1898 sight

[David Lampman]

Hi all,
I'm a newbe to this forum and have what is probably a newbe question. I have an 1898 Krag that has an 1896 rear sight. Is it possible that this sight is original to this rifle? I also have a Krag bayonet marked US on the right side lower end of the blade, with 1898 in the same place on the left side. What did they use as a scabbard and or a frog for this bayonet? Is it possible I could find a scabbard at anywhere near a price that a working man can afford?
TIA
Dave

[Dick Hosmer]

Welcome to the krazy world of Krag sights. Yes, depending on your serial number, it is entirely possible that the sight IS original to the rifle. There are two main versions of the 1896R sight, on one the number "18" is tight up against the top of the leaf, on the other it is about 3/16" down.

Bayonets and scabbards (blued steel with a belt hanger made from either a formed sheet-steel hook, or a bent-wire loop) are not rare, or even scarce. They show up on Ebay all the time, most often as a set. Unless your blade is VERY nice, you might want to consider buying such a set. That gives you a choice of two blades, and you can always resell the leftover one.

You would do well to look at the "photo" section on the home page of this website. It will help answer your questions.

[David Lampman]

Thanks for the info Dick. My Krags serial # is 140148 and the sight has the 18 up tight to the sight. By the serial # can you tell when it was made and if the sight is correct? Also, the stock has a couple of minor cracks in it. How expensive would an original replacement be? I love this old rife. It has the smoothest action I have ever had in my hands. I can't wait to shoot it. Is there anything I should know about ammo before I shoot it? Like value of original Krag ammo or weakness of the action in regard to handloads? My bayonet is like new and I would really like to find a scabbard for it. Also, what about a sling. Are they hard to find? Are they very expensive like the original M1 carbine slings? I have looked at the info on this site. The problem is, so much info, so little time. :-/
Thanks again,
Dave

[Dick Hosmer]

Your rifle was probably made in November or December of 1898. That should be the proper sight.
Full length Krag stocks are hard to find and expensive when you do. MANY MANY people "sporterized" these guns ove the last hundred years. Expect to pay $400 or so, and then, of course, you need to get the right date stamp, and the earlier years are not the easiest to find. I'd suggest reatoring what you have. A sling will probably be $150 or so. The best thing you can do is spend $20 on "The American Krag Rifle & Carbine" from northcapepubs.com After studying it you will know what you are looking for.

[David Lampman]

Thanks again Dick for the great info and for the book suggestion. One more thing, could you give me a ballpark value? I know without seeing it that's hard to do but I'm just looking for what the 1898 generally go for. With your info on the sight I'm fairly sure it's in it's original configureation. With most of the bluing gone but with very little rust damage. The bore is bright.
Thanks again,
Dave

[Dick Hosmer]

Here in northern CA, I would expect to have to pay AROUND $500-750 for an arm in the condition you describe. Many Krags are found with thin blue - but the stock cracks, depending on their seriousness, could possibly lower that figure significantly, or at least severely dampen buyer interest.

[David Lampman]

Thanks again for the great info Dick. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.
Dave

[geezmo]

Dave,
I agree with Dick. The first thing to do is get the book from northcape. Also, check the forum for the extensive discussion on the merits of the Mallory and Brophy books. These are only necessary if you're going to get deep into Krags. As for the stock, if it's only a couple of minor cracks, modern epoxies work wonders. Keep the rifle as original as possible. As for ammunition, original is expensive, unreliable and too collectible. Not all small gun shops stock it, but stores like Gander Mountain and Cabella do. Remington is one brand that I know is still available. It runs around $20 - $22 a box. Check out gunbroker.com and auctionarms.com. Just type in Krag and search. They often have, not only the rifles, but ammunition and reloading manuals for the Krag listed. Ebay also has manuals listed from time to time. If you've never done any reloading, you need to approach that with caution. Hook up with someone who has. As for the sling, they are on ebay frequently, in the $150 range for a good one, as Dick said. If you plan to use the rifle, I would put a repro sling on it. S&S Firearms has a pretty decent one for $20. They also have repro receiver covers and 100round double loop cartridge belts, not to mention a lot of original parts. Check them out... www.ssfirearms.com

Good Luck,
Barry

[David Lampman]

Thanks for the reply Barry,
I will be ordering the book as soon as my finances rebound from Christmas. As far as reloading goes, my father and I did most of the local gun shows around here for 25 years or more and we specialized in reloading equipment. (We don't do it anymore as of last year because Dad is 86 now and has real back problems). I must have at least 10 different reloading manuals. So I'm all set in that regard. I was mostly trying to get a fix on the strength of the actions on the Krag. I know from loading other turn of the century guns that some need to be loaded down to protect these oldsters. Also thanks for the link to the repro parts. I'll check it out.

Dave

[geezmo]

Dave,
Work your way back a couple of years in the forum. I seem to remember quite a few posts on reloading. Anything from loading blanks, neck sizing, cartridge case flow during ignition, mild loads, bullet weights, powder types and burn rates, etc. You should find some good answers there.
Again, good luck with that and the stock.
Barry