US model 1896 Krag carbine

[Kvm1914]

Good day.
I have a US Krag carbine that I believe is a Model 1896.
Its' serial is 68699, which I understand is within the normally accepted range for these carbines.
I do not have access to the listings of serials that Frank Mallory (and others) compiled, but it would be nice if anyone with access could check the serial for any "hits".
The carbine is in relatively worn condition. There is not much exterior finish remaining, but there is no corrosion. The bore is nice (no corrosion).
The stock has honest wear and looks nice. There is a faint cartouche which I believe shows the date "1897" next to the saddle ring.
The rear sight is "C"-marked.
Any comments would be appreciated.

[Kvm1914]

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[Kvm1914]

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[Kvm1914]

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[Kvm1914]

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[ebruce]

Pardon my drooling. Beautiful. Sincerely. bruce.

[Whig]

Welcome the KCA! Thank you for sharing pictures of your Krag carbine serial number 68699 which was made at Springfield Armory around June of 1897. It is indeed a carbine originally and is not listed in the Springfield Research Service records as a Krag of any specific significance.

I love that it has the correct Model 1896 Krag carbine rear sight on it! These have gotten so rare that most Model 1896 Krag carbines have had the carbine sights removed to be sold separately which, if ever found, are selling for $1,000 or more. I need a few more myself!

You have posted wonderful pictures to show us what you have and it makes it easier to evaluate your nice carbine. The stock is so nice and really not worn that much. We love good honest wear which means that the carbine was used but not abused. The grasping grooves, which I always like to examine, are pretty sharp for an old Model 1896 carbine. The metal is in the white everywhere and actually looks to have been scrubbed at some point. If you look at the rear sight, for example, you see dirt and old oil and patina build up around the screws and tight around the metal but clean and white everywhere else. That usually means someone scrubbed the metal to clean it and removed good old patina which we like to see. Cleaning carefully with rags, a toothbrush, oil and some gentle chemicals is OK but harsh scrubbing with wire brushes or abrasives does what we see with yours. It's not bad, though. I suspect that there may have been some surface rust in areas that someone scrubbed off, removing that nice 100 year+ patina buildup also.

I'm glad to hear that the bore is good. That ads a lot of value and makes it better for shooting. Hopefully the bolt and chamber work well, which I suspect is the case.

The front of the hand guard of the rear sight which you removed, hopefully very carefully by sliding it forward on the barrel after removing the rear sight, is broken. This is common because these are very, very delicate. There should be a curved connecting piece of wood on the two front projections. I had to remake one of these that was broken on one of my Model 1896 carbines. It's a tedious repair! The curved front part fits underneath the barrel band in front of that sight. (If you simply "lift" the barrel band with that clip on it off the barrel without removing the sight, the strong clip spring steel can crack the hand guard wood. Careful!!)

Is there anything in the butt stock compartment? That's where the oiler and cleaning rods are stored.

Your carbine has a great saddle ring and cartouche. These are present on correct early carbines. Some arsenal replacement stocks don't have the saddle ring on them anymore.

Overall, you have a great and early Model 1896 Krag carbine. Very, very nice. The value of these has really shot up into the atmosphere in the past few years since they are so hard to find in the condition that your's is in. I would just guess it might sell for $2500 or more. Having the correct rear sight is the best!

Can you give us a little more history on this carbine? Thanks again and welcome!

[Dick Hosmer]

The front of the hand guard of the rear sight which you removed, hopefully very carefully by sliding it forward on the barrel after removing the rear sight, is broken. This is common because these are very, very delicate. There should be a curved connecting piece of wood on the two front projections. I had to remake one of these that was broken on one of my Model 1896 carbines. It's a tedious repair! The curved front part fits underneath the barrel band in front of that sight. (If you simply "lift" the barrel band with that clip on it off the barrel without removing the sight, the strong clip spring steel can crack the hand guard wood. Careful!!)

I note this only as an option, since that hand-guard does not NEED to be fixed, but should you decide to do it, be aware that a perfect 96C guard can be made from a (much more readily available) 96R item. In fact, that is essentially how SA made them originally. That should be the last resort though, as it does involve the destruction of an original artifact. ALL original Krag hand-guards are scarce and valuable - and, sadly, many of the repros are just not up to snuff. If you could find an original 96R with a bad split at the front, that would be a win-win.

[Whig]

I appreciate Dick's observation that the Model 1896 rifle hand guard has similar design in the main body that could allow a carbine only hand guard to be fabricated. I really wouldn't ever suggest altering a good hand guard since, as Dick said, they are all uncommon and hard to find by themselves. You can keep yours the way it is or, if you are comfortable with wood working skills, try to repair it sometime.

I have posted some pictures below to show some hand guards and compare the Model 1896 rifle/carbine hand guard with the longer front extension and the Model 1896 carbine only hand guard like you have. You can see the delicate curved piece missing on your hand guard.

Enjoy!

[Whig]

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