Serial number of the first 1898 rifle?

[cquickel]

I have an early 1898 rifle, 10158x. Does any one know the serial number of the first 1898? Should these rifles have a 1898 or 1899 cartouche date?

Thanks

Curt

Information

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[butlersrangers]

"cquickel": Are you positive that your rifle is not a Model 1896 Krag? It is very easy to misread the Model date on an 1896. It looks like 1898 because of the depth of the stamping.
Franklin Mallory, "The Krag Rifle Story", 2nd Edition, page 246, reports the highest observed Model 1896 Rifle serial number 109,020 and the lowest observed Model 1898 Rifle serial number 109,342. He also reports, on page 280, "Serial Numbers of Known U.S. Krags" an 1898 Rifle #109,128.
Joe Poyer lists the 1st Model 1898 Rifle being completed on July 8, 1898, around #109,000.
The easiest way to tell the difference between 1896 and 1898 Model U.S. Krag actions is how the receiver is machined for the root of the bolt handle. The 1896 action has a raised flange and the stock has a semi-circular inletting. The 1898 has a simpler squared notch and inletting.

[cquickel]

"cquickel": Are you positive that your rifle is not a Model 1896 Krag? It is very easy to misread the Model date on an 1896. It looks like 1898 because of the depth of the stamping.
Franklin Mallory, "The Krag Rifle Story", 2nd Edition, page 246, reports the highest observed Model 1896 Rifle serial number 109,020 and the lowest observed Model 1898 Rifle serial number 109,342. He also reports, on page 280, "Serial Numbers of Known U.S. Krags" an 1898 Rifle #109,128.
Joe Poyer lists the 1st Model 1898 Rifle being completed on July 8, 1898, around #109,000.
The easiest way to tell the difference between 1896 and 1898 Model U.S. Krag actions is how the receiver is machined for the root of the bolt handle. The 1896 action has a raised flange and the stock has a semi-circular inletting. The 1898 has a simpler squared notch and inletting.

Thank you for your reply. I checked again and the receiver reads "model 1898" sn 10958x Is this rifle supposed to have an 1898 or 1899 cartouche date?

Curt

[butlersrangers]

'cquickel': Thanks for rechecking your Krag's serial number. The number you first reported was too low for a Model 1898. Your Krag, #109,58x, was probably accepted into service during 1898, unless the receiver lay in the bottom of a 'part's bin' for over six months. It probably originally had a stock with an 1898 'cartouche' date. However, many Krags went back to the arsenal for repair & reconditioning. There was no need to put serviceable stocks back on the barreled action they came off of.
It is common for Krags to have a 'mis-match' between probable manufacture date and acceptance 'cartouche' date. This is due in part to stocks being switched. It could also be caused by delay between a rifle being completed and the inspection for acceptance. Krags were not manufactured or issued in sequence of serial numbers.

[cquickel]

Thanks for this great information

Curt

[Dick Hosmer]

I notice that you corrected your serial number, but, to answer your original question, the break between the Models of 1896 and 1898 - which have obviously different receiver profiles at root of bolt - is currently thought to be around 108900.