Chrome plated parade rifle

[RCK]

A neighbor wants to sell a Model 1898 Krag rifle that has been chrome plated on "all metal parts" and the stock has been painted white. The chrome is almost perfect with no stains, chips or discoloration. The bore is dark with rifling showing and no patches of rust . The stock has a slight crack behind the tang and the handguard has a tight rear crack. The paint is yellowish white and has several layers. It shows brush lines and is rough. The sear spring has been removed so the rifle cannot be cocked.

It is from a Fire Company and was stored for decades, The money will be turned over to his Fire Company. What would be a fair offer for the rifle as described above?

[Griff Murphey]

My opinion is $350 to 400. There's a lot of work that will not be cheap to restore it, and you have no idea how the barrel will shoot. You could leave it chromed but... yuck. The only thing in its favor is it's all there.

[Dick Hosmer]

Make it operational, and test-fire it. If it shoots well, you can consider un-plating it. Some small parts might be cheaper to just replace. My estimate of a fair price would be much less than Griff's, unless you feel charitable about contributing to a good cause. But, basically it is a loser. Just my $.02.

[jon_norstog]

RCK, I'm with mr. Hosmer on this one, except if the chrome is really good - copper-nickel-chrome - it might be a fun shooter project. Will the fire co. let you run a brush through the barrel? ChaNces are, if you can see rifling after you brush out the bore, it will shoot OK. At least cast bullets, anyway. I would say $100, but you may want to give them more.

Good luck!

jn

[psteinmayer]

Chances are, if it's a chrome and white parade rifle, it may also have a plugged barrel and be unable to operate anyway. I agree... $100-200 max.

[11mm]

Decades ago, I had one that was chrome plated and an OK shooter. It was "school" length and the stock had not been painted. Removing the chrome at a professional outfit was not cheap then (I had it done), and I will bet it is not cheap now.

[M2Phil]

Everybody says this, but it's still true: The rifle is worth what you're willing to pay. I might give $200 for something like that if not rendered inoperable and had a useful bore, maybe $300 if the bore is nice. The fact is, it's worth more than that in parts. There'd be nothing at all wrong with leaving it as-is. After all, there aren't many plated Krags around, and it's a part of this rifle's history. OTOH, there are plenty of effective methods for removing that nice thick layer of paint without harming the wood, and you can have the plating removed at a shop for about $75. Shop around, it should not cost more than that in 2016. Radocy makes a good rust blue solution that you can do at home. It's not difficult, and is 100x better than any cold blue. Good luck!

[IditarodJoe]

I bought a chromed Krag from the CMP North Store four years ago for $400 (if anyone here remembers the black & white pair that was there for a while, this was the white one). At the time, I had a relationship with a metal finishing firm (non-FFL) that stripped all of the metal except the BR for me for $50. I stripped the wood myself and it was NOT easy, at least on that rifle. The white enamel they used was not only thick but also extremely hard. Doing it well took A LOT of effort, time, and patience, but the finished product came out very nice and exposed a clear 1903 inspection stamp and proof P. I was able to find a fairly nice, non-refinished 1902 vintage barreled receiver locally for $50. It's now one of those projects for "another time". At the moment, all of the stripped metal parts are packed away in a heavy coating of RIG while the stock and BR live in climate controlled luxury.

I chose to strip my rifle only because the chrome was peeling off. The rifle as received was complete and fully operational. If the rifle described in RCK's post can be put into good working order for the cost of a new sear spring, the chrome plating is still nice, and the stock is salvageable, I don't think a $400 price tag is out of line. JMHO

[kcw]

Something else to consider is that the bore may have been plated too. I have an Eddystone M1917 chromed rifle. It was given to me by an elderly club member. I happened to be at the range on the day that he first fired it. After checking the bore for obstruction, he loaded a GI round and let loose. I wasn't paying much attention until I heard him exclaim, "What the -ell!". Looking over at him reminded me of what Elmer Fudd's SxS looked liked after Bugs plugged the barrels with his fingers. No, the barrel didn't blow ,but there were thin shards of 18" - 20" long chrome hanging out of the barrel! Apparently the gun was dipped without the barrel being plugged, and was therefore chrome lined! The fact that the Enfield didn't blow is a testimony to its strength! There are deep, but small diameter, pits in the barrel, an indication that the bore wasn't prepared for plating. Fortunately a good % of the bore is pristine and it's a good shooter. I have to wonder how a Krag action, with a similar plated bore would make out upon firing.

[Kragrifle]

It likely would be bloody.