Krag 1899 Carbine - Serial Number 849318

[Rcat7147]

My latest auction find. Unlike the Chaffee, this one is not worth more than my truck and it will be staying with me :)

Here's a few pics from the auction. Yeah, it has some issues, but not bad for the $450 I paid. Hell, the stock and barrel alone are worth that.

The fit on the handguard and the buggered screw on the rear sight are my main concerns. Can anyone determine from this one picture if that's the correct rear sight? I probably won't have it in hand for better pictures until next week.

[Whig]

Rcat- looks like a nice piece for the price paid.

The M1902 rear rifle sight on an M1899 carbine is never appropriate from Springfield Armory but looks nice. The cost of an M1901 carbine sight can put you right where the value of this carbine would be with a more appropriate sight.

You'll want to check the barrel band to make sure it slides back further and locks into place behind the spring. Also, the top of the butt plate almost looks like it's loose or doesn't fit well.

Oh and a buggered screw is nothing to worry about. Better than no screw or the wrong one. I have lots of buggered screws on good Krags.

The worse thing, by far, is the screw in the receiver. That is unfixable for a collectible. It's nice otherwise but I usually pas on anything with a drilled and damaged receiver. It can be filled and smoothed over but it's always there. Hard to match patina with some repairs.

How's the bore? Check it out well when you get it. Sellers don't always represent the bore well. Looking down the bore at a light tells little about how pitted it may really be. Hopefully it will have good rifling, though. I am a big fan of a good bore on these treasures.

[butlersrangers]

'Rcat' - Your carbine's serial number is actually 349318.

The present rear-sight appears to be a model 1902 rifle sight. The base on the carbine version is not so high.

The worst blemish is the 'extra screw', below the U.S., on the left-side of the receiver.

Still, it looks like you made a good deal.

[Rcat7147]

Thanks for the input, guys.
I had a feeling that rear sight was wrong since that screw was buggered up.

The listing did say the buttplate was "damaged" but I have one of those in the parts bin so no big deal.

I can probably patch the screw hole to be a little more presentable.

If it has a good bore, I'll be more than happy with my buy.
I'm not a stickler for "correct" in my collection anyway. Sometimes obsessing over every little detail takes some of the fun out of it. I don't want a rifle fresh from the factory, I want something with history!

I'll update you guys on the bore condition and get some better pics when this comes in.

[Rcat7147]

This came in today. A few issues with it.

-The stock has been sanded and I can just barely see the P proof mark.
-The magazine spring was broke in half. Pulled one from the parts bin, fixed that.
-The top tang of the buttplate was cut off. It seems it was a replacement but didnt fit so the previous owner was going to readjust and reweld it. One from the parts bin also doesnt fit...Ill get some pictures of that.
-The front band will not slide down to seat behind the band...it also looks too fat to fit behind it. Again, Ill get pictures.
-Finally, the bore is crusty but I think itll clean.

Im not UNhappy about this carbine. The price was OK and itll go a long way towards a better one if the opportunity ever arises.

Ill get some more pictures up in a bit.

[Whig]

Lots of things to play with but the overall carbine looks nice for the price you paid. Good luck in trying to fix it up as best possible.

[Rcat7147]

And pictures!

It's a bit hard to photograph but the band is too tight to slide over the band and there's not enough space between the band and the step up in the stock to fit the band anyway.
Should I modify the band or the stock? Which way is a more sensitive restoration?

[Rcat7147]

Here's a couple pics of the non-carbine sight:

[Rcat7147]

And finally the buttplate.

When I screw in the top screw it looks nice and neat in that area...but elsewhere....

It looks like I need to inlet deeper for the top tang. Any other recourse?

[butlersrangers]

I believe the butt-plate pictured is for a 1903 Springfield. It is too small for the Krag stock. (Try the fit of a known Krag butt-plate).

If it were my carbine stock, I would true up the stock's barrel-band shoulder, with a 'fine-file', to partially clean up the nicks and gouges in the wood. I would file the stock area, under the band, to reduce swelling for an easier band fit.

I would then remove a bit of metal from the rear of the band-spring shoulder and any burrs on the edges of the barrel-band, until things fit into place.

These steps would be made easier by removing the band-spring from the stock. The stock's recess for the spring could also be carefully cleaned out with the edge of a small file.