Another "My First Krag" Post

[Machodoc]

I've been collecting firearms for a rather long time, but have somehow managed not to find the right Krag, at the right time, until very recently. I've tried to do some homeschooling on this rifle, but the time has come to see if I've learned what I think I have.

According to my interpretation of Poyer, my M1898 serial no. 215xxx was probably built in mid-July of 1899. The stock is marked "1900," but since July, 1899, was the beginning of the 1900 fiscal year, that's correct. The 1904 dated RIA leather sling is also "period correct" for this rifle. I *think* that all of the above is correct ... or close to it.

Here's the part that makes my head swim. This rifle probably should have been "born" with an 1896 rear sight. Had it been a couple of weeks later in production, it would have been fitted with an 1898 rear sight. What's on it now is ... ? That's one of the things that I'd like to find out.

I grew up on USMC bases where the Krag was a prized firearm. Some of my childhood buddies had grandfathers who had carried the Krag in China and the Philippines. Now I've got one ... and it may not be the last one.

[psteinmayer]

Hi Machodoc...

Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of Krags! That's a very nice looking rifle you have there! The rear sight is the 1902 model... but don't worry about it. Most Krags might have went through an arsenal rebuild at some point in their lives, at which point the handguard and rear sight could have been upgraded to the 1901 or 1902 model. My 1898 is an early model and has the same 1902 as yours... complete with the Sgt. Peep.

Incidentally, Krags were not built in sequential order. Receivers and other parts were completed and placed in bins. Your Krag may well have been born later... and it may have been born with the 1898 sight.

Cheers

[Machodoc]

My 1898 is an early model and has the same 1902 as yours... complete with the Sgt. Peep.

Incidentally, Krags were not built in sequential order. Receivers and other parts were completed and placed in bins. Your Krag may well have been born later... and it may have been born with the 1898 sight.

Thanks for the reply and the info. This sight also has the fold-up peep. It looks like it's likely to be a good bit more accurate than the 1896 sight would have been. I'm *really* liking this rifle and enjoying reading the history of these firearms.

[butlersrangers]

'Machodoc' - Welcome to the KCA Forum. That is a nice looking model 1898 Krag rifle that you acquired. How is the condition of your bore?

Psteinmayer covered things well. Your '1900 Stock Acceptance Cartouche' is close enough to the likely manufacture date for it to be 'pleasing to most collectors'.

It is possible that your rifle could have had the 1898 rifle sight for a while. These sights were generally replaced, because they were sighted for a higher velocity round. This 'hotter' ammo was pulled from service, due to cracked bolt lugs occurring on some Krags. (BTW - 1898 and 1902 Krag rear-sights use the same hand-guard).

By 1903, the 1902 sight was the 'latest and greatest' rear sight for the Krag. The new 'Rod-Bayonet 1903 Springfield Rifle' adopted for Service, had a rear-sight very similar to the Krag 1902 sight. In 1905, The New Springfield Rifle was changed. The Rod Bayonet, .30-03 cartridge, and the first type of rear-sight were gone. The replacement Springfield Rear-Sight bore a strong resemblance to the Buffington inspired 1901 Krag sight.

After 1905, there is reason to believe that model 1898 Krags with the 1901 sight were preferred for issue to the Regular Army and Krags with the 1902 sight went to the National Guard.

IMHO, from examining numerous period photos, around 1908-1909, the Krag was still widely used in U.S. Military Service and the N.G. During WW-1, Krags were used in Training and some went to Europe with U.S. Engineers and Railway Troops.

I am sure your Krag has an interesting story to tell!

(p.s. Your 1902 rear-sight has the leaf and lock-screw from the early 1903 Springfield rear-sight. Note the leaf yardage graduations and how the lock-screw head can accept a rim-less cartridge head, as a 'screw-driver'. Since the parts interchanged, Springfield Armory used the early 1903 sight parts to complete or rebuild a lot of 1902 sights).

Attached photos show: 1902 knob contrasted with later 1903 knob, 1898, 1902, and 1903 leaf.

