kg / 7.87
   lb
   USA M1899 Constable Carbine 1046.5 mm / 41.2 in 558.8 mm / 22 in 3.614
   kh / 8.03 lb
   Norway M1894 Rifle 1267,5 mm / 49.9 in 760 mm / 29.9 in 4.221 kg / 9.38
   lb
   Norway M1895 & M1897 Carbine 1016 mm / 40 in 520 mm / 20.5 in 3.375 kg
   / 7.5 lb
   Norway M1904 & M1907 Carbine 1016 mm / 40 in 520 mm / 20.5 in 3.78 kg /
   8.4 lb
   Norway M1906 Boy's Carbine 986 mm / 38.8 in 520 mm / 20.5 in 3.375 kg /
   7.5 lb
   Norway M1912 Short Rifle 1107 mm / 43.6 in 610 mm / 24 in 3.96 kg / 8.8
   lb
   Norway M1923 Sniper Rifle 1117 mm / 44 in 610 mm / 24 in 4.05 kg / 9.0
   lb
   Norway M1925 Sniper Rifle 1117 mm / 44 in 610 mm / 24 in 4.455 kg / 9.9
   lb
   Norway M1930 Sniper Rifle 1220 mm / 48 in 750 mm / 29.5 in 5.157 kg /
   11.46 lb

Comparison with contemporary rifles

   At the time of adoption in Denmark, the United States and Norway, the
   Krag-Jørgensen was seen as the best available rifle. Here it is
   compared with rifles of later decades. In the U.S. trials, the Krag
   competed against the Mauser Model 92 (as well as many other designs),
   not the improved Model 98. The Japanese Type 38 was adopted starting
   1905, nearly two decades after the first Krag design.
   Rifle Danish Krag-Jørgensen 1889 US Krag-Jørgensen M1892 Norwegian
   Krag-Jørgensen M1894 Japanese Type 38 Rifle German Gewehr 98 British
   Lee-Enfield (data for late model)
   Effective range unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown 800 m
   Magazine capacity 5 5 5 5 5 10
   Calibre 8x58R (7.87 mm) .30-40 (7.62 mm) 6.5x55 mm 6.5x50 mm 7.92x57 mm
   .303 (7.7x56R mm)
   Muzzle velocity 580 m/s (early rounds) / 823 m/s (late rounds) 609.6
   m/s 700 m/s (early rounds) / 870 m/s (late rounds) 765 m/s 745 m/s 774
   m/s
   Barrel length 83.2 cm 76.2 cm 76 cm 79.7 cm Unknown 64 cm
   Total length 132.8 cm 124.5 cm 126.8 cm 128 cm 125 cm 112.8 cm
   Loaded weight 4.28 kg 4.22 kg 4.22 kg 3.95 kg 4.09 kg 4.17 kg

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krag-J%C3%B8rgensen"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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