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Thread: My 1898 Krag - Is It A True Carbine?

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    Question My 1898 Krag - Is It A True Carbine?

    Sometime in the late 1920s or early 1930s, my father and grandfather bought US Army Kragicon rifles through some government sponsored program which I suspect was something akin to our CMPicon of today. I know it sound crazy, but I seem to remember their saying they paid something like $1.50 or $3.00 for each of the rifles. I may be all wrong about that price, but that is the cost that sticks in my mind. My father immediately sporterized his rifle by shortening the barrel, fitting a new stock, and bluing the steel, but my grandfather choose to keep his Krag in the same condition it was when he bought it.

    Years later, my grandfather gave me his beautiful Krag, and I used it for hunting deer. I always like the fact that it was still a military rifle rather than a sporterized rifle. I allowed a friend to borrow my Krag to go deer hunting, but while he was deer hunting, he also did some dear hunting, and the rifle was stolen out of his car while he was in a place he should not have been. Needless to say, I was quite upset at the loss. He was my friend and he agreed to replace it as soon as we could find one of like kind and quality. It must have been in the late 1960s when we read a newspaper notice that a local gun dealer won a bid from the Pennsylvania State Police to buy a dozen or so 30-40 Krag carbines the police no longer required for their mounted troops. I immediately went to the dealer and picked out what looked to be the nicest one of the lot. My grandfather’s gun was a Krag rifle, and while these were Krag carbines, I thought I would rather have the carbine. That is how I came to own my Model 1898 Krag with the 216299 serial number.

    Since I bought the Krag about 40 years ago, I have always assumed it was a true carbine because it looked like a carbine, and the State Police reportedly used them for their mounted troops. Then I found this forum and started reading some threads that seem to call into question whether my Krag with its serial number could actually be a true carbine. It is clearly a Model 1898, but the stock cartouche is marked 1899. I am pretty sure the stock is a true carbine stock, and the front sight looks like a carbine sight to me. From what I have read, however, my serial number calls into question whether it truly is a carbine or not. It is a very nice looking piece and I have included about 15 pictures in the hope some of you all may have an idea about it.


    Click PICS to Enlarge

    The first three pictures are from the right side with a full length view, a back half view, and a front half view.

    Attachment 8082 - Attachment 8083 - Attachment 8084


    Picture 4 is a close view of the front sight, and Pictures 5 & 6 show the barrel band from both sides.

    Attachment 8085- Attachment 8086 - Attachment 8087


    Pictures 7 & 8 show a side and top view of the rear sight.

    Attachment 8088 - Attachment 8089


    Pictures 9, 10, & 11 are views of the action, with #11 being a close up of the model and serial numbers.

    Attachment 8090 - Attachment 8091 - Attachment 8092


    Picture 13 clearly shows the side cartouche marked 1899, and Picture 14 shows a numeral marking and a “P” cartouche on the bottom of the stock behind the trigger guard.

    Attachment 8094 - Attachment 8093


    Picture 14 shows a number “12" stamped onto the bottom of the stock butt. Could the “12" be a rack number stamped by the Pennsylvania State Police?

    Attachment 8095

    Picture 15 is a stamping on the leather sling, and it looks to me like it says “W.H.M&M.CO.” with “S.M.G.” directly under it.

    Attachment 8096

    I hope you folks can appreciate the pictures, and I hope you might shed some light on whether my Krag is truly a carbine or not.

    Best wishes,
    Dave Wile
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    Last edited by David Wile; 12-02-2009 at 06:13 PM.

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