Gun show 1898 Krag.

[FredC]

The parts were built to be interchangeable. So barrels, bolts, and other parts that would need to stay together on other weapons could have bee freely interchanged on US Krags. Arsenal rebuilds were done on many Krags and parts were just pulled out of bins to do the assembly. The marks that you see on barrels, bolts, and other parts are thought to be inspector's marks and nothing to do with serial numbers.

Today swapping bolts could get you in trouble. The bolt in my sporter may have been lapped purposely by a Bubba in the past. I made an adjustment on the barrel to get proper head spacing. If you were to take that bolt and put it in another Krag it would result in a dangerous condition. 120 years of wear and tear on parts would make it a wise thing to check headspace when swapping parts today.

[scottz63]

Got it. Thanks!

Just received some stuff for it in the mail. 1902 sight and screws along with 4 dummy rounds to play around with.

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[Mike4MSU]

Your call, but I’d want to drill holes through those dummy rounds. Nice to have real weighted dummy rounds, but need to easily know they’re inert.

[scottz63]

Well, they have polymer primers and a rattle ball inside of them that makes a bit of noise. Definitely enough to tell they are not live rounds.

[scottz63]

Correct rear sight looks and functions so much better than the old incorrect one.

Old Model 1896.

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New Model 1902.

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[butlersrangers]

Your 1902 sight looks good and fills most of the big handguard opening.
It will be nice for range work with its adjustable windage. I like the model 1902 sight for shooting.

BTW - The very earliest U.S. model 1892 Krags did use matching numbers on some of the action parts.
This practice was soon dropped, as unnecessary.

Krag barrels are marked on the bottom near the breech with a "P", (proof mark).
There is also a barrel index mark at 9 o'clock, this indexes with a mark on the front face of the receiver ring,
to show that the barrel is fully threaded into the receiver.

Years ago, I picked up a (No-Brand) "Field Gauge" with a .073" rim thickness. This has allowed me to know,
that all my Krag rifles and carbines have bolts that do not close on the Field Gauge.

[scottz63]

Thanks! I looked at all the different sights for these and decided that the 1902 version was the best of the bunch. Can't wait to try it.


"Krag barrels are marked on the bottom near the breech with a "P", (proof mark). There is also a barrel index mark at 9 o'clock, this indexes with a mark on the front face of the receiver ring, to show that the barrel is fully threaded into the receiver."

Yes, when I had the stock off, I saw both the P proof mark and the barrel index mark lined up between the barrel and receiver. Forgot to take a picture. I will next time I have it apart.