Krags out of Context

[yard dog]

I own two magazine rifles .30 caliber, aka 30-40 Krag and have consistently paid more than these are worth. Why would a sane individual do this. I am more than a collector, I am an enthusiast. I pick up a Krag Jorgenson rifle and find a relic from an era that I relate to, and wish that I could have been in. America had run to it's far western border and expansion ran out of space. The country was looking for more expansion and manifest destiny to control a continent. Black Powder was in use and rifles that were capable of shooting the more powerful powder were being invented, but lagged in powder develpment. In fact smokeless powder was a secret weapon for those who developed it and it was kept as a secret by its first European developers. America was not yet a world power, and was about to feel it's first push into the destiny that propelled it into the world stage. Spain was at our borders and was a weakened empire and by geography had become a rival we would lock into in battle. Naval power and great iron battleships were first built by the U.S. as we first realized that naval power was necesssary for our defense. We were going from horse driven power to technology in it's infancy. The Krag Jorgenson rifle was in implement in the events that were unfolding. Regular Army units had the 30-40 Krag,others volunteers and militias had the Trap door springfield,which was the rile that was really outgunned by the mauser rifles of the day. In the spanish American war a small number of people brought us victory and the territories of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Phillipines and for a time control of Cuba. I regard my Krags as real working rifles and links to the past. These are not relics or curios. I have one rifle sold out of the Hog Island Navy yard in the 20,s ,not a BAnnerman, but still sporterized, which is one of my Favorite shooters straight, light recoil and gets results on par with a belted magnum on deer which I have taken with it. The other is an 1898 Model rifle that can drive tacks. Holding one of these goes far beyond what it is worth. The posts I see about serial numbers are mundane. That information can be obtained quickly and easily from a call to the Springfield armory. This weapon is about a time in america where men with guts still could make a difference in the dawn of the new Era. I have a feeling that most Krag collectors don't, as most of America DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE about the era or how a mere 3000 casualties bought us the control of a continent within 6 months. my 2 cents worth.

[Martin Wagner]

Hey, Dog: I won't comment on your ramblings.......that's you opinion and you are entitled to it.

However.................

Where in the world did you ever come across the notion the "You could call up Springfield Armory" to check out a serial number?

If you would share that with us perhaps it would make Mallory's books and s/n lists obsolete.

I eagerly await a response.

[Hal_Beatty]

Good points about the historical value of these firearms.

But serial numbers "mundane"? Maybe to some, but for me the serial number is a means of checking on and possibly KNOWING the history of a particular piece. Possibly not as interesting as imagined history, but "real" and that's worth a heck of a lot more.

Regards,
Hal Beatty

[Tom Butts]

Yard Dog,

I, too, am a Krag enthusiast. I understand and agree with many of your points about the Krag rifle. I love the feeling of owning and holding "a piece of history" in my hand (to quote a fellow collector). We, my father, brother, and myself, love to shoot these guns, reload for them and still hunt with them!!

You should, however, be very careful about making general, blanket statements about things you don't know enough about! As mentioned above, serial numbers of these guns are very improtant. They can tell which guns saw action and which ones were never carried in service or fired in anger. This information is not as easily accessable, as you seem to think. It is available to us thanks to many people's hard work and research, such as Col. Bill Mook, Doug Rainbow, Martin Wagner, Frank Mallory and the Springfield Research Center, and many others.

I think you should also be very careful in making the last statement you did. To assume that many Krag collectors, especially the ones in the Krag Collectors Association on whose forum you are writing, do "not have a clue about the era..." is ridiculous. Of course, not everyone that buys a Krag or asks a question on our forum is completely educated on the history of the Krag and the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, or the Phillipine Insurrection. But, many of the people here have done years of research and, thus, know every minute detail of the Krag, it's service in the US military, the importance of the events of that time period, the production details of the Krag and the military and governmental conflicts that affected it. Some of these people have even traced the lives and histories of the soldiers that carried the Krags.

So, a bit of advice. Always be careful of general statements and know your audience!!!


Tom
[glb]KCA[/glb]

[Bill Rogers]

Dog,
Although I can relate to your desire to have been born a hundred or so years earlier the fact of the matter is we weren't. What happened in history at the time of the Spanish-American War is just that, history. Everyone has a different means and approach to learning about history. Finding out the history of a particular firearm means alot to some folks and shouldn't be discounted. It is not so important how we discover things in life but that we do.
My grandfather had a Krag and he told me many stories about hunting with it. He was also with me when I bought my first one. That is part of the fascination for me. Stories of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, however accurate they may be, could be the inspiration for some young person to learn more. My grandfather was my hero. My first Krag is my favorite gun. Sometimes that is enough.

Thanks for the time >:(

[BigD]

I also love the krag rifle , although not so much for its history ( which is interesting, but every period of american history has its high and low points ) but because of its fine craftmanship, something that reflects the attitude of the people of the time. People seemed to think that quality was far more inportant than quantity,a idea that seems lost to our generation of big profits and lots of possesions. I'll bet that the Krag rifle I have will outlast the new deer rifle that I bought , and the grandchild that inherits it will treasure it far more than the deer rifle. I wish we would take more pride in our work today like they did back then.

[Mitch J.]

You can look up a Springfield Serial number at this website. http://www.armscollectors.com/srs.htm