SRS Check on US M1898 Please Jim

[oldfoneguy]

Well I'm back for more. The local gun show this weekend served me very well. There I found a beautiful condition very late M1898 cartouched in 1903. Could you please give this a check for me Jim? Thanks in advance.

M1898 S# 461576 standard infantry rifle

It's In outstanding condition however very dry. It looks like it has been in a rack for decades untouched. Case hardening is still visible on the receiver and loading gate, bluing is beautiful. Wood is dry and starting to pucker at some of the grain. Tiny random spots of rust where moisture touched unoiled steel nothing terrible. Butt plate, trigger guard and middle band are worst off. Bore looks very good but still needs that good scrub to show itself. Nothing in the butt trap, no bayonet or sling.

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing is found this rifle doesn't look like it's seen much service.
Irony has struck me again. I buy a trapdoor made in 1892 the year the Krag was adopted and now I have a Krag made in 1903 the year the 03 Springfield is adopted.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

M1898 S# 461576

Nope, no hit Bill...SRS #1 that is. Someone with a later version maybe. Nice piece though.

[Salt Flat]

Wow, That is the nicest Krag that I've seen for quite awhile. Great find.

[oldfoneguy]

Wow, That is the nicest Krag that I've seen for quite awhile. Great find.

Thanks, I don't think I've ever seen one this nice myself. I saw it on Saturday and passed because I just got the trapdoor 2 weeks ago. Didn't sleep much that night dreading my stupidity. Went back to the show Sunday after my commitments and thankfully it was still there. The seller was a gentleman I had made 2 purchases from previously so we were able to make a deal that made us both happy. Right now it's completely apart and getting the best cleaning and oiling it's had in decades.

[butlersrangers]

You picked-up a very honest looking Model 1898 Krag in nice condition. Enjoy!

[oldfoneguy]

Did some cleaning and got the majority of the gunk out of the barrel however there is still some copper fouling left. Normally to look down this barrel it shines but that isn't showing in these pictures. I used 2 different lights at the breech. More to come later.

[browningautorifle]

Nice clean bore...

[oldfoneguy]

Found these markings inside the stock. These are the only markings of any kind inside.
The 99 and based on the cursive of the day I'm pretty sure is a 99 shows inside the handguard.
The N is in the receiver ring channel of the stock.

[oldfoneguy]

So when I bought the rifle I felt what I thought was feathering of the grain due to dryness. Wrong on that one.

There was something applied to the stock that leached from the grain and solidified. It could be very old motor oil or something from Birchwood Casey. Could it be cosmolene that has melted and dried thousands of times? I did find cosmolene in the action and the bolt so it never had a major cleaning since out of arsenal storage. Found some of this stuff on the metal too. Front band, receiver ring and butt plate. Any guesses?

I'm kind of pi$$ed the only way to remove the stuff is with 000 steel wool. Tried the heat gun and steam neither had any effect. Denatured alcohol works but swelled the wood temporarily so no more of that. It bothers me to remove history from it like that but I have no other choice. I've always been more about preservation than restoration but so be it. Handguard already has its first coat of RLO on it and it did darken again some so that calmed me.