I own a Krieghoff Classic Big Five in 9,3X74R. In my opinion to push the cocking device forward is quite difficult. It's maybe only my gun but what is your experience with the lever, is it also very stiff? Unfortunately I do have a bit of arthritis in my hand,that makes it even more awkward to engage the lever.

I have a K gun in 500-416,I also have a few other DR'S with the traditional safety,I have no problems with either,I think maybe a smith can check your gun out to make sure it is in good working order,or failing that? just develop a good grip/technique to push the cocking device forward,I have shot a 9.3x74 K gun as well & had no issues with that gun either.

Sunshine;

I agree with Bill that you should have a gunsmith take the rifle apart and lubricate the slide and the contact points. The pain in your hands is a bummer, and I have it also.

Are you seeing any whales going by there on the coast? Sure is a beautiful area that you live in, one of my favorites in South Africa and the world. The Cape area, New Zealand and British Columbia all are some of the most beautiful of all of God's creation.

Sunshine,
I have a K-gun classic big 5 in 450/400 NE 3in.
and the cocking function does require some pressure.
Mine is very smooth and positive. Proper position
of your hand and thumb insure proper operation. Practice, practice & more practice.
Lubrication is important but not too much. I used
plumbers high heat grease (once a year on total take
down) and also on the hinge pin for assembly attaching the barrel. It takes over 250 degrees to make this stuff run so it stays in place well.
Good shooting.

Tetonka
DRSS

I have two of them; a 450-400 and a 9.3, which was made without the auto re cocker; but I retrofitted it with a cocking bar. Early rifles made for Europe had to be cocked each time.
Anyway, they are hard to push forward to cocked mode. It takes some strong thumb pressure to do it and I am not saying it is you, but it could be.
Lube won't help much if any; all the sliding parts are nickel plated so there is very little friction; it is the spring pressure that has to be overcome.

My thoughts as well. I wonder if someone makes lighter springs, so that women and young shooters can use them as well? Alex Diehl is the Krieghoff US Rep in PA....I'm sure he's run into this before.

It's me of course. I just received a message from Krieghoff's CEO, it is not possible, to change the springs, so either you have enough power in your hand or the Krieghoff Classic is useless for you if your hands are not strong or you suffer from arthritis for instance. Obviously there are women with strong hands, for them the lever shouldn't cause a problem. Shame, I'll have to sell my Classic :-(

quote:

Are you seeing any whales going by there on the coast? Sure is a beautiful area that you live in, one of my favorites in South Africa and the world. The Cape area, New Zealand and British Columbia all are some of the most beautiful of all of God's creation.

Oh yes, I'm living right next to the sea, from my window I can see whales and dolphins. We have three varieties, two are in our waters right through the year but the biggest one, the Southern Right one can see from +- June to end of November. Hermanus is worldwide the best spot to watch whales from the shore. And we have the biggest concentration on white shark. Researchers from all over the world flock to Hermanus because the conditions for studying whales and white sharks are perfect. Obviously lots of tourists visit Hermanus as well, not only during the whale season but right through the year. Brad Pitt with family was here, not long ago Bill Gates and others.

But I'm not crazy about the sea, I much more prefer the bushveldt. The old Northern and Eastern Transvaal, that's were you can find my heart and soul.

I wonder if having the cocking lever reshaped might help. The reason I raise this is that both Sauer and Blaser rifles use a similar cocking system on their bolt action rifles. I actually find it easier to cock the Sauer and Blaser rifles which have a more square shaped lever versus the more rectangular shaped lever on the Krieghoff. You might find someone with a Blaser or Sauer rifle and test it to see if the shape and contour of the cocking lever make a difference before giving up on the Krieghoff. Good luck.

If I remember right, the contact point of the cocking device is in the middle of the piece. What if it were moved rearward so that you engaged it sooner and didn’t have to extend your thumb as far to engage/disengage it? Dunno... just thinking you may have more strength closer to your hand versus farther away. Would take work but just kicking around ideas...

The replacing of the spring is not the answer! The spring you are pushing is the spring that slams the striker forward for firing the rifle, and a weaker spring could cause miss fires at a very critical point.

The key to working the cocking slide is to do it with the rifle at your waist, with fingers out of the trigger guard, rather than with the rifle in the shooting position. I too have some arthritis in my hands, and though I do not own a K-gun I have shot several and had no real problem with working the cocker/de-cocker lever, as long as I do it with the rifle low with finger OUT of the trigger guard.

With the K-guns once cocked, and fired or opened for any reason the rifle either remains cocked, or re-cocks it's self if fired. This is not the case with a Blasers which must be re-cocked if opened for any reason.

Once you find a way to cock your K-gun you will love that rifle!

.....................

Right; I do like the k guns. Yes, if you had new cocking piece milled out and reshaped with a bigger pushing area then you could use your entire heel of your hand instead of just a thumb.
I can envision a crossbow like cocking arm that latches into the trigger guard bow. Not on the trigger! Hmmm, made of wood, hooks in front of the guard bow and a notch in it that pushes against the cocking piece. Patent application pending.
That actually would work, I think, in my head whilst typing this.
The Krieghoffs made for the German market before about the mid 80s were like Blasers, they did not re cock; they left out the internal cocking lever. For some dumb reason. I installed one as the slots in the receiver were cut.

quote:

Once you find a way to cock your K-gun you will love that rifle.

Well, I guess you are right. I tried something funny. I didn’t push with the front part of the thump on the lever but bent the front part upwards and then pushed. In other words the hind part of the thumps was pushing the lever. That worked! Hope you’ll understand what I’m trying to explain...

quote:

Originally posted by Sunshine:

quote:

Once you find a way to cock your K-gun you will love that rifle.

Well, I guess you are right. I tried something funny. I didn’t push with the front part of the thump on the lever but bent the front part upwards and then pushed. In other words the hind part of the thumps was pushing the lever. That worked! Hope you’ll understand what I’m trying to explain...

Yes. You used the “heel” of your thumb (first joint). I think that’s how they intended. It would (I think) be even easier if That surface were moved rearward a tad to take advantage of your strength where it is.

Glad it’s working for you!

Sunshine;

Thanks you very much for your update on the whale watching. The last time I was in your neighborhood to see the whales was in 1998. While I was at the Cape, I was able to engage the pilot who had a Beaver airplane there and he flew me and my spouse all around the convergence of the oceans area. We were hoping that we would be able to land on the water and watch the whales and dolphins from the windows of the Beaver, but we were not able to do so.

Just south of Joburg is the gunshop that was owned by the late Dr. Lucas Potgieter when I lived in the Transvaal 20 years ago. It is called "The Powderkeg". If you sell you K rifle and it sounds like you likely will, I would suggest giving the Powderkeg a call as they will likely be able to find someone who will pay you top dollar(Rand). Lucas was a real gentleman and I was very sad when I heard that he had died several years back. His personal 7x57mm Musgrave rifle turned up here in USA shortly after his death, which I would have purchased if I knew that it was here. I was really disappointed to learn that I missed that rifle.

Lucas was well known all over Southern Africa due to his writings and you may have read some of them. They were mostly all written Afrikans which I do not have sufficient ability to read completely. The Powderkeg has a wonderful website.

Kindest Regards;

I might become interested in Whales if I could harpoon one. But so far, none have made it this far up the Mississippi River.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
I might become interested in Whales if I could harpoon one. But so far, none have made it this far up the Mississippi River.

Not quite as agile as those Asian carp, those whales.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
I might become interested in Whales if I could harpoon one. But so far, none have made it this far up the Mississippi River.

I take it you don't go to Wal-Mart much....though they may frown on the harpooning.

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
The key to working the cocking slide is to do it with the rifle at your waist, with fingers out of the trigger guard, rather than with the rifle in the shooting position. I too have some arthritis in my hands, and though I do not own a K-gun I have shot several and had no real problem with working the cocker/de-cocker lever, as long as I do it with the rifle low with finger OUT of the trigger guard.

With the K-guns once cocked, and fired or opened for any reason the rifle either remains cocked, or re-cocks it's self if fired. This is not the case with a Blasers which must be re-cocked if opened for any reason.

Once you find a way to cock your K-gun you will love that rifle!

.....................

I expect that if you follow this above advice, you will be fully satisfied.

Mac and D/R you are right. In the past I owned several guns with levers but these were single shots, much easier to cock of course. I hardly ever took the Krieghoff out of the cabinet‚ because my favorite hunting places are far away from where I‘m living.

Mine cocks just fine.

Nitro