1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

U.S. Military Krags
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P0H0
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1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by P0H0 »

Thoughts on this GB posted “Rough Rider” serial number Krag. Is it worth the price and is it correct?

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/975060031

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Culpeper
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by Culpeper »

Key words: ... which falls within the serial range of those carried by ...

The only way to know if a gun was carried Roosevelt (*spit*) and the men is having the original name and serial number hand receipt list, if it ever existed.

Oh that's right. There is a list in Mr. Mallory's 2nd edition of The Krag Rifle Story. Nope. 28900 is not in there.
Deacon in the Church of the Mighty Krag. Member of PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals).  Liberty Works Radio

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butlersrangers
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by butlersrangers »

Buy the rifle and not the story. The dealer's description is mostly hype, salesmanship, and 'photo shoot'.

It is a nice looking model 1896 (1895 dated) carbine, that looks correct to me.

This carbine undoutedly has an interesting history that probably will never be known.
It is not documented in 'SRS data', but the seller tries to imply that 'close' means "it was there"!

There are some wood blemishes: stock chips around the bolt-handle and a crack in the hand-guard.

The brass 3-section cleaning rod is not a Krag rod. The front rear-sight mounting screw is missing. (Why hasn't this been remedied)???

It sounds like the bore is not good. Most of the photos tantalize, but don't accurately reveal the carbine's condition.

The "JLA" cartouche statement drives me nuts! (William Brophy made a mistake in "The Krag Rifle" and it keeps getting perpetuated).
The stamp is [JSA] for Joseph Sumner Adams. (It doesn't require much 'Krag study' to know this).

$2,500 is a fair price for a nice looking model 1896 carbine. I suspect this one will get 'bid up' to a silly price.

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P0H0
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by P0H0 »

Thanks for snapping me back to reality — bad bores scare me off, I am already doing two Krags now. I hope to have them rebarreled any week now and will be Rust Bluing. I will post some pictures if you are all interested. :)

I tried to negotiate a deal on a Bannerman Spanish Mauser over the weekend — text was probably not the best choice. He wanted $1150 and I proposed $550 off of sales I seen online (I increased from $450 to $550 due to it being in the number range of rifles brought back from Cuba). Also, I was worried that the bore was not described in the listing (I shoot everything) and he gave me no confidence in our exchange that it was decent. He was immediately insulted by the $550 offer and told me that he bought it for more at the Baltimore Gun Show — I really wasn’t aiming to insult. Anyway, I asked him to justify the price and point to some recent sales we could go off of (I was truly interested and wanted to pay a fair price). I did find a NRA article form 2022 that listed a fine condition rifle for $750, and proposed we look at it — he wanted no part of it. I think at one point I did suggest the Blue Book of Firearms and that upset him more — I was told it was used to rip off recent widows of gun collections. I have to admit the Blue Book does seem inaccurate — I see many rifles with no change in valuation for over a decade, not even for inflation.

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Culpeper
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by Culpeper »

Another opportunity will come along. Just keep an eye open for that serial number in future gunbroker, et. al. listings. He may come to his senses when he realizes he was a fool and his money at the Baltimore Show.
Deacon in the Church of the Mighty Krag. Member of PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals).  Liberty Works Radio

Whig
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by Whig »

This looks like a great, well used Krag with honest history-heavy use. The bad bore doesn't scare me away as much as other Krags that I might want to shoot. But, a well used Krag from this era should have a bad bore. That's history, folks! This looks really nice with all of the features you want and need for an authentic Krag carbine. The early "1895" adds a little more intrigue and value. The rear carbine sight is authentic also. That's $1,000+ right there.

But, this is an historic Krag carbine. I wouldn't want to shoot this one but keep it for its place in history and the mystique of who used it in what skirmishes. These things have jumped up in price it's hard to keep track. Cartouche is nice also. So, I'd agree with the high price right now for this great carbine. You don't see honest ones out there too often. Thanks for posting.

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P0H0
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by P0H0 »

Wow! $1000 on a carbine sight.

Whig
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by Whig »

...and more, if you could ever find a real one!

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Dick Hosmer
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by Dick Hosmer »

After reading all of the comments here, I went at looked at the GB post. While the description might be considered a little 'flowery', there is nothing there that is untrue (other than following Brophy's STUPID mistake, and assuming the brass rods were correct.). I see nothing wrong with the gun itself, but am totally amazed at the bid(s) received. Might be time to thin out a bit. :o

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butlersrangers
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Re: 1895 US Springfield Krag Bolt Action Cavalry Carbine ROUGH RIDERS SN *RARE*

Post by butlersrangers »

The 'old warhorse' got 30 bids, starting at one penny.
It sold for $4,526.69.
The last nine bids drove up the price, quickly.

(I basically hate auctions. I don't have the 'right mindset' for them, too much 'Tomfoolery').

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