Krag Collectors Association Forum

Any information appreciated. Inherited from my uncle. Excellent condition. I have shot this several times. Rifle shoots 8x58R with .070 head space. Only mod seems to be the added safety behind the bolt. Every number on all parts match. Interested in when it was made, where, value, originality and value. Thank you.

More pics

More pics

Anyone? Information? Help?

"TylerA" - Welcome to the KCA Forum.

Danish Krags are not really an area where I have much experience or knowledge. However, most of what you ask is visible in your nice photos. You have asked twice for help, so here goes:

You have a Danish Model 1889 Army Rifle. It was built in 1891 at Gevaerfabriken Kjobenhavn (The Copenhagen Arms Manufactory in Denmark).

It appears to be complete, with matching parts, except, the Unit Marking 'Disk', (a kind of a thick headed brass tack on the stock), is missing. (It goes where the light circle is visible on the side of the Butt).

The Allen Screw, holding the extractor in place on the bolt, is not a correct part.

The Safety, you have questioned, appears to be correct.

From your photos, the stock appears sanded and refinished. The metal parts appear to have been polished and reblued.

IMHO - Your Gevaer M-1889, (Rifle Model 1889), is largely complete, except for the unit marking disk and the replacement screw.

The apparently refinished wood and metal is a major 'turn off' to collectors.

I would estimate your Danish Krag might sell for $350 to $500.

But, you have a priceless remembrance of your Uncle.

(Attached Photo - Danes with Krags):

Thank you. I appreciate all of the information.

The safety on the right was an add on in the 1910 refurbishings.
Until @1923 the rifling was a "Metford" hexagon rifling wich gave lower pressures with steel jacketed bullets. Smokeless powders was brand new at the time so they did what they could with what they had.

For the first few months of 1889 they actually loaded the round with 75grains of highly compressed black Powder and added 7 grains of priming powder to light it up. Mind you with a 227grains round nose bullet that thing maxed out at 2300bar~33kpsi!!! Not shappy for black ;-)

Nominal pressures with smokeless is 2600bar~37.7kpsi and the original loading with a 196grains cupro-nickel bullet is 770m/s~2526fps.

I'm Danish and have all the printed material on Danish Krags so ask away.

I am fascinated by the rifling. Combining that with steel jacketed bullets and an external barrel jacket, what sort of accuracy could be expected from the regular military Krags?

The drawing of the bore makes it appear to be a distorted oval. Is that an artifact of printing & digital reproduction of the document?

It's called polygonal rifling, better known from Glocks.
Widely used in black powder times as it would keep gripping the bullet even when heavily fouled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonal_rifling