I have no idea. I have a couple of DanishKrags, a Norwegian
, and a US M1898, and the book on the Scandinavian Krags, but no references on the US ones. Until I looked at my other M1898, I thought it might be a US Krag
thing. There's only one hole, so it's not some dumbass drilling it for a scope. I searched the Gallery rifles on the internet, and found this reference from Cowan's Auctions, which specifically mentions a hole in the receiver, so maybe it's something to distinguish the 22 from its big brother??? I also found a reference to the rifle on the NRA Museum website saying only about 850 were made in .22, but it doesn't mention the hole
* Springfield Model 1898 Krag Gallery Practice Rifle, - Cowan's Auctions
I also found a reference to the rifles on a Gunboard called Culver's Shooting Page (ain't Google great?), in which one member told another that the Gallery Practice Rifles only had an undated, script cartouche stock. I don't know if that's correct or not--the fellow might be wrong, in which case I don't want to perpetuate an error....
.22 Gallery Practice Krag
However, there was also a story about a Gallery Rifle on the Krag Collector's Forum, which mentions that the rifle the fellow bought had no cartouche, which he attributed to sanding, so perhaps it is correct these rifles never had one--restocked when converted perhaps? The hole is still a mystery though.
Krag Collectors Association
Ed
Ed