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I just took delivery of a beautiful model 1895 in caliber 30-40 Krag in about 90%+ condition, but I went to chamber a round and noticed there is some roughness/corrosion in the chamber and the cartridge will not fully chamber. In fact, it gets stuck about 1/4″ out from the chamber. Is this something that can be remedied or should I consider returning the rifle? I already tried cleaning it as much as I can, but no change. I have 3 days to let the seller know and tomorrow (5/9/25) is day number 3. The rifle is in excellent condition (including the bore), but just has roughness in the chamber so I would really like to keep it if it’s a somewhat easy and inexpensive fix through a quality gunsmith since I plan on shooting it. I’ve attached some photos below showing the chamber along with a 30-40 Krag round in as far as it will go before it gets stuck. Thoughts and opinions appreciated! I think I’ll PM Mark Douglas with this issue as well.
Thanks,
Don
Three thoughts come to mind:
1. Are you using a factory cartridge to test it? A reloaded cartridge might not be sized fully at the base, although it may fit in another firearm with a more generous chamber.
2. Did you use a bore scope to check the chamber on the off chance that an old cartridge neck is lodged in there? At least you could examine the chamber in more detail.
3. Have you notified the seller of the issue and asked for a little more time to troubleshoot the problem?
Don,
I certainly would not accept that rifle as is. Contacting Mark is a good idea, but I would first contact the seller to see what his thoughts are. If Mark tells you he can fix it, I would negotiate with seller for a reduced price. If the seller is not willing to negotiate, send it back for a full refund, and post the serial number of the gun so that other WACA members are aware of the issues with that specific gun.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
dimrod said
Three thoughts come to mind:1. Are you using a factory cartridge to test it? A reloaded cartridge might not be sized fully at the base, although it may fit in another firearm with a more generous chamber.
2. Did you use a bore scope to check the chamber on the off chance that an old cartridge neck is lodged in there? At least you could examine the chamber in more detail.
3. Have you notified the seller of the issue and asked for a little more time to troubleshoot the problem?
Yes, I am using a factory-loaded round and have actually tried multiples and same result. I do not have a bore scope, but there is a good amount of corrosion in the chamber and bolt face. Thinking corrosive primers were the culprit. I plan on contacting the seller tomorrow.
Bert H. said
Don,I certainly would not accept that rifle as is. Contacting Mark is a good idea, but I would first contact the seller to see what his thoughts are. If Mark tells you he can fix it, I would negotiate with seller for a reduced price. If the seller is not willing to negotiate, send it back for a full refund, and post the serial number of the gun so that other WACA members are aware of the issues with that specific gun.
Bert
Thanks Bert. I’m going to contact the seller tomorrow. It will likely be going back to them for a full refund. If that’s the case, I’ll post the serial number as well.
Don
Often, there is a reason a gun is up for sale. It may well be the current seller had no idea of the issue. This happens often among collectable rifles where rifles change hands and several of the owners never fired or even chambered a round. But … one of the past owners did.
I have a cousin who recently purchased a Remington in .204 Ruger. The rifle looks nearly new but he bought it at an auction. It won’t extract even an empty case. He asked what I thought and I said, “often, there is a reason a gun is up for sale” 
Well, I contacted the seller and the rifle is being returned for a full refund and even refunding the shipping cost. Seller also sent me a return UPS label at their expense. It’s very unfortunate the chamber is toast since the rest of the rifle is a good 90-95% condition and a perfect bore (other than the badly pitted chamber). It even had the “KSM” marked hammer and lever link. For those wishing to avoid falling into this unfortunate trap, take note of serial number 20677–model 1895 standard sporting rifle with crescent butt, standard buckhorn barrel sight (no receiver sight) chambered in 30 US / 30-40 Krag. It’s my belief this rifle fell victim to the corrosive primers of the day. Makes me sick to my stomach….
Don
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