Krag Trivia - 1897- oilers, breech covers, & stuff

[butlersrangers]

From the "Report of the Chief of Ordnance", published 1897:
(note - The 1,000 "black enameled" trial covers would be a great rarity)!

[butlersrangers]

More on the Oiler:

(Hmmm ... "cosmoline oil", probably a good preservative, but, not a great lubricant).

[butlersrangers]

More from June, 1897. (There is a lot of redundancy within an Annual Report, as well as, from year to year):

[Knute1]

Here is a picture I posted under "Ammuntion", why there I don't know. Just wanted to show an actual oiler beside a cartridge for those that don't have an oiler for comparison since it can go in a cartridge belt.

[butlersrangers]

A "Shooting and Fishing" article from 1906 that touches on cosmoline and cosmic for care of the new Springfield rifle.
Also, a British 1907 paper on lubricants for the Vickers Machine Gun, which mentions the October 4, 1906 "Shooting and Fishing" article and an analysis of cosmoline.

I suspect 'cosmic', 'cosmic oil', and 'cosmoline oil' are all the same thing, and possibly, just cosmoline that has been thinned with a 'solvent'.