krag carbine

Hi, Have a krag carbine with an interesting history....serial #34644, had this rifle researched by SRS, it was made in 1896 and issued to the 3rd cal. This rifle never made it to san juan hill with the rest of the outfit, it was stolen from their barracks in missouri in 1897. Two questions here, 1) would the govt still be interested in recovering this rifle? in other words is there a statute of limitations involved? Does the fact it was stolen prevent future sales? 2) Being it is sort of a "pirate" rifle what would it be worth and what would be the best way to sell it? Thank You

Once you settle your nerves I'd love to see this carbine, if you could post some pics. I seriously doubt the "Gumn't" will come chasing you after 122 years...unless it's taxes.

Haha, that is a great history. I’m with Jim, I doubt the government cares anymore. In fact, they probably have no record of it...if they did I would love to see those records!
Would love to know more of the history. If only it could talk.

There's bags of 1911 and A1s that are adrift after the fact and I've never heard of anyone having a "G" man appear with his hand out for their property...

Thanks for the info guys

Photoes!!!

don't have the rifle at this location will post some pics when available

The OPs question is a good one that I hadn't thought about before.
It kind of reminds me of the time I was in a military antique shop that had a lot of WWII uniforms from all countries. The owner was known for his vast knowledge of the Third Reich and all things WWII German. Well, while I was in the shop he got a phone call from a lady. He was very polite and seemed to be holding back laughter. He finally said “No, no I don’t think there would be a problem.” and hung up the phone. He sat there for a moment with a silly grin on his face and then burst out in a fit of laughter. Naturally my curiosity was killing me so I asked him what was the source of his amusement. He explained that she had acquired some Nazi ephemera , some postcards and other paper items that she wanted to copy and sell in her antique shop. She was concerned about violating German copyright laws! He laughed loudly and said if we could resurrect Himmler or Goebbels we could ask them if it was OK! Salt Flat

According to the U.S. Code, any person holding equipment marked U.S. property must produce either a bill of sale from the gov't for the item or show the commercial import marks. I'm sure some government to come will put this to good use in rounding up all of the 'bring backs' found at gun shows. Removing the import mark without transferring the info to an other location on the piece is also a violation.

Can't see it happening...at all.

Irrelevant anyway. Not all US Martial firearms are marked “US PROPERTY.”
The Krag is one of those that is not.

Regardless, I am unfamiliar with the code you’ve mentioned but I doubt it applies to obsolete equipment like 120 year old rifles.

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Originally Posted by rcathey

I doubt it applies to obsolete equipment like 120 year old rifles.

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Exactly...

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Originally Posted by 03a3carbine

Hi, Have a krag carbine with an interesting history....serial #34644, had this rifle researched by SRS, it was made in 1896 and issued to the 3rd cal. This rifle never made it to san juan hill with the rest of the outfit, it was stolen from their barracks in missouri in 1897. Two questions here, 1) would the govt still be interested in recovering this rifle? in other words is there a statute of limitations involved? Does the fact it was stolen prevent future sales? 2) Being it is sort of a "pirate" rifle what would it be worth and what would be the best way to sell it? Thank You

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Who is SRS?

I don't want to hijack your thread but I have a krag carbine with a rather interesting history.....I would like to know more about.

I will snap some photos and start a thread in the next few days.

"SRS" stands for Springfield Research Services. It was data collected by Franklin Mallory and others on U.S. Military Arms, recorded in official documents, by serial number.

This data was published in a series of books, now out of print. The Krag data also appears in the appendix of the Second Edition of Mallory's book, "The Krag Rifle Story".

Only a small percentage of U.S. Krags made, appear in the SRS tables, (out of almost 1/2 million made). The entries are rather brief in most cases and show only a brief glimpse of a rifle or carbine's use.

Sometimes, the entries show an arm being issued to a specific unit. Sometimes an entry indicates 'official destruction' at a Army Depot or Sale from Raritan Arsenal.

Upon his death, Frank Mallory's research was purchased. The owner, I believe, provides a 'documentation letter service' that is said to be slow and expensive.

I have never personally used this service. I do have a copy of the 2nd edition of the "KRS".

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Originally Posted by butlersrangers

The owner, I believe, provides a 'documentation letter service' that is said to be slow and expensive..

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I ordered one for the “Kentucky Krag” that was posted about a while back. I went with the basic letter and it was only $50 or something like that and came in just a few weeks.

It told me nothing more than we already knew but I wanted the documentation for insurance reasons.
I was happy with the service/cost.

One thing I’m not clear about is what would happen if one sent in a number they didn’t have records for. Would they say “we don’t have records, thanks.” Or “we don’t have records. That’ll be $50.”