1898 Krag Carbine?

[jdcru001]

Hey y'all. First-time poster here, so be gentle...

My neighbor passed away and his children are having me care for a few of his rifles. They aren't interested in them, so I may make an offer. My neighbor's grandfather fought in the Spanish-American War and brought his Krag back. It is marked "Model 1898." on the receiver with a serial # 199844. I have attached photos below. Any information on this rifle would be a huge help. It is missing the barrel band(s), sling swivel, and butt plate. Barrel length is just over 24.5 inches. Overall length is just short of 44 inches.

Specific questions:

1. Is the stock original (best guesses)? It doesn't seem to match what other Krag Carbines look like to me...

2. Was this rifle originally a carbine, or was it likely converted to one after the War?

3. Would y'all recommend replacing the buttstock and/or barrel band(s)?

4. What is the rarity of this rifle? (I have no intention of selling it if I get my hands on it)

Thanks!

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.

[browningautorifle]

Welcome to the forum... I get no hit with the serial number, all in that area appear to be rifles. This one isn't a carbine, they have a 22" barrel. This one has a 1903 rifle sight cobbled on, which was common after cutting a barrel off. The wood has been cut down too, don't know if it was the original stock but probably, we'd need to see if there's a cartouche on the left side above the trigger. What shape is the barrel in inside? Looks like a shooter...

[jdcru001]

Ah, thanks! There is no visible cartouche. The barrel is dark, but I've fixed worse with some time and love.

[butlersrangers]

'jdcru001' - Your neighbor's model 1898 Krag, #199844, was originally assembled around May, 1899. It is a cut-down rifle. The rear sight is the model 1901 sight. The front sight is the '03 sight that came into use in 1905.

This Krag was altered to make it handier for 'Hunting'. Such cut-down Krags are quite common and still useful. It is worth around $250.

[mtoms]

Since the Spanish American War ended August 1898 grandpa may have fought in the war but probably not with this Krag.

[bob q]

Gramps would have been 136 years old minimum , 98 Krags were not used in the SA war , plus they did not let you "bring home " your service rifle . It is an old surplus rifle from the 20's or 30's that was chopped up for hunting use . Reminds me of the last gun show I was at where a goofy 60 ish guy was trying to sell me his Krag that he " fought in the war with " .

[browningautorifle]

trying to sell me his Krag that he " fought in the war with " .

We've all heard something like that.

[Frederick303]

Well it was not common for folks to buy the pattern of rifle they were issued and use it as ahunting rifle back then.

also post WWI the cheapest option was to buy a Bannerman or DCM or Kirk Stokes Krag if you wanted a high powered hunting rifle. Surplus Krag ammunition was available from the DCM until around 1928.

That particular set up looks fairly close to a Kirk Stokes pattern sporting rifle from the 1920s. A lot of the 30 inch rifles had the last few inches rusted out but once you got back around 4 to 6 inches the center of the bore was ok. So they cut the barrel down to 26/24/22 inches, mounted a front sight band close to the M1905 pattern and you had a decent sporter for very little money.

[browningautorifle]

In the US, you guys could buy Krags and 1903s...here we had our choice of two models of Lee Enfield...done exactly the same way.