New Krag Carbine

[tke466]

Furthering my first post. Pictures of a Model 1898 Carbine I picked up on Good Friday. Always wanted a Krag for my collection... looked right so I bought it. Mind you I knew very little about them. Thanks for looking. Jeremy

[tke466]

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[Culpeper]

Horrible. Terrible. Ugh. Phew.

I'll tell what I kin do. I'll take this Krag off your hands and give it a good home. You can come visit it if you feel the urge. Oh I know guys like some of us can be influenced by a pretty face. That's how we wake up one day and look at the warthogs we call wives. So I will fall on my sword to protect you. Honest. I have plenty of ammo to keep it well fed too.

All kidding aside that is one great looking carbine. I have no doubt it was built that way. There is no way some Bubba could do that good of a job faking it. You did very well.

[butlersrangers]

It is likely that model 1898 Krag, number 127650, was originally manufactured as a U.S. model 1898 carbine, (based on an unlikely reason & logic).

It is impossible to know for sure, because most model 1898 carbine serial numbers are surrounded by lots of model 1898 rifles.
(The SRS documented Krags, nearest Jeremy's number, 127647, 127648, and 127670, are model 1898 rifles).

The closest SRS documented model 1898 carbines are 127463, 127733, and 127774. (Very few carbines and lots of rifles in the neighborhood)!

The desirable model 1898 carbine is the first 'configuration', with the short carbine stock, saddle-ring & bar, model 1896 carbine rear-sight, and the 'sight protecting' barrel-band. These are the valuable ones that are profitable to fake!

Jeremy's Krag is in the model 1899 carbine configuration.
This was done to model 1898 carbines. returned to the Armory, arsenals, and depots for refurbishing.
Such 1898 marked carbines are no more valuable than a model 1899 carbine in the same condition.
There is no profit incentive to fake this configuration.

This is the most persuasive case for this originally being a 'short-stock model 1898 carbine, that continued in service and was totally updated to 1899 features.

This should be a fun Krag to shoot. Welcome Jeremy!

(p.s. - What is 'pin-pricked' on the rear of the safety-lever? Is a "C" stamped on the left-side of the front-sight blade? Normally the "C" is stamped on the right-side).

[Whig]

This Krag carbine is in pretty good shape from being restocked. It looks like it has some good honest wear on it all around. How is the bore condition?

I think that, even though the first, original saddle ring configuration is indeed most valuable for a Model 1898 Krag carbine, the restocked longer version is still quite collectible and probably worth more than the Model 1899 carbine. There sure are a bunch of those floating around! If it appears to have started as a Model 1898 carbine, only guessing from the presence of a rear sight and details that would make it look unlikely to have been rebarreled with a carbine barrel, there are still fewer of these than Model 1899 carbines. The Model 1898 receiver is the same for the rifle and carbine which makes the determination of whether it started life as a carbine very difficult. Many have been changed from the rifle configuration with a carbine barrel added or rifle barrel cut down with a Krag front sight added. Many of these are easy to discover by looking at the barrel closely with the stock removed and examining the front sight base to see that it is properly brazed into a dovetail cut like Springfield Armory did. You can check your carbine out for these tell-tale signs of alteration but, from outward appearances, it does look good.

But, valuation is an individual determination. It's nice to see that you may have what appears to be an updated version of one of 5002 original, legit, Model 1898 Krag carbines. We always welcome collectors with great Krags! (We sometimes even welcome people with crappy Krags!)

[tke466]

When I got home I looked up the gun and my initial reaction was that I got a put together turd. How could I unknowingly pick up a 1 of 5,000 gun, all be it not in its original skin. I thought surely the barrel was cut down or something. Skepticism set in and I went into verification mode.

- Front sight is marked on the left side. This was not readily known at the gun show, as the mark is so small it was obscured by dried on oil. I didn't realize it should be marked until I got home and got the Poyer book. So I popped out the blade and soaked it in solvent and it appeared. I think the stamp is almost as small as the one on the rear blade. i didn't measure it with my calipers but it is small. The bottom edge of the stamp is covered by the sight base ever so slightly.

- There are no marks on the back of the safety. I think there must have been some fuss on it and this showed up in the pictures. Lots of varnished on oil that I had to soak off and deal with. I don't think I got the safety as clean as I'd like.

- The bore is beautiful and bright. No pitting.

Does it help to share pictures of it out of the stock? If I recall specifically the handguard and stock had a couple of numbers stamped inside. "99" perhaps.

[MooseNugget]

Hi tke466,

Once again welcome to the KCA Forum.

You have a very nice 1898 carbine that you've added to you gun collection and I hope your able to acquire some ammo to go shoot that thing!

You've submitted very nice pictures of your new girl (or old lady) and by all appearances your workshop seems impeccable...a true gunsmith.

BTW: If you already haven't learned/figured this out...the correct way to remove the handguard is to:

1. Remove the rear sight.
2. Slide the handguard toward the muzzle.
3. Lift the handguard off the barrel.
4. After removing the handguard place a quarter in between the large retaining clip and a nickel between the smaller. Doing this helps prevent the handguard from cracking due to the clips spring tension.

Please DO NOT try to pry the handguard up and off the barrel from it's current location.

Congrats once again on your superb 1898 Krag carbine...you have a good eye for guns!