History of my inherited Model 1898

[Aitrus]

Thanks for the advice, gents, and for the concern for my well being as well. I'm retired military, so I know my way around firearms, I just don't don't know this model very well. It's been a pleasure learning about this rifle and it's history.

I have indeed had it checked out by a competent gunsmith, a second-generation smith that comes highly recommended by a number of shop owners and shooters in my area. He verified that the weapon is still chambered in 30-40, that the barrel is very clean and smooth, and that all hardware is in good condition internally. He stated that he would personally have no worries putting another 5 or 10k rounds through the rifle (making sure to clean and check for wear and tear as normal) before considering retiring the rifle to a mantelpiece display.

Talking with my father-in-law about the rifle, he stated that it had never failed to fire for him as long as he used factory ammo, and that the accuracy was excellent using the iron sights he'd had installed. It was sporterized by an ex-military gunsmith in central Alaska back in the '70s who had done similar work on a number of Krags in his career. That was why my father-in-law had chosen that particular gunsmith - he'd seen examples of his work elsewhere and appreciated the apparent quality of the man's skills.

[Whig]

Great history on a great rifle! Thanks for sharing your family treasure. Go and shoot it lots and let us know how much fun you had.

[Local Boy]

Welcome once again to the forum Aitrus (you must be a fan of "Myst"),

Thanks for keeping your family's Krag history alive... I've enjoyed reading about it!

Good to hear from a fellow Alaskan...what brought your family up to Alaska and where did you live?

Many of us, who live up here, were transplanted by the military.

How Krags wind up where they do, is for the most part, a big mystery. Many, as mentioned in other KCA post, were acquired through Bannerman or W. Stokes Kirk. Back in the day (unlike the present) they were cheap and got the job done...as evidence by your father/father-inlaws hunting successes.

The area outside of Spokane has some nice hunting areas...maybe you can try and add some deer to your Krag's game getting success list! ;)

Once again thanks for sharing and Thank You for your military service.

BTW: Which military service did you retire from and what was your job???

[Aitrus]

Local-Boy,

Yes, I'm a fan of the Myst series of games. Good brain teasers.

My family history in Alaska is pretty wide. I grew up a little south of the Salcha area, halfway between Fairbanks and Delta Junction. My father came to the state when he was a teenager (he's originally from west Texas). Grandpa (mom's side) was originally from California, but after the war he went to Alaska and built a couple of homesteads. There he met my grandma, who had roots going back to the gold rush days. I've got family running all over the Kenai peninsula, plus a few in the North Pole / Fairbanks area.

It was actually the military that took me away from Alaska. I married early in life but without too many job prospects. I felt honor bound to provide a good living for my wife and future family, and decided to join the Air Force based on my dad's advice. He said that since I wasn't gay the Navy wasn't an option, and since I was smarter than both jarheads and grunts, it should be the Air Force for me. I retired a couple of years ago after spending 10 years on active duty and 10 in the Air Guard. Even though every generation of my family has served in some capacity since the Revolution, I was the first to make a full career out of it. As for my job, I was an EOD technician for most of it. If you know what that is, then you know where I've gone and what I've done, so I'll leave it at that.

Thanks for the welcome, everybody. Much appreciated.

[cquickel]

You mind if I add your rifle to the KCA serial number database?

[Aitrus]

Don't mind at all. Glad to contribute to the growing body of knowledge about these fascinating weapons.