serial number checks

[Bill Rogers]

Nord, or any Krag buff,
If you catch this maybe you'll give me a little help seeing as how I don't have the definitive book. First a question. Do the serial #'s start new with every production year or are they continuous? I have two carbines but I'm not sure they started out that way. One is stamped 1899, has a P stamped on it with a number on the underside of the stock by the trigger guard. I don't know what the P means. The number of that one is 174707. The other appears to have been sanded a little and the date stamp is worn off. The number of that one is 170990. Is it safe to assume that it is older than the other? I'm also checking on a carbine stamped 1903 with the number 470599. What can you tell me about these and can you give me any history on any of them? Who had them, where and so on. Is there such a site for Springfield where you can get information on military rifles? You probably have other things to do but......thanks.

[Martin Wagner]

Hello: Krag serial numbers run consecutive regardless of year of production with different models interspersed throughout. Now, you state you have 2 carbines. Any receiver marked Model 1899 has to be an original carbine but your s/n does not jive. Better check both again with a magnifying glass. The "P" is the firing proof, the cartouche is the final aceptance, and the little number above the "P" is a sub-inspector.

Your s/n 470599 started life as a rifle

None of your s/n are listed as to where they went but 170989 (one off) went to the 26th USV Inf on July 15, 1899.

Hope some of this helps.

[gunbarrel]

Mr. Wagner, I have a Model 1898 rifle that was cut down to make it look like a carbine. It's s/n 186285, and I found out that it was made in 1899. Do you have any idea what unit it was assigned to? I know that it doesn't have any collector value, but it's in very good shape otherwise and I would like to find out more about it. Thank you, very much!

[Martin Wagner]

Gun Barrel: Sorry but your Krag does not show up in the listing of recorded s/n. The closest is is 186180 which went to Co. K, 10th Ohio Vol. Inf.

Even if it were only 1 number off it would not be indicative to whom it was issued since weapons are packed and shipped in random order, as completed, and you might find a spread of several thousand s/n in one shipping crate.

[gunbarrel]

Thank you, very much! I sure do appreciate you looking it up.

[blaine gaither]

I just bought a 30-40 us krag rifle i was wondering if you could tell me
something about it.

It's stock has been sporterized so little info is available on it.

receiver markings are:

U.S.

Model 1898, SPRINGFIELD ARMORY. 291279


the only stock marking are aft of the trigger guard

46

and a stamping in a circle:
A "C" with what looks like an anchor thru it.
The anchor looks more like reversed "J"s. It does not look like a navy
anchor.

The bolt has few markings on the handle

At the base of the shooter side of the bolt handle
A faint (we could have this wrong) Big "k" over a "z",
with obliterated what might be another "k" over that.
At the bottom base of the bolt handle is a small "c".

The barrel has the markings from the original 3 bands but the only remaining
band has a "U" on the shooters right side.

Any information your might have such as likely date of manufacture would be
appreciated.

Thanks for your time