Picking up my first Krag

[Warpspasm]

I'm finally getting around to buying my first Krag. It has been on my "want" list for quite awhile. The one I'm getting, according to what I've been told, is a cut rifle in a saddle carbine stock. It's missing the hand guard and has a rubber butt pad. The saddle ring has been ground off and re-blued, but it's coming with an original one that I will put on. My intention is to replace the rubber butt pad with a steel butt plate, and eventually find a hand guard. I may also do something with the sling attachments. The serial number on the receiver places it as an 1898, but I'm not sure about the stock. The butt end is cut straight like an 1892, but it may have been straightened to fit the butt pad. I guess I'll figure that out when it arrives. I may need to fit a butt plate to what I have if the butt has been cut a bit.
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[browningautorifle]

I'll bet you a dollar that butt was cut to straight so the pad would lay flat. Too bad too. If you look at the original buttplate you see how much is gone to leave that filler piece. Yes, it's a cut down rifle barrel with looks like an M1903 rifle sight, lots were done that way. Bore is likely perfect, thus the reason for this one.

[jon_norstog]

That is a nice looking rifle. Too bad about the stock. Those rubber buttpads get really nasty with age. As a hunting rifle, you should lose the lanyard ring anyway - gets in the way of a one-hand carry and it makes nose. It's a shame what was done to that stock, though. If it were mine, I would put a nicer front sight on it, maybe a replica of the Krag sight, and get a new repro stock. Keep the sling swivels if you are going to hunt with it, or better yet, get the original rifle band with swivel and butt swivel - there were carbines in service that were set up to take a sling ... I don't know if it was done at the arsenal or in the field, but it is a real thing.

Good luck!

jn

[Doco overboard]

It looks like an earlier rifle with the trough in place for the bolt handle.
Sometimes the digits on the serial numbers are hard to tell apart, the 6 looks like an 8 etc.
Anyway, looks like a nice rifle to me and it may not be too difficult to work a steel butt-plate back onto it
with a little care and fitting.

[Salt Flat]

I agree with Doco about fitting an original buttplate. It should be pretty easy. Based on the filler piece (at the top of the butt) there is only about a 1/4 of an inch of wood missing. I've
had to do this a few times with 1903 stocks and they came out fine. Might as well try to save this stock. Salt Flat

[mark1]

From what I can see of the rear sight, it is either a 1898 or 1902. Both utilized the same hand guard.

[carbineer]

That is an 1896 receiver. The "bolt handle support" was removed with the Model 1898. Model 1896s were produced into early 1898 before the model change. It would be interesting to know your serial number to see how close it is to the change over.

[Warpspasm]

The Krag FINALLY came in the mail today. It's in, what I think is, an actual 1896 saddle ring carbine stock. The receiver has the serial number 80266, which from what I gather means it should be an 1898 rifle. BUT, the receiver is stamped Model 1896. The bore is bright and shiny with strong rifling and slugs at .308. The barrel measures roughly 22.25 inches and does not have a carbine front sight and tapers down to .608 inches at the muzzle end.

It has obviously been sporterized. I'm pretty sure it has been reblued, the stock has been sanded, so there are no markings and the bolt handle has been highly polished. Sling swivels were installed professionally. The only really bad things is the butt stock as had about .3 inches cut off to have a rubber recoil pad installed. It was a straight cut to remove the curve at the bottom. Interestingly enough, whoever did it cut off the top tab of the original steel plate where the screw attaches it to the stock and left that in the inlet where it belongs. I guess it was easier than filling it up. Because the butt was shortened, so is the little tab he left there. I think the only way to fix it will be to get the appropriate butt plate, cut off the tab and weld on the original tab which has been shortened. Then, put the curve back on the bottom of the butt stock. The only other thing I can think of is to buy a 5/16" recoil pad spacer and put it between a steel plate and the stock. I'm open to suggestions on this one. I ordered a steel butt plate from Numerich. It's "old style" and I think it's a flat one instead of one that curves at the bottom. That would make it easier.

[Salt Flat]

Warpspasm, You could just find a piece of closely matching walnut to use as a spacer. Or I think if you had an original buttplate you could inlet the whole thing and toss that old top piece. You would have to reshape the heel of the buttplate a little due to the stock angle. You will barely notice the 5/16 loss of length. Option 3 is to leave it as. It really doesn't look bad and is finished nicely. Overall it is a good looking rifle.

[Warpspasm]

Warpspasm, You could just find a piece of closely matching walnut to use as a spacer. Or I think if you had an original buttplate you could inlet the whole thing and toss that old top piece. You would have to reshape the heel of the buttplate a little due to the stock angle. You will barely notice the 5/16 loss of length. Option 3 is to leave it as. It really doesn't look bad and is finished nicely. Overall it is a good looking rifle.

I have a butt plate on order from Numerich. They only had one style available and I think it might be the flat plate that came on the 1892. I couldn't tell from the photo. Actually, I think it might be a Springfield 1903 butt plate. It came up as an "alternative - old style" when I tried to pick a Krag butt plate. Of course the Krag plates were sold out. BUT, it was cheap and if it really is the flat style that will make it easier to fit the stock. I would LOVE to put a hand guard on here, but being a real 1896 carbine stock having a 1902 rear sight none of the hand guards will fit. I wish I could get my hands on a beat up one to try some mods. I wouldn't want to experiment with an authentic one in good shape. I would consider trying it with a reproduction hand guard, but there are none of them around and they're pretty darn expensive.