1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch

[BigD]

after years of drooling over krags and gun shows,my wife surprised me with one. It looks all original, very nice condition,full length stock, a 1901 rear sight, and a 1909 cartouch on the left side of the stock. The serial # is 40840x , If anyone has any info on this , and the rather late year on the cartouch, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[Martin Wagner]

Please look again with care......that 1909 cartouche is definitely 1903. If you want to magnify it for a better look place a drop of mineral oil on the cartouche. That should bring it up very well. Sometimes the grain pattern or a slight ding will make a date appear other than it is. No Krags were made after 1904, and in that year only 80 in number. HTH

[BigD]

Thanks for the tip :) I can clearly see the date as 1902. The rifle is in good shape, but the metal finish is turning somewhat brown. Is it worth having it reblued ? It is the 24 inch barrel,so I dont think that it is uncommon, and I hope to pass it on to my grandkids someday. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of having a rifle like this reblued would be greatly appreciated ! thanks, BigD

[Martin Wagner]

Big D: Based on your last post that the gun has a 24" barrel I can assure you that it is a cut-down rifle and not in original configuration.

Therefore, if you want this as a shooter for target or hunting rebluing it will have no effect on collector's value since it is not a collectable Krag in the true sense of the word. Do as you wish and enjoy the weapon. HTH

[BigD]

I have another question for you guys. A friend of mine who is pretty up on guns said that mine looked like a "constabulary krag". He said that the overall length was right, and the wood to metal fit on the full length stock was too good to be a cut down , plus it is set up for a bayonet. But he didnt know much of the history,and I didnt find much out on the internet. Is there any good sources of info on these rifles out there ? Any info would be appreciated ;D Thanks, Big D

[Ned Butts]

Hello Big D,
If your Krag actually has a 24" barrel then it is not a constabulary Krag as they were modified from Krag carbines with 22" barrels. Also no Krags were issued with 24" barrels so yours is a cut down rifle. That configuration seems to have been quite popular with the surplus dealers and "backyard" gunsmiths. There is a wide range of craftsmanship in these guns from those that look "original" to those that look like a "pry bar". It sounds like the quality of yours is good, so what you have is a nice shooter that LOOKS like a constabulary carbine! Shoot it and enjoy it!!
Ned