Krag Collectors Association Forum

Maybe I can help with the "Model/No Model" issue. For 50+ years, I have owned 37045, a "No Model" rifle. Over that span, I have begged for someone to produce a higher "No Model", but no takers yet. The lowest "Model" marked arm is just over 37100.

So, 34929 is well under the limit for the word "Model", and, being (now) batched with other carbines, the last domino has fallen. I believe it absolutely to be the genuine article, and the owner is doing a superlative job of cleaning it up.

No more boiling or photos, until we can see through that rust-scale!
Please, soak the date area, with some Hoppe's #9 or mineral spirits/ linseed oil mix, 'plane' the roughness (smooth) with a Copper Penny or the edge of an empty brass cartridge-case, let the liquid slurry do some of the work. Wipe rust slime with a paper towel, occasionally, to examine progress.

It would be fun to know if it is plain or says 'model' in front of the 1896.

BTW - How is the bore and chamber looking on this old 'War Horse'?

Dick Hosmer is very likely correct, about this carbine probably just having the '1896' date.
If this carbine has the word 'model' in front of the 1896, that would be 'new-news' and might revise some "Krag knowledge".

I’ll apply no9 tonight but don’t expect much.

I boil to convert ferric oxide (red rust) into Magnetite (rust blue finish). It is the best way to neutralize red rust because it does zero damage to the base metal and it gets things you cannot see. Also, it leaves every bit of original finish that was already there intact.The problem is that it’s expensive and time-consuming. The other issue with this rifle is it’s making it look way too good. I will hold off, but I do need to boil at least one more time. I’m found a couple shakers full of rust that need to be dealt with.


The chamber is great and there’s rifling pretty much all the way down the pipe. I’ll take another scope of it later, but the barrel really is pretty destroyed. Maybe after I get a couple rounds through it might look better but it looks awful.

See video
https://youtu.be/GZD10rQvtWo?si=jjp2SYVzJ-niAOZO

I’ll let it soak like this overnight

Well, I took some photos and it’s been since 2023 since I had that camera out. Normally I use it for photographing coral polyps in my fish tank. I put a bunch of time into photoing on my work bench and then thought… hey, how about use some natural light. That’s the gold standard. I produced a lot of very good photos in just a few minutes.

Remember this is a Nikkor 105MM prime lense. In in macro shots, the DOF can be just a few MM. that’s why some things look out of focus. It gets worse when you stack tubes but if you want the dot in U.S. to fill your entire screen, I can do that LOL


The shots on a blue towel are outside. I’ll be putting it back together soon so I took lots of photos (and deleted most of them)


Fish tank

I applaud the job op has done with this orphan Krag. No rust left at all. It sure has been the subject of some deep acne scarring, though. Rough life, this orphan. Those pictures are tremendous, also. I have looked at the great close-ups of the receiver 100 different ways and all kinds of manipulation of color and densities. I see absolutely no evidence of the word "Model" present through the rust pits. I also conclude it is a "No-Model" Krag. Nice job! I want to see how it shoots, now!

Whig wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2026 11:04 pm I applaud the job op has done with this orphan Krag. No rust left at all. It sure has been the subject of some deep acne scarring, though. Rough life, this orphan. Those pictures are tremendous, also. I have looked at the great close-ups of the receiver 100 different ways and all kinds of manipulation of color and densities. I see absolutely no evidence of the word "Model" present through the rust pits. I also conclude it is a "No-Model" Krag. Nice job! I want to see how it shoots, now!

Thank you for the kind words. I do enjoy this stuff. I’m thinking of shooting it in the morning but I think I’ll use the stock off my “carbine” Kragenstine. I’m toying with repairing the stock myself, an old member and master “stock smith” over at the high road has generously offered to furnish materials and walk me through fixing it myself. I’m intrigued with the oppertunity but afraid of causing irreparable damage. I want to just pay a reputable vendor to do the work. Then again, there is less than 1/2 of the circle cartouche and none of the rectangular one. I’m afraid of causing more splitting if I use the stock in its current condition.


I already regret the extent I restored the bolt handle to but I’m my defense, at that point I still believed I had a questionable serial number and as Mark Novak says, I didn’t make the decisions that lead to the condition I found the rifle in.

I’ve purchased a pretty magazine door and those photos make the damage look as bad as possible. The rifle is going to look very nice when I get it back together.


I don’t know if tou saw rhe borescope footage but it’s pretty bad in there. Lots of rifling but that bore is ugly with a Capital U

https://youtu.be/GZD10rQvtWo?si=2jrUiTLKFdJVQiys

^Borescope footage^

butlersrangers wrote: Thu Jun 04, 2026 6:09 am Your first serial number picture looked like #84929.

The photo you posted tonight, makes me believe it may be #34929.
This would put its manufacture in June, 1896. This would be in the first-block of 1896 carbines,
which fall in the approximate range of serial #24709 to #35792.

Sometimes Krag serial numbers can be a bitch to read!

I just want to thank you for paying that close of attention. Family heirlooms aside, this is now the most prized firearm I have ever owned. Though, my assures me that it looks just like all my other guns LOL

Well, I got the old girl out today. I did not have time to wait for a 50 yard bay and was a little concerned that I might not even hit paper at 100 yards. I had 40 rounds cooked up 150 grain pills ranging from subsonic 7.0 grains Trail Boss to 2400 FPS 38.2 grains 3031.



The trigger, on both my carbine and on my Kraginstine carbine were horrible. I can honestly say that there has only been 1 trigger I have ever pulled in my life that was worse than these and it measured in at 11 pounds. These may have been grittier. I believe this is my fault. I needed to polish the sears after my conservation. Still, these are the groups I got:



I can blame some on the trigger, even more on the 8” too short folding chair I was having to sit on my foot to get on the rifle and even more on my tired old eyes but I’m not blaming this on the barrel.



This is how I did with my Swedish Mauser



While I am relieved but not surprised that the gun shot well, I am happy to report the bore looks 1000X better. The rifleing doesn’t quite make it to the crown anymore but it’s close.

Borescope video before shooting
https://youtu.be/CTjOGCpMGYA?si=0N6sslBicH3XtCLN

YouTube borescope video with mirror
https://youtu.be/QbjwvRULLb0?si=kMsNQn0zQepg01J1

YouTube borescope video without mirror
https://youtu.be/CTjOGCpMGYA?si=0N6sslBicH3XtCLN

All back on my bench. The stock still needs to be addressed. I’m on the lookout for someone qualified to make the repairs. happily, even shooting 2,400 FPS rounds did not appear to stress the stock.

The performance on paper looks promising.

Bore-scope 'Colonoscopies' of U.S. Krags are always pretty scary!