Krag Cartouche Date

[5MadFarmers]

I am convinced that the stock dates are calender year and the serial numbers are fiscal year. I have an 1896 with a late 1897 serial number, but the stock date is 1898...the gun looks completely original and is in high condition, though the cartouche has been sanded lightly. I also have an 1899 carbine that is the same story...late year production, but the stock date is 1900.

Um, I'm sorry but that isn't parsing for me. Serial numbers aren't "calender" or "fiscal" year; they're just a stream from 1 to the end. How those line up with the FY or CY is purely coincidental. Some researchers are attempting to "pin" serial ranges to years but it's an art more than a science and the end result will never be correct. It won't be correct as the guns weren't finished in serial number order. The "range" of "out of order" could get quite extensive.

So serials aren't pinned to years in any meaningful way.

Cheers.