[Machodoc]

Thanks, Butlersrangers. That's really good info! In answer to your question about the bore, I actually don't fully know the condition yet. It may sound ridiculous to some here, but I looked in the bore with a bore light, saw that it was rather dirty with an accumulation of dust and grease, and just haven't cleaned it yet.

Yeah ... I know ... how hard is it to run a couple of patches down the bore? Not hard. I just haven't done it yet, because I want to be able to do some more detailed cleaning at the same time, and "it is what it is". From what I could see through the crud, the lands appear to be at least reasonably strong, but I'm expecting some frosting. Won't know until it's been properly cleaned, though.

Great info on the rear sight. I wasn't aware that the 1898 rear sight could be replaced by the 1902 without modifying the handguard. The wood on this one has such a beautifully matching patina that I'm inclined to believe that the stock and handguard have been together for a very long time ... perhaps from the beginning.

Based upon the condition of this one, I was wondering if it had perhaps been an ANG weapon. I know that my grandmother's step-brother was in the National Guard in the Washington DC area in the early 1900s, and he was involved in a lot of competitive shooting. It wouldn't surprise me if this one was "babied" over the years because it was someone's favored shooter.

P.S. - I should know how it shoot before too long, and I will be sure to get around to cleaning the bore first. I don't see anything that leads me to expect bad surprises. It doesn't look corroded--just accumulated dust. Not expecting to find shiny metal, though. :P

[butlersrangers]

Machodoc - Hopefully, that is just grease and dirt in your Krag's bore and you get a nice surprise when you clean it.

The early corrosive primed ammo was very tough on Krag bores. However, sometimes (but, rarely) you get lucky and what looks to be a 'black hole' turns out to be a bore that was properly cleaned and put away well greased and protected.

My Paternal Grandfather and my Mother's Uncle were in the Michigan National Guard in the Northern Michigan 'Copper Country'. Here is a picture showing part of their Company in 1903-04.

[psteinmayer]

Even "less than perfect" bores in a Krag can still produce good accuracy with the right loads and bullets. Jacketed bullets are a lot more accurate in a worn or pitted bore than cast IMHO. That said, clean it up and see what you have. It may have just an accumulation of old grease/oil and dirt from being stored in a closet for years... or even decades!

My 1898 rifle has the 1902 sight with the original knob, but I've removed that and installed a modified 1902 (the peep has been enlarged to aid my vision in competitions)... and that has the 1903 knob. I kept the original sight unmodified to keep the integrity of my rifle for collector reasons.

As for ammo, there are always factory Remington or Winchester ammo available, although quite pricey these days. Most of us reload for our Krags. My favorite load that I use in Vintage Rifle Matches is a Hornady 220 grain RN bullet with 40.0 grains of IMR4350 and a CCI 250 Magnum primer. This is as close as you can get to the original .30 US load that the Krag was designed for. My 1898 loves this load. If your Krag shoots well, you might consider shooting it in some CMP matches... or even the Nationals at Camp Perry (I'm there every year).

By the way, my 98 is one that went to France in WW1!

Happy shooting... and let us know how it turns out...

[Machodoc]

I just got through doing a preliminary cleaning of the bore. By that, I mean that I cleaned it with solvent, brush (hard nylon) and patches, then oil and patches. Got out a bunch of gunk, but I think that I can get a bit more out after shooting and cleaning it hot with something a bit more aggressive.

The good news is that the lands are prominent and in pretty good shape throughout. The bad news is that--no real surprise--it's pretty frosty all the way through. I'm not too concerned about that because it might improve a bit with shooting and hot cleaning. Also, I've shot both rifles and pistols with pretty frosty bores that were still remarkably accurate. I'll just have to see how this one does. In any case, it's a great-looking rifle, and I'm already attached to it.

[butlersrangers]

Slings do that! (Attach people to guns).

[psteinmayer]

Bwaaahahahahahahahahaha

(laughing at Chuck)