1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
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.
Re: 1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
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
Re: 1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
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
Re: 1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
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
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
Re: 1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
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
Re: 1898 short rifle with 1909 cartouch
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
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