Krag RIA Ammo Leather Case

[Hammer]

I picked this up at the Lakeland gun show in Florida today and According to everybody else I showed it to After I got it said that I got it for an awesome price.

The seller said it was a Spanish American war ammo case. When were these made? It the beginning of the series 1892 or did these come along for the 1898 rifles?

[Hammer]

Inside

[Whig]

This is a great accoutrement to have with your Springfield Trap Door and Krag rifles. These McKeever cartridge boxes were made originally for the 45/70 cartridges for the Trap Doors and used for the .30-40 Krag ammunition. The same boxes were used for both since the .30-40 rounds could easily fit the same boxes. They were used throughout the military life span of the Krags.

If you look on the right inside upper cover, there is an indentation present that was used to fit the Springfield Trap Door or Krag screwdriver.

Yours looks like it's in really nice condition. A good leather treatment would help keep it from cracking more. Sno-Seal is my favorite I use on all of my holsters and leather slings. Great find!

[Hammer]

Thanks Whig! I definitely will try to protect the leather. And thank you for the heads up on the indentation on the inside. It’s really cool and I didn’t realize they were used for trapdoors as well.

I also picked up two early Springfield M1903’s and sent you an email asking if you would please check the Serial numbers in SRS for me.
Thank you.!!!

[butlersrangers]

'Hammer', nice cartridge box!

The McKeever cartridge boxes for .45-70 cartridge are usually dyed 'black' and date back to the 1880s.
They were used in warfare and garrison duty. They were reinforced with brass fittings.
The boxes gave way to Prairie belts and Mills belts.

The .30-40 McKeever boxes usually seem to date from 1902 & 1903 (RIA) and tend to be brown in color.
They were likely used to hold .30-03 & .30-06 ammo, as well as, .30-40 Krag.

These 'late' boxes may have been for 'Peacetime' guard, garrison, and prison duty.
The late boxes don't seem to have held up as well as the .45-70 McKeever boxes.

The 'tool storage' feature, of all McKeever boxes, seems to have been for the narrower three-bladed screwdriver and the narrow multipurpose tool.
Later tools with a disassembly-punch, like the Krag 1897 tool, are not very securely held in place by the storage straps.

IMO - Like a lot of accessories, U.S. McKeever boxes and Mills gear is not as well documented and understood, as it should be.

[Dick Hosmer]

Hammer's new box (nice front!) is definitely trapdoor, NOT Krag. And, not all McKeevers have the tool recess - that was added with the second pattern. Most McKeevers did not have the brass corner tabs. The Krag (also used for the M1903) boxes were taller (as in BR's photo) and always of russet - not black - leather. The McKeever to watch for is the one with the tiny "Mills Patent" tags on the web interior Most interiors were leather and varnished canvas.

Uuhhh - most of the McKeevers came after, or at least overlapped with the (1876) Prairie belt, with everything eventually funneling down into the Mills web gear, though boxes were used in garrison, or for "dress" use. The ammo-carrying accessories are a whole discipline in themselves, with plenty of confusion involved.

[Whig]

There's some detail you don't often read about. Thanks Dick! I'll have to check mine out with your new info.

[scottz63]

Very cool! Good info as well. Thanks all.

[03collector]

If I'm correct it was 1902 or 1904, is when they went from black to brown leather. Nice piece

[Hammer]

Dick I’m trying to figure out from your post which era do I have? I know it’s black, but that may just be from years of leather conditioner or linseed or other oil or something like that, because the inside is brown leather and it looks like more of the type that bulletrangers has as the later generation type. So from what I think you were saying, mine is the second pattern type for the trapdoor. It has the same configuration and top snap attachment as the brown one in BRs picture and that’s why I’m curious which era mine was made for. Late Trapdoors 1880s thru early 90s until the Krag fully came on board?