Observed Serial Number List

U.S. Military Krags
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Tom Butts
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Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2002 5:01 am

Observed Serial Number List

Post by Tom Butts »

This is meant to be an informational list compiled by the KCA from information gathered from KCA members and contributors.  You will see, on the form to submit, that only some of the information is required.  Please try to give as much information as possible, but only what you are comfortable with.

Here is the link to view the updated list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

Here is the link to submit information on an observed Krag:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... =0&c=0&w=1

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Dick Hosmer
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Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 4:11 pm

Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by Dick Hosmer »

Tom: Fantastic idea, but, as a major user of spreadsheets I have some suggestions - I hope you can see the logic, and - believe me - no offense is intended:

1. Timestamp - no more than the date is needed

2. If you put serial over number (or just put S/N) you will save MUCH needed space.

3. At Model, omit best - same reason

4. Put Date over observed - ditto

5. Make Full military (stacked) a Y/N choice - it either is or it is not - variables can be covered elsewhere.

6. Make separate columns for sight and cartouche

7. Handle EVERYTHING else under notes

8. I question owner info, but if it doesnt take space away from something else, I guess its OK

9. The best SSs are the ones which give the MOST opportunities to sort, meaning that the data in each column is very specific. I assume you will be vetting the input and will pick a UNIFORM format for each column, in other words NOT putting the following in the same column: 1896, M1896 or M 96 or Model 1896, no matter what the respondent sends you.

Im sure others will have some good ideas as well. If we are going to go to the work of doing this, we should strive to get it as right as possible BEFORE populating it. Looking at 4 or 5 lines, its easy to see what was meant - when you get to hundreds, and ultimately thousands (as I have in my 1873 carbine list) you want a usable list, and do NOT want to have to go back and fix something that would have been easy to do right in the beginning.

My apologies for perhaps seeming to present a "lecture" but have been down the road before! :D :D

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Tom Butts
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Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by Tom Butts »

Dick,

Thanks for the input. Many of your suggestions are the kind of tweaks I had mentioned in my post about this. We will surely clean up the headings and such. I know that "timestamp" column makes no sense. I had it so it didn't show in my prototype, but forgot on this one. :)

Great thoughts, thanks again. We will work on it.

Tom

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Dick Hosmer
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Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by Dick Hosmer »

Was browsing the list just for fun, and looked at #230, a gun which I once held out in CA but some years later wound up with Joe Farmer (how's that for a small world?) I did not check for matching numbers when I saw it, but it was so "right" that it even had the solid top uncut front band. Now I see that somehow the gate only is floating around (?) though the Farmer collection IS cited. Wonder what the whole story is?

Dmadd
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Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2020 7:11 am

Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by Dmadd »

I bought serial #680 listed in your Google Sheet from Lock Stock Barrel, a Gunbroker Online dealer in California.
It is a barreled receiver with a fully functioning trigger group, side gate and feed mechanism.
For some reason, someone cut a 10mm x 10mm hole in the bottom of the barrel about 14 inches out from the breach.
Sad because the rifiling is pristine.
Receiver is in excellent shape.
Any advice on where I can get this re-barreled?
Every few years I spend way too much money to rescue an old war horse to add to my son's eventual collection.
This is my newest project.

FredC
Posts: 1991
Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 4:38 pm
Location: Dewees Texas

Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by FredC »

Dmadd,
I hope you still check in with us from time to time. Your post is in a section that gets over looked. Sounds like the 10 X 10mm hole was to demill it to prevent it from being used again. Maybe a buy back program? If you ever needed a .30 caliber pistol barrel you would have a fine blank barrel there.
Criterion is probably the best and the only source of barrels for restoration. The front sight base will be brazed in very similar to the Springfield Armory work and will screw in to the index mark with the sight lined up. Only the rear sight holes will have modern 8-32 threads instead of original Krag thread. I think they ream them a little short which will require minor finish reaming, ask to make sure. Since your serial number is so low it may have been made before things got standardized as far as barrel interchangeability, you might let Criterion know this and they can leave a little extra material on the chamber end so it can be gradually faced off to get things to line up. I have never talked to them or researched their capabilities but ask if they can do it turn key if you send them the receiver. Would save some going back and forth with a local gunsmith.

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butlersrangers
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Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:35 pm
Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by butlersrangers »

Pribilof Island Krags:

This is a list contained in correspondence and reports, provided to the U.S. Congress, during Hearings on Alaska's Seal Islands.
(I have also attached related photographs that I found).

These Krag rifles were used by Island Natives and Government Employees (from approximately 1898 to the 1920's) to guard the Fur Seal Nurseries from Poachers.

Attached: Inventory list of Krags, photo of Gatling and 1.65" Hotchkiss Mountain Gun practice, photo of 1918 Armistice celebration.
Attachments
sia-1228-ed_001.jpg
sia-1228-ed_001.jpg (70.31 KiB) Viewed 48476 times
Artillery_-_1912_-_St_Paul_Men.jpg
Artillery_-_1912_-_St_Paul_Men.jpg (185.73 KiB) Viewed 48476 times
Artillery_on_Pribilof_Islands.jpg
Artillery_on_Pribilof_Islands.jpg (176.67 KiB) Viewed 48476 times
Armistice_11-11-18_Pribilof_Islands.jpg
Armistice_11-11-18_Pribilof_Islands.jpg (165.48 KiB) Viewed 48476 times
armed-men-receive-news-of-peace-edit.jpg
armed-men-receive-news-of-peace-edit.jpg (112.3 KiB) Viewed 48476 times

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Dick Hosmer
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Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by Dick Hosmer »

Chuck,

Were you going to enter these into the database? If not, I'll try to get around to it, but maybe not right now, or all at once

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butlersrangers
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Location: Below the Bridge, Michigan

Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by butlersrangers »

Dick, I had no intention of transcribing the Pribilof Island Krag numbers into the KCA data base.
I am not at all adept at doing 'spread sheet' kinds of tasks, with six digit numbers. I go kind of Dyslexic!

I did enter Krag carbine #429596, the Frederick Dent Grant - "Presentation" (model 1899) carbine, into the data base and it took me oh-so-long.

At least I made the Pribilof Krag numbers 1/2 way accessible, with a bit of context.
A job half done is twice the fun!

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Parashooter
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Location: Kragmudgeon House, CT

Re: Observed Serial Number List

Post by Parashooter »

Don't know if this will help, but here's the Pribilof list after OCR, fixing OCR errors, and re-formatting to single column. Those with direct access to the spreadsheet or database might be able to copy and paste from here, saving some typing -

Serial numbers of United States magazine rifles, caliber .30 model 1898 on the Pribilof Islands Alaska:

On St. Paul (37):
212816
373362
379693
380896
382619
374209
380694
383337
379908
379688
212422
372870
378700
378644
382828
379607
382876
380106
379608
379670
382059
379992
212144
208449
213306
374749
214881
206711
378374
213306
378908
211369
213843
381257
380119
212755
214852

On St. George (23):
436488
380734
435351
376997
380906
379865
380689
380448
380737
381131
380167
376398
379722
436018
435128
380427
212242
435449
214126
380122
213615
211338
211711

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