Krag model 1898 30-40 Carbine?

[shrpshooter]

Hi all,
I just registered here and would like to say hi to everyone. Also, I just bought a Krag model 1898 30-40 and would like some more information on it. Any help would be appreciated

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[jon_norstog]

Shrpshooter,

The Krag heavies have mostly moved over to the Culver list, though I think 5MF checks this forum pretty regularly. What I can say is that a true 1898 carbine is a very rare bird, most of the later carbines were 1899. A lot of rifles have "become" carbines in the years since they left the arsenal. Most, but by no means all, of them are pretty obvious.

Cutdowns abound!

good luck, learn as much as you can and enjoy your Krag for what it is.

jn

[limpetmine]

What little I know of Krag carbines is that it takes years of learning to tell if one is legit or not.
The serial number ranges for the carbines was all over the map, there were no serial number blocks which makes determination much harder.
Good luck.

[kragluver]

The 1899s are the only carbines that are a sure thing. No "1899" rifles were made. As others have already stated, its all in the details. Only about 5000 1898 carbines were produced and they are in known S/N blocks.

[5MadFarmers]

The 1898 carbines are self identifying. The parts are unique and assembling the parts would exceed the cost of just buying one outright so I'd say if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck. The stock is unique to it and unobtainable. The rear sight will be late 1896 carbine and that'll set you back close to $500 alone. So taking into account the stock and sight alone you'd be hitting $1,000 - assuming you could find a stock. Serial needs to be down in the 118K-138K range. The outsides of that will garner suspicion.

If it's in the later 1899 stock, and they in fact rebuilt them that way, you might as well give up as nobody will verify it. Wouldn't matter anyway as no collector wants one in the 1899 stock - the 1898 stock is what everyone is after.

Most "1898 carbines" are just chopped rifles. First thing to look for is the saddle ring - the 1898c stock had it but the 1899 didn't. Wed the saddle ring with the square cut bolt channel (1896 had scalloped) and add the short grasping grooves (the barrel band sits back like the 1896 and not further forward like the 1899) and you have a very unique stock. No other stock can even be converted for a vis-mod as the grasping groove length and bolt cut are unique.

What little I know of Kragicon carbines is that it takes years of learning to tell if one is legit or not.
The serial number ranges for the carbines was all over the map, there were no serial number blocks which makes determination much harder.
Good luck.

All correct. With the caveat that I can in fact ID them. Before Chuck passed on we went through that exercise with the ones he and I had access to. What we learned was they 1898s were also subject to parts repair. Some of the 1898 carbines which were obviously 1898 carbines sported some later parts. Nothing surprising given they were repaired as they broke but what it showed is that it is possible for me to ID the wee parts.

HTH.

[thorin6]

I believe there is another point here about the M1898 carbines. Of the 5000 or so original M1898 carbines, how many remained in their original configuration? Not many, I believe, because of the rebuilding that went on over the years. Yes, you can find the stock (if you look hard enough; I know where one is), and yes you can find the sight (generally one or two for sale every couple of months on Gunbroker or ebay), but then you have a parts gun (assuming you have a barreled receiver that is legitimate as well as the sling ring and bar and not a reproduction). I would rather have a correct rebuilt M1898 (which I do) than a parts gun. Of course, I would take a verified original over both, but then I would have to take a vow of poverty after acquiring it